Avoiding food waste
Pilot project successfully implemented in Iti Asterias Beach with the Futouris sustainability initiative.
Around one-third of food around the world goes to waste each year according to current estimates. A massive 200,000 tons of food waste is generated annually in German hotels alone, the majority of which is avoidable.
In order to improve this situation, DER Touristik has taken part in the 'Avoiding Food Wastage In Hotels' project. Together with the Futouris e.V. sustainability initiative, the organisation 'United Against Waste e.V.' and other member companies, investigations were conducted over the course of a year in selected hotels in Greece, Turkey and Italy. The aim was to develop practical measures to combat food wastage.
The results of the now published final evaluation report are impressive: a hotel can save approximately 400 kg of food waste each week.
One of the hotels taking part in the project was the lti Asterias Beach Resort in Rhodes, which belongs to DER Touristik. In the first step, all food leftovers were collected in the kitchen and sorted into waste from storage, production waste, overproduction and plate returns. Using a waste analysis tool, the waste amounts were systematically measured over several weeks and this data was used to determine savings potentials and develop appropriate measures. The biggest challenge here was the 'All you can eat' concept employed in all of the participating hotels, which led to higher than average plate returns.
The Iti Asterias Beach Resort has already been implementing the new concept for avoiding food waste since summer 2017. A pre-ordering system has thus been introduced for the a la carte restaurant, for example. Guests can state their meals at reception a day in advance, enabling the kitchen to plan better. The introduction of even more 'live cooking' as an addition to the buffet also proved to be highly successful. This allows portions to be measured much better. Another important aspect is educating guests about the subject. The information displayed about food products from the region and local specialities led to more conscious food handling.
"The DER Touristik hotels are conscious of their responsibility to avoid food wastage. That is why I am very happy that we have made a start with the lti Asterias Beach Resort. Other hotels will follow", said Karim Baaziz, Head of Operations and Entertainment for DER Touristik Hotels & Resorts.
A control inspection in October 2017 confirmed the success of the first measures implemented: food waste was reduced by average of 18%. The waste reduction for lunch and dinner came in at between 30 and 60%.
For 2019, DER Touristik will be extending the concept to more of our hotels. The measures will initially be implemented in the lti alpenhotel Kaiserfels in St. Johann in Tirol and in the lti Bellevue Park in Tunisia. Employees from the Food & Beverage area will also be trained in the topics of sustainable food provision and the avoidance of food waste.