The Rockefeller Foundation Joins Hotel Industry To Reduce Food Waste
Today, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, unveil results from a set of projects demonstrating innovative strategies aimed at reducing food waste in the hotel industry. Based on the results, WWF, AHLA, and The Rockefeller Foundation are releasing a toolkit with strategies to help hotel properties and brands meet measurable, time-bound goals to reduce food waste.
Ten hotel properties participated in the 12-weeks of demonstration projects, including a mix of full-service branded hotels and several independent operations across the country. They tested different waste reduction strategies, including low-waste menu planning, staff training and education, and customer engagement. Overall, participating properties reduced food waste at least 10 percent and in some cases properties lowered food costs by three percent or more after increasing measurement and engagement. These findings support case studies conducted by waste tracking technology companies, which typically show cost reduction of three to eight percent. The program results also revealed that teams achieved greater success at properties where the owners, general managers, and executive staff were highly engaged...