ISS Guckenheimer

Overview

Food waste tracking technologies typically track based on the specific item being thrown away (for example, scrambled egg whites and a frittata might both be categorized simply as “eggs”). This limits the ability of organizations to adjust specific recipes and production amounts. To reduce waste at our sites and across the food system broadly, Guckenheimer worked with our waste and menu management technology providers to implement an API to connect our menu and waste management systems. As a result, our teams can track waste for specific recipes, getting access to better and more granular data on food waste.

A pilot program found that sites using this new API achieved 32% greater waste reduction than other sites. This integration between menu and waste management systems is now live in multiple Guckenheimer sites, with more to be added as our organizational data ecosystems become further integrated.

Alignment with the EAT-Lancet Commission 

In alignment with the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission, these efforts support a more sustainable food system through targeted waste reduction and data-driven improvements to our operations.

The integration of Leanpath and NetMenu saw a 54% reduction in total overproduction by user and a 33% reduction in total food waste per user, achieved through a combination of technology adoption, culinary team engagement, and efforts to encourage more sustainable practices.

Key actors

• Guckenheimer

• Leanpath

• NetMenu

• Winnow

Lessons Learned

Tracking at the recipe level empowers local culinary teams to make choices based on the specific preferences of the communities they serve. Granular waste data is helpful, as recipes developed centrally can be adapted locally to achieve increased waste reduction goals.