Tracking and Reducing Post-Consumers Plate Waste
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Overview
Overview
Pre-consumer waste tracking and reduction strategies are now standard across much of the large-volume food service sector. Post-consumer waste, also called plate waste, is more difficult to track and reduce. As a result, it isn’t widely part of the industry’s waste reduction efforts.
In partnership with Winnow, two Guckenheimer teams implemented front-of-house waste tracking in 2024 to better understand employee waste patterns, develop behavioral interventions, and make information on food waste relevant and relatable.
The work is influenced by studies that show the impact of the food information environment and food choice architecture on eater behaviors and choices. These efforts are spearheaded by registered dietitians and leaders across sustainability, culinary, and marketing to represent these complex influences for change.
Alignment with the EAT-Lancet Commission
Alignment with the EAT-Lancet Commission
This story reflects a systems-thinking approach to transforming the food system, especially as it relates to changing consumption behaviors, mitigating food waste, and integrating solutions across disciplines. Shifting to sustainable diets requires cultural and behavioral change. By integrating behavioral science, we can deliver soft interventions that align nutrition and sustainability to shift the information environment.
During a 19-week study that leveraged multiple behavioral interventions, we saw a 33% reduction in weekly waste per person. The data has enabled culinarians to make targeted adjustments or replacements, delivering noticeable reductions in waste for certain items.
Key actors
Key actors
Guckenheimer
Winnow
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
Working closely with the Winnow product and data team helped identify patterns and insights to inform our plate waste tracking technologies and strategies.
Next steps
Next steps
Implement post-consumer waste tracking at additional sites
Continue tracking trends to assess long-term impact
Work to reduce cross-contamination of trash via employee education
For more information contact: Rebecca Chesney at rebecca.chesney@us.issworld.com
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