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High-end restaurants waste an incredible amount of food - here's what they're doing to fix that

High-end restaurants waste an incredible amount of food - here's what they're doing to fix that

According to an analysis by the Green Restaurant Association, a single restaurant can produce approximately 25,000 to 75,000 pounds of food waste in one year. Here, a Feedback volunteer plates a meal during the Feeding the 5,000 festival in New York City's Union Square.

High-end restaurants waste an incredible amount of food - here's what they're doing to fix that

A 2012 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that Americans throw away almost half of their food, amounting to $165 billion wasted annually.

A 2012 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that Americans throw away almost half of their food, amounting to $165 billion wasted annually.

Source: Huffington Post

Food waste is not just a problem in America, but across the globe. About 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted globally each year, and around 40% of that comes from restaurants.

Food waste is not just a problem in America, but across the globe. About 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted globally each year, and around 40% of that comes from restaurants.

Source: Restaurants.com

Chef Dan Barber is the co-owner of Blue Hill, one of the restaurants helping end food waste through work with Feedback. Barber describes food waste and hunger as a "very serious issue." At his restaurant, they cook many dishes using food that would have otherwise been wasted. Additional leftovers are fed to the livestock raised on Blue Hill's farm.

Chef Dan Barber is the co-owner of Blue Hill, one of the restaurants helping end food waste through work with Feedback. Barber describes food waste and hunger as a "very serious issue." At his restaurant, they cook many dishes using food that would have otherwise been wasted. Additional leftovers are fed to the livestock raised on Blue Hill

This evening, I’m putting a ravioli on the menu that is braised lamb with a fine mince of diced spring vegetables and a little bit of ricotta cheese," Barber said. "But the lamb is left over from the braise last night, the vegetables are left over from extra prep in the kitchen yesterday, and we are cooking it today. So, essentially what I just described is 'waste', but we are calling it a ravioli.

This evening, I’m putting a ravioli on the menu that is braised lamb with a fine mince of diced spring vegetables and a little bit of ricotta cheese," Barber said. "But the lamb is left over from the braise last night, the vegetables are left over from extra prep in the kitchen yesterday, and we are cooking it today. So, essentially what I just described is

The goal of Feeding the 5,000 was to bring awareness to the food waste problem. "I think this a really inspired way to deal with this [issue]," Barber said of Feedback's food festival.

The goal of Feeding the 5,000 was to bring awareness to the food waste problem. "I think this a really inspired way to deal with this [issue]," Barber said of Feedback

Every ingredient — including bread, vegetables, and fruit— that was incorporated into the meals during Feeding the 5,000 was salvaged from high-end restaurants.

Every ingredient — including bread, vegetables, and fruit— that was incorporated into the meals during Feeding the 5,000 was salvaged from high-end restaurants.

Popular New York restaurants Blue Hill, Almond, and Egg all participated. The food items were salvaged, cooked, and then given away to the public for free.

Popular New York restaurants Blue Hill, Almond, and Egg all participated. The food items were salvaged, cooked, and then given away to the public for free.

5,000 free bowls of root-atouille, a vegetable-based stew made with leftovers, were given away during Feedback's food festival.

5,000 free bowls of root-atouille, a vegetable-based stew made with leftovers, were given away during Feedback

A broccoli salad was also served.

A broccoli salad was also served.

Source: NPR

Barber ran a similar experiment in 2015, when he installed a pop-up restaurant called WastED at Blue Hill. Every dish, from the cheeseburger to the kale rib stew, was made from repurposed ingredients. Barber also invited a long roster of notable chefs to participate in the project, including Dominique Ansel, Mario Batali, April Bloomfield, and Daniel Humm.

Barber ran a similar experiment in 2015, when he installed a pop-up restaurant called WastED at Blue Hill. Every dish, from the cheeseburger to the kale rib stew, was made from repurposed ingredients. Barber also invited a long roster of notable chefs to participate in the project, including Dominique Ansel, Mario Batali, April Bloomfield, and Daniel Humm.

Source: WastED

It's extremely common for restaurants to prepare more food than they sell.

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