Adopting sustainable purchasing in the food and beverage sector

1. 
   The concept of sustainable purchasing
   

What is sustainable purchasing?

2. 
   Environmental benefits of adopting the sustainable purchasing
   

• 
  Through the sustainable purchasing, purchasers from the food and beverage sector can help to protect the environment by consuming sustainably-harvested products.
  

• 
  When a market for sustainable purchasing is established, it provides incentive to food services suppliers in searching for more sustainably-harvested food products to meet the growing population of environmentally concerned consumers of the food and beverage sector.
  

For more details about the sustainable seafood guide, please refer to wwf.org.hk/seafood/en

The energy consumption in the food and beverage sector usually comes from the equipment, hot water, lighting, heating and air-conditioning. The high consumption of energy will not only cause damage to the environment (e.g. greenhouse gases emission), but also increase the energy costs and reduce revenue. To ensure the long-term survival of food and beverage businesses, the sector has started cost-effective energy consumption practices in their businesses.

1. 
   Good practices on energy consumption in the food and beverage sector
   

• 
  Upgrade to the most energy efficient kitchen equipment such as refrigerators, ovens and freezers. Look for kitchen equipment’s “Energy Star rating”.
  
• 
  Purchase appropriately sized equipment because too large or too small are both inefficient and waste energy and money.
  
• 
  Install water saving equipment.
  
• 
  Schedule regular maintenance and cleaning of kitchen equipment to minimize energy loss.
  
• 
  Open refrigerators and freezers only when necessary
  
• 
  Switch off equipment when it is not required (especially after busy periods).
  
• 
  Educate staff on energy saving programmes.
  

Adapted from NSW Business Chamber, 2009 and Sustainable Business Associates - Best Environmental Practices for the Hotel Industry, 2008

According to Food Wise Hong Kong (2013), each person in Hong Kong dumps about 1.27 kg of municipal solid waste every day. Among all, food waste is a major component of solid waste. It is estimated that about 3,600 tons of food waste were dumped in landfills every day in 2011 and this equals the weight of 300 double-decker buses and accounts for 40% of Hong Kong’s municipal solid waste.

In the food and beverage sector, the wastage produced by food establishments can be classified as:

1. 
   Food wastes; and
   
2. 
   Wastes associated with the preparation of food and beverage
   

1. 
   Possible sources of wastage produced by the food and beverage sector
   

1. 
   Food wastes
   

2. 
   Wastes associated with the preparation of food and beverage
   

Paper	Paper and paper towels for food use Paper and paper towels used to serve food
Cardboard	Cardboard for serving ready-made food (e.g. pizza boxes) Cardboard for food packaging
Glass	Glass container for food Glass container for beverage
Mixed Plastics and film	Cups made of plastic for drinks Plastic food and beverage containers Plastic bags for rubbish Food film
Metals	Cans for food Cans for drink Aluminium foil
Organic Waste	Fruit and vegetable peelings

2. 
   The impact of wastage from the food and beverage sector upon the environment
   

1. 
   Sources of wastage in the food chain process
   

Stage 1: Production	Food wastage can occur due to poor harvesting equipment, discarded fish and fruit, or unsold food batches.
Stage 2: Handling and Storage	Food wastage is caused by pests which eat the edible food or disease which degrade the edible produce.
Stage 3: Processing and Packaging	Wastage of food is due to inefficient factory processes or poor packaging.
Stage 4: Distribution and Marketing (restaurants, catering and institutions)	Wastage of food happens because it is non-compliant with quality standards or is not sold before “best before” dates.
Stage 5: Consumption (On the table)	Food wastage can be due to food purchased or cooked by consumers, restaurants and caterers but not be eaten.

Stage 5: Consumption (On the Table) is the main source of wastage from the food and beverage sector due to the following reasons:

• 
  Provision of all you can eat menu
  

• 
  Cultural attitudes towards leftover food
  

• 
  Menu planning
  

2. 
   The impact of wastes upon the environment: land, water and air resources
   

1. 
   Land
   

2. 
   Water
   

3. 
   Air
   

3. 
   Practicing trends of the food and beverage sector in reducing wastage
   

1. 
   Practices for reducing food wastage
   

• 
  Order raw materials in appropriate quantity to prevent excessive inventory.
  

• 
  Purchase products with minimal level.
  
• 
  Order food from approved suppliers to avoid delivery of poor quality food.
  

Receiving and Storage

• 
  Inspect food deliveries upon arrival for sub-standard food and do not
  

• 
  Adjust inventory to minimise waste due to spoilage.
  
• 
  Control storage procedures such as temperature to prevent spoilage.
  
• 
  Implement first-in-first-out (FIFO) practice to avoid food waste.
  

Cooking

• 
  Develop daily production plans to minimise over-production of food e.g.
  

• 
  Properly prepare food to minimize spoilage.
  
• 
  Make good use of surplus food to minimize food wastage (e.g. surplus
  

• 
  Make good use of surplus raw food materials to minimize food wastage
  

• 
  Remind customers to avoid over-ordering.
  
• 
  Provide fewer varieties or smaller portion-size in a buffet or banquet.
  
• 
  Provide smaller-portion size to minimise food waste.
  
• 
  Provide customers environmental friendly take-away containers for
  

2. 
   Practices for reducing wastes associated with the preparation of food and beverage
   

The food and beverage sector can also implement good practices to reduce wastes associated with the preparation of food and beverage. The goal is to minimize waste sent to the landfill as much as possible. Some of these good practices are as below:

• 
  Avoid individually wrapped food items in order to reduce the use of paper and cardboard.
  
• 
  Utilise reusable glasses and bottles for containing food and beverage products.
  
• 
  Use reusable plastic containers for food and beverage items.
  
• 
  Minimise the use of canned food and beverage and try to purchase products with minimal or reusable packaging.
  
• 
  Provide recycling bins in kitchen and restaurant areas and encourage staff and customers to recycle rather than trash waste.
  
• 
  Replace disposable items with reusable ones such as refillable soap.
  
• 
  Purchase in bulk with low packaging and this will reduce packaging.
  
• 
  Compost organic wastes including food and food leftover.
  
• 
  Collect biodegradable organic wastes (e.g. fruit and vegetable peelings) separately in order to compost them or reuse them as animal feed.
  
• 
  Identify and choose suppliers that have already implemented eco-efficiency measures such as will take back packaging and used material.
  
• 
  Prefer, whenever possible, products that are recycled, reusable, repairable, biodegradable, recyclable, fair trade and / or eco-labeled.
  

(Source: Adapted from NSW Business Chamber, 2009 and Sustainable Business Associates - Best Environmental Practices for the Hotel Industry, 2008)

Fran Brasseux, Executive Director, Hotel Sales and Marketing Association International Foundation at Sustainable Travel International Partners with PhoCusWright and HSMAI Foundation for Groundbreaking New Study on Green Travel.

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/

_tourism.pdf

1. 
   Tourism Sector