Article

Where we stand

In France, according to ADEME, food loss and waste amounts to 10 million tonnes of produce a year, with an estimated market value of €16 billion. That means inefficient use of natural resources - arable land and water - avoidable greenhouse gas emissions and wasted public money. Every stage of the food chain is affected: production, processing, distribution and consumption. According to an ADEME study, loss and waste breaks down as follows:

• 32% in agricultural production;
• 21% in processing;
• 14% in distribution;
• 14% in catering (contract and commercial);
• 19% in household consumption.

Contract catering: why do industry players and local authorities have a major role to play?

Contract catering can become a lever of best practice and a means of raising awareness in the way our food models evolve. Opting for responsible contract catering addresses environmental, economic, ethical and social issues at once. It is both an obvious choice and a public health imperative. Given the volumes involved, contract catering also shapes the governance of food and agricultural markets. The choice of products and packaging partly determines how agricultural produce reaches the market.

At a time when French agriculture is seeking to redefine its foundations in the face of globalised markets, contract catering therefore represents a real opportunity for the farming sector to create local jobs, secure local outlets and recapture a share of the added value of its produce. It is also a way of thinking globally while acting locally, of standing out in a highly competitive sector, and of reducing costs.

What does this waste cost?

Taking into account meals that diners did not eat, those produced in excess by the kitchen team and those discarded during preparation, food waste most often stands at between 150 and 200 g per person, according to ADEME. For a restaurant serving 500 diners on an average of 200 days a year, waste amounts to between 15 and 20 tonnes a year, which in budget terms means annual losses of between €30,000 and €40,000. Recovering food waste is a positive step, but its cost is added to the value of the losses.

Taking action

Many contract catering players are keen to take action to curb waste, without increasing operating costs or the price of meals.

Here are the key steps to taking action, based on experience supporting a major contract catering group:

Step 1: Analyse the causes of food waste by mapping the product journey and the consumer journey; measure the associated financial losses and environmental impact (e.g. waste and related carbon emissions).

Step 2: Prioritise a pilot project on a specific theme (e.g. recovering unsold food), based on the environmental and economic benefits expected; draw up a clear roadmap, with deadlines, for its operational rollout.

Step 3: Embed the pilot by rolling it out to other restaurants on the strength of that first success; highlight the associated key performance indicators (KPIs) and the benefits achieved.

Step 4: Communicate transparently about the measures put in place to stakeholders (e.g. diners, clients); share the key success factors and build on the pilot project to establish yourself as a reference on the subject.

A project that works brings together all the local stakeholders concerned, from elected officials to children, from procurement lawyers to parents, from chefs to managers and nutritionists, right through to local suppliers. It is essential to identify all the stakeholders to be brought around the table before and during the project, in order to ensure the successful launch of a pilot.

Global problem, local solutions

Sustainable procurement

Beesk: France's first distributor of "non-standard" food products for commercial and contract catering. It buys premium produce from French growers and processors that falls outside standard sizes or comes from discontinued ranges. These products are offered to caterers along with recipes. Find out more here

Horsnormes: Boxes of organic, French, waste-fighting fruit & vegetables up to 40% cheaper (through short supply chains). Find out more here

Preparation

Nu!: For workplace catering, NU! makes up to 100 meals available in its connected fridge: lunch options for the price of a luncheon voucher, which can be subsidised if you choose. Dishes are delivered in reusable containers: no more single-use packaging at mealtimes. Caterer information, consumption statistics, real-time stock levels, carbon impact reporting - it is all there. Find out more here

Waste prevention and management

Moulinot: A complete waste management offer (end-to-end management and recovery). Find out more here

Meal Canteen: an app designed to cut waste before consumption: diners can order their starter, main course and dessert the day before through a virtual self-service counter. The result: chefs prepare only what will actually be eaten the next day. Find out more here

Phenix: Helps professionals reduce waste by recovering surplus food and non-food items destined for destruction. Unsold goods are given a second life through donations to charities, promotions on short-dated products, animal feed, composting and more. Find out more here

Les Alchimistes: Sorting, collection and recovery of food waste. Local collection and composting of organic waste for businesses & individuals. Find out more here

Vépluche: The first genuine circular economy loop applied to organic waste. Think fruit and vegetables, compost and bike delivery, with a tailored offer for contract catering - food waste in exchange for compost - which cuts food waste collection costs by 50%. Find out more here

Winnow: Artificial intelligence comes to your kitchens to help you cut food waste. Using a camera, a connected scale and the same technology as self-driving cars, its Winnow Vision technology can recognise the waste thrown in the bin. The solution maximises operational efficiency and data accuracy, for both a financial and an environmental impact. Find out more here

Too Good To Go: Central kitchens, staff restaurants, cafeterias and self-service counters - the Too Good To Go solution reduces losses by making the most of your surplus food and showcasing your anti-waste commitment to employees and clients. Its app helps more than 200 contract catering sites rescue their unsold food. Find out more here

The EGAlim law: new guarantees to offer

Sourcing differently, with local, quality produce, has become a priority for civil society and contract catering alike. The EGAlim law, enacted in November 2018, sets out several highly ambitious measures to improve the quality of meals served by contract catering, notably the target of reaching a 50% sourcing rate for sustainable, quality produce, including 20% organic produce. The ministry worked with the National Centre for the Local Civil Service (CNFPT) and the Interministerial Digital Directorate (DINUM) to support everyone working on the ground in contract catering. As a result, two new support tools are now available. They were co-built with the members of the National Council for Contract Catering (CNRC).

• The government's digital information and support platform "Ma Cantine", currently being piloted in the school catering sector. (See: the various measures of the EGAlim law, and the new public procurement guide for buyers managing catering in-house)
• "The CNFPT resource pack, which makes information easier to access through attractive, varied materials.

That said, sustainable food is not just about organic and local sourcing: packaging waste also needs to be considered.

To explore the subject further, we invite you to watch the replay of the webinar held by the Grand Paris metropolitan authority and Circul'R on 1 June, on the challenges of developing industrial reuse solutions for contract catering within local authorities. Video available here