Hospitality player Accor is aware of the challenges the industry faces when it comes to food waste. At Accor specifically, it accounts for around 43% of the total operating waste, averaging almost 20 tons per hotel per year, as we serve 200 million meals each year across our 10,000+ restaurants and bars.
By closely collaborating with hotel owners and teams, they are working to foster a more sustainable food system, with the ultimate goal of drastically reducing food waste. To achieve this, the teams are focusing on a three-fold plan: measuring food waste, being creative in our culinary approach, and changing habits.
What Gets Measured, Gets Managed at UK’s Novotel London ExCel
Novotel London ExCel is a buzzing business hub ౼ offering dining options for conferences, banquets, and various large events, in addition to its in-house restaurant and bar. Given the diversity of its food and beverage outlets, the hotel decided to turn to the power of AI technology to significantly reduce food waste. Winnow, an automated AI system, weighs, identifies, and records every ounce of food before it is discarded by kitchen teams. This gives the hotel a clear view of what is thrown out and why. With this extensive data in hand, our chefs can see what guests really want, avoid errors, and improve purchasing and production. Since the implementation of the tool in October 2022, food waste has dropped by 45% at the hotel.
Culinary Creativity on Display at the Neighboring Hotels Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford
In the heart of downtown Singapore, among the skyscrapers and bustling streets, sits a gleaming example of culinary creativity. Fairmont Singapore and Swissôtel The Stamford collaborated with gardening experts to convert their shared herb and vegetable garden into a symbiotic aquaponics and vegetable farm, where fish waste fertilizes vegetables while the plants clean and filter the water. This urban oasis not only generates fresh, pesticide-free produce and locally grown fish, but it also minimizes the supply chain’s carbon footprint. From January through August 2023, the hotels harvested more than 25 kilos of food, while in-house chefs further reduced food waste by designing menus around the seasonal harvest of vegetables and fish.
Read more at hospitalitynet.org