Category Archives: Institutional

New Estimates for a New Era

It’s not every year you get a new USDA study on food waste! 2011 is off to a great start with the recent release of Consumer-Level Food Loss Estimates and Their Use in the ERS Loss-Adjusted Food Availability Data. It’s a mouthful, for sure. So what does it mean/contain? In short, the publication updates the […]

January 5, 2011 | Also posted in Household, Restaurant, Stats | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

As you guys know, I’m all for avoiding food waste, but this insider tip does not make me want to eat hospital food. Then again, I do like the baking soda toothpaste… — — While you were enjoying Easter, Australia’s Do Something launched the FoodWise campaign. They’ve set some reasonable goals and even have a […]

April 17, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, Hunger, International | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Seven-Eleven stores in Japan are not allowed to discount food near expiration dates/times–essentially mandated to waste food. — — At U.S. bases in Iraq, food waste in Iraq is tossed and burned along with everything else. We can do better, says Army infantry captain Timothy Hsia in a Times op-ed. — — In addition to […]

March 6, 2009 | Also posted in College, Events, Food Recovery, Hunger, School | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Tacoma’s McNeil Island prison (Correctional Facility if you want to split hairs) is now composting food as part of a larger effort to cut both waste and their budget. — — Interesting discussion of when biodegradable bags don’t live up to their adjective.  Keep in mind that “compostable” trumps “biodegreadable.” And King County, Washington (Seattle) recommends three brands of […]

October 24, 2008 | Also posted in Composting, Friday Buffet, Household | Comments closed

A Healthy Choice

A hospital in Carthage, Missouri (America’s Maple Leaf City) is now pleasing patients and cutting waste by offering room service. Since last week, patients at McCune-Brooks Hospital can order meals by phone and enjoy whatever their (hopefully healthy) heart desires 30 minutes later. No word yet on which is more exorbitant, these health insurance-billed meals […]

October 21, 2008 | Posted in Institutional | Comments closed

Curing Hospital Food Waste

An Oregon hospital hopes that increased food choices will enhance patient health and happiness. A nice byproduct, hopefully, will be less wasted food. Ashland Community Hospital recently began allowing patients to order what they want, when they want it. They also improved the options. Unappetizing meals no longer arrive at the stroke of 8 a.m., […]

August 20, 2008 | Posted in Institutional | Comments closed

Loco for Leftovers

People often e-mail to ask how they can reduce their household food waste. One of the easiest ways is to save leftovers. Now, this only cuts waste if you actually eat those leftovers. I love leftovers, especially as the next day’s lunch, but many folks don’t. For you non-leftover lovers, ensuring that they’re consumed means […]

May 7, 2008 | Also posted in General, The Weekly Waste Word | Comments closed

Hospital Food(?)

There’s news from Britain today about hospital food and it isn’t good. Numerous hospitals in the England are throwing away as much as half of their meals. As anyone who’s stayed in or visited a hospital would guess, gross unsatisfying food is responsible for much of this waste. Insert your own English cuisine joke here. […]

March 31, 2008 | Posted in Institutional | Comments closed

Seattle Slays

Bless those Seattlites. From where I stand, they’re way ahead of the curve: They recycle household food waste, or at least they will starting in 2009. They provide great advice on food waste, quoting excellent experts (scroll to the end). They recycle food at Mariners games. They recycle food at hospitals. About 30 miles down […]

March 27, 2008 | Also posted in Events, Food Recovery, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

For your listening pleasure, check out this discussion of food waste on BBC/Radio 4’s The Food Programme. — — If college food waste is caused partly by students not liking the choices, will a student menu rating Web site help? Middlebury College will see. — — This Subaru plant in Indiana is a “zero-waste” facility. […]

March 14, 2008 | Also posted in College, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed