Tips for Caterers
Support from caterers is essential to implementing the University’s food waste reduction initiatives and cultivating a ‘waste less’ culture on campus.
- Consider not serving side dishes or adding garnishes.
- Get to know the preferences of your consumers, and prepare dishes for them in the way they like it.
- Provide vegetarian dishes in the menu for vegetarians. Serve different types of meat for diners who do not consume a particular meat type.
- Use less perfect-looking vegetables and fruits as much as possible.
- Reduce the standard portion of rice if you see that rice is being left over by diners.
- Offer different rice portions or incentives to encourage diners with small appetites to ask for less rice.
- For Chinese banquets, avoid providing a large bowl of rice or noodles for refilling on each table.
Storage
- Store and consume food items based on the ‘First in, First out’ principle.
- Get to know customers’ demand patterns so as to avoid overstocking. For example, order and stock less food during term breaks.
- Use unconsumed rice and trimming from vegetables to make fried rice, soup or other dishes.
- Recycle food waste whenever possible.
