A study of the food waste generated by Malta's hospitality sector

Abstract

In the recent years, the issue of food waste has increasingly gathered momentum and is being prioritised by many countries across the globe. The main contributor to food waste is the household sector but data on Malta's hospitality sector is very limited. This study explores the food waste generated by hotels and restaurants through food waste surveys, which sought to make a clear distinction between waste that originates from preparation, and waste which is attributed to customers' plate waste. The food waste was weighed after each meal, and since the number of covers per meal was recorded, the average waste per cover, first of preparation and plate waste separately and then combined, was found for each of the establishments. Upon analysing the combined results of all the hotels, patterns which relate the star rating of the hotel to the amount of food waste produced have emerged. Furthermore, it was found that breakfast generates the least food waste per cover, while lunch and dinner generate a greater amount of food waste. Similarly, restaurants which specialise in different cuisines and which vary in price range were also studied. Results show that the relatively more expensive restaurants tend to generate more food waste per cover. Likewise, 'Quality Assured' restaurants waste more food than others in order to keep their high standards. Finally, it was concluded that the food waste generated by the hospitality sector is mainly due to preparation waste rather than plate waste.