Reducing Food Waste at Events

COVID-19 Restrictions are still in place per county and state mandate. While events are still discouraged, this can be informative for future event planning as restrictions continue to ease. Event planning can be a formidable task in and of itself, not to mention the aftermath clean-up. If an event includes food vendors or service, the waste associated afterwards is inevitable. Here are some tips and tricks for reducing food waste at events:

• Include food waste in your planning from the beginning: It is much easier to incorporate food waste prevention methods throughout your plans, rather than scramble at the end of an event trying to figure out what to do with excess food.

• Research past events: To understand attendance and consumption trends, reference previous event to make the best decision when it comes to placing orders.

• When possible, avoid buffets: Opting for prepared food served by the plate can result in less waste than buffets. Consumers often fill their dishes to the maximum when given a buffet option, and leftovers are typically difficult to donate because of health safety concerns.

  • If a buffet is the right fit for an event: Train employees to avoid overfilling the food served at the buffet. Often times trays at the buffet station are refilled before they reach the halfway empty point. Switching the focus from refilling right away, to instead replenishing once an item has run out will help ensure food is not overserved.

• Choose food seasonally: Buying local and seasonal food has a lot of benefits. One of the major ones is that local food is often fresher and more flavorful. Supporting both local and seasonal can help ensure ingredients don’t go to waste before the event has even started.

• Plan for multi-use food purposes: Being thoughtful and intentional with food preparation and meal planning is a great way to tackle food waste. For example: if there is a dish that calls for a lot of vegetable ones day, the off-cuttings could be used for stock the next day.

• Selecting vendors: If a caterer is needed for an event, try to select one that has their own sustainability plans. Some caterers may even have preestablished relationships with food pantries, which would make donation after the fact more streamlined.

• Educate attendees: Make food waste an consistent topic before, after, and during any event. Instilling the importance of preventing food waste will increase the amount of attendees making an effort to lessen their waste.

• Donate Excess: If food waste cannot be prevented, it should always be redirected to those in need if it is edible. Local nonprofit Food For People can organize donation schedules from grocery stores.

  • Want to know how donations are protected under the law? Click here to read more about the Good Samaritan Act

  • To find out more about current policies surrounding food donations, contact the local food resources coordinator Allison Kenney at akenney@foodforpeople.org