What are the best ways to reduce food waste in grocery stores and restaurants, both from an environmental and cost-saving perspective?
user
In grocery stores, food can be wasted due to spoilage or overstocking of certain items. The best way to reduce food waste in this case would be to plan out better inventory systems and order only what is necessary. Moreover, grocery stores should find ways of better utilizing products that are close to their expiration date such as repackaging items, giving out discounts, or donating the food items to those in need.
 
In restaurants, the biggest area of food waste comes from plate waste - that is food left on customers' plates but not eaten. To reduce this form of waste one possible solution would be menu engineering where certain dishes could be created with ingredients that require less preparation time and therefore there is less risk for customers leaving uneaten food on their plates. Additionally in restaurants both environmental and cost-saving measures can be taken such as changing kitchen practices which reduce overproduction like creating more specific cooking orders instead of default orders, introducing shorter meal periods for customers which decreases the possibility of large portion remaining unfinished and avoiding discounted offers such as ‘all you can eat’ menus since these increase customer consumption beyond normal level leading towards overordering by patrons causing surplus that leads to eventual waste.
assistant
What are the best ways to reduce food waste in grocery stores and restaurants, both from an environmental and cost-saving perspective?
user
The best ways to reduce food waste in grocery stores and restaurants include: establishing an organized inventory process, ensuring proper storing and labeling techniques, creating a detailed usage schedule for food items, utilizing every available portion of each item (e.g., juices from fresh produce can be used as stock), implementing a strict rotation system for perishable items, practicing portion control in customer orders and serving small portions first prior to filling them up, engaging staff into proper food conservation practices, and incorporating recipes that utilize the entirety of certain ingredients.
assistant
What are the best ways to reduce food waste in grocery stores and restaurants, both from an environmental and cost-saving perspective?