Reducción de desperdicio de alimentos en la Universidad EAFIT : hacia una producción y un consumo responsables

Abstract

Food loss and waste in the food system is a topic of global interest, and from the sustainable development objectives, given the impacts that this implies for the environment, the economy and society. Restaurants, as elements at the end of the food chain, can play a significant role in reducing or eliminating these impacts by modifying their production and consumption patterns. With the purpose of having a successful case in Medellin, this project aims to propose alternatives that favor the reduction of food waste in a restaurant of the EAFIT University, supported by measurements that demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits promoting a sustainable food system. This research is based on two questions: How much food waste is produced in the restaurant and what is its final composition; what viable management alternatives can be implemented in the restaurant to increase the efficiency of the use of resources; and what is the cost-benefit of the restaurant's waste management? And what is the cost-benefit of optimizing the process by implementing the proposed actions? The research project is structured as a case study applying the "Target-Measure-Act" methodology for food waste reduction. As a result, it was possible to establish a target of 7% reduction of food waste in conjunction with the restaurant's work team. To achieve this goal, different actions were implemented in the different stages of the process. The reuse of waste such as eggshells, orange peel, lemon peel, and cilantro stems stood out. The cost-benefit analysis showed not very high cost savings for this case study, but it was possible to conclude that the methodology needs to be implemented not as a pilot, but rather by developing all the parameters established by the methodology in order to better determine the cost savings that the restaurant can achieve.