BYU–Hawaii does its best to avoid food waste, especially when it is a large problem in the world. According to Deseret News, 40 percent of edible food is discarded, which can cost up to $165 billion a year.
Managers at the Cafeteria minimized food waste by eliminating trays. According to Mari Lou Lee, the Club Dining and vending manager, the food waste produced after going trayless was less than half than before. Lee said eliminating tray use has not only decreased food waste, but also “electricity, water, detergent we work in the dish machine, and I would suppose the labor too. It's a win-win for everybody.”
The Cafeteria has become more and more sustainable, reusing foods to create others. Peels are saved from oranges to become dehydrated, so they can be used later for the natural tea that is featured every Friday, said Lee. Bread ends are also used to create croutons for salads or bread pudding.
The produce sold in Farmer’s Market is 60-65 percent locally produced, while the rest is mainland grown, said Lee. Leftovers not sold at the market are reused in the Cafeteria. Executive Chef Spencer Tan said he strives to prevent food waste and promote sustainability. He teaches employees and students to take care of the garden outside of food services, so the cafeteria can use the herbs, fruits and vegetables grown there.
Tan said Food Services utilizes the food waste produced by the Cafeteria with vermicomposting. Staff members compost food waste and feed it to worms, which eat it and produce fertilizer, which is then used in the garden. This makes the soil 5 to 11 times more rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, according to a paper done by New Mexico State University. The garden produces healthy plants and a good yield of fruits, according to Tan. “It's a perfect organic fertilizer for the human being,” said Tan.
The plants in his garden grow a lot of fruits, with one of tree growing more fruit than leaves. The Cafeteria staff teaches many people about sustainability through their garden, according to Tan. Field trips from Kahuku High School, elementary schools, and even a group from Tahiti have come to see the gardens, said Tan.
One of the key reasons for global food waste is that imperfect produce cannot be sold, either being too small or ugly, according to Deseret News. Farmer Jack Wilbur told Deseret News it is tough to get customers to look past imperfections.
At Foodland in Laie, they have a commitment to customers to sell them the best quality of food, said Mark Natan, first assistant and star director at Foodland. Despite this, Foodland does its best to avoid food waste. If food is not sold, it is sold to local farmers for their use to minimize shrink excess or given back to the company that sold it to the grocery store for credit, according to Natan. “What I know is that local farmers reuse it,” he said. “I feel like it's going to a good cause.”
Another contributor to food waste is the distortion of food, reported Deseret News. In comparison of food portions from 1982 to 2002, pepperoni pizza grew 70 percent larger, a large serving of popcorn increased by 133 percent, soda by 205 percent and chocolate chip cookies by 400 percent, said the National Resources Defense Council, reported Deseret News.
Food is also wasted in the home, thrown away for various reasons, including avoiding leftovers, ill-planned meals, improper storage, and food spoiling, according to Deseret News. This waste can be avoided by improving meal plans, using and labeling leftovers, and learning how a refrigerator works, said the National Resources Defense Council.
“Don’t take our environment for granted,” said Tan, encouraging people to become more understanding of the world and to plan lifestyle changes.