By Darryl Geddes Donations of leftovers by restaurants to food pantries and other human service agencies are declining markedly as restaurants become better managed, according to a study by Cornell's School of Hotel Administration. The study, published in the April 1997 issue of Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly , also found that half of the respondents had little or no knowledge of the trends affecting food-donation programs. The drop in food donations from restaurants comes as a result of tighter food-handling policies and better food and beverage management operations, researchers say.
Managers are under the gun to curtail waste.
If one reports food donations, corporate headquarters will likely question why one can't do a better job of controlling the waste. Recycling and reusing food products is now commonplace in the industry, especially since it helps to drastically reduce waste. Researchers noted that in 1992, for example, Kentucky Fried Chicken donated over 100,000 pounds of chicken to local food banks. A year later when the chain reused the chicken in various new menu items, such as a shredded barbecue sandwich, the volume of food donations dropped to zero. Leftover recycled food is rarely donated because it is harder to store and transport and has a short shelf-life.