Abstract
In 2017/2018, research was conducted into the food waste generated by restaurants and cafes in New Zealand. The research found that 24,375 tonnes of food waste is generated per annum. Of this food waste 61% is avoidable and 39% is unavoidable e.g. eggshells, banana skins, bones etc. The average cafe and restaurant generates approximately 2.8 tonnes of food waste per annum.
When cafes with a similar menu and offering were compared, the difference in the amount of avoidable food waste between the best and worst performing cafes was 43%, showing that there are clear opportunities for some cafes to reduce their food waste.
The aim of this research was to quantify the amount of food wasted by cafes and restaurants in New Zealand.
In August-September 2017, a master’s student from the University of Otago conducted nine bin audits at five restaurants and four cafes at six different locations around New Zealand.
In April 2018, WasteMINZ employed an intern to conduct audits of restaurants and cafes in Auckland. In total 10 cafes and one restaurant were audited.