Restaurants are notorious for creating a lot of food waste. In Europe, 12% of our food waste comes from the food service industry, which equals to about 11 million tonnes or 21 kg per person per year. That’s a lot of waste. But there’s a silver lining to these alarming numbers: a zero waste movement in the restaurant sector. And what better time to talk about it than on Stop Food Waste Day?
How are restaurants fighting waste and food waste?
Composting
Composting means turning organic waste into essential nutrients for the soil, and closing the loop. It’s a sustainable way of disposing of food waste.
“Nose to tail” policy
Most zero waste food concept restaurants are vegetarian or vegan as part of their sustainability pledge. However, zero food waste restaurants can still serve meat, and they embrace the “nose to tail” policy. This means that they use all possible parts of the animal in their meals.
Growing own fruits and vegetables
Growing their own produce allows restaurants to have control over their waste. By only taking the fruits and vegetables that they need for that day, they avoid throwing away good produce that went bad.
Donating leftover food
Zero waste restaurants don’t throw away leftover food. Instead, they donate it to homeless shelters, charities, and even their own staff.
Buying “ugly” produce and surplus from local suppliers
Buying “ugly” and surplus produce means less food goes to waste. And sourcing from local and ethical farmers reduces transportation needs (hence a smaller carbon footprint). It’s also easier to ensure that there is less food contamination.
Reducing plastic packaging and using sustainable cleaning products.
Zero food waste restaurants also focus their efforts on reducing other waste, such as plastic in their take away boxes and utensils. Using sustainable and eco-friendly cleaning supplies is another way for restaurants to limit waste.
Where can I find zero waste restaurants in Europe and the EEA?
The zero waste restaurant concept is still somewhat new, but is spreading all over the world. In Europe, there are a few that caught the public’s attention.
United Kingdom
In the UK, the most popular one is Silo in London, the world’s first zero waste restaurant. Others include Poco Tapas Bar in Bristol, Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, Rovi in London, Cub in London, and Angela’s of Margate.
Portugal
The only zero waste restaurant in Portugal is in Lisbon: Kitchen Dates. They even have an electric composter that they named Eva.
Finland
A Michelin green star restaurant in Helsinki, Nolla was founded by three chefs from Spain, Portugal, and Serbia. Nolla, which means “zero” in Finnish, does not even have a trash bin. If you want to find more zero waste restaurants in Scandinavia, 360°EAT GUIDE guides you to the most sustainable and gastronomical ones.
Netherlands
Instock in Amsterdam rescues “ugly-looking” foods and gets creative only using what they have in stock.
Germany
HERMANN’S incorporates culinary traditions and techniques from all over the world. FREA is a vegan restaurant that composts their leftover food and sends it back to their suppliers, within 24 hours. Both are located in Berlin.
France
La Table de Colette is an eco-friendly restaurant, set in Paris. It is a gourmet restaurant with a gorgeous terrace.
Belgium
Plein Publiek is a beautiful venue in Brussels and Antwerp with a circular concept and eateries. Mary Pop-in is a pop up event (soon to have a permanent restaurant) created by the zero-waste NGO eatmopshere. The Sister Brussels Cafe is a vegan restaurant, and Le Local makes delicious burgers.
A final word:
It’s encouraging to see restaurants adopting a circular approach with the zero waste concept. However, at the end of the day, the majority of food waste still comes from households (53% = 100 kg per person per year). This means that on a personal level, we also need to be aware of our own food waste. Keep an eye out for our guidelines on how to reduce our food waste at home.
