The real cost of throwing away food
Let’s be honest – throwing away food is literally throwing away money. Moreover, as a small food business owner, you’ve probably watched perfectly good ingredients head straight to the dumpster, and inevitably, food waste hurts your bottom line every time.
Turning waste into revenue
However, what if that “waste” could actually make you money? Specifically, to decrease food waste, smart food businesses are finding innovative ways to use things they used to throw away. For instance, take coffee grounds – instead of dumping them, some cafes sell them to mushroom growers or alternatively turn them into coffee scrubs to sell to customers.
PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS IN YOUR KITCHEN
Additionally, think about all those vegetable scraps you toss. Naturally, they could become soup stock, saving you from buying an expensive stock from suppliers. Furthermore, got stale bread? Turn it into croutons or breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, those citrus peels you’re throwing away? Candy them and use them as drink garnishes or sell them as snacks. Indeed, opportunities to lessen food waste are all around.
THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE
Your customers care about food waste, too. When they know you’re finding creative ways to use everything, they feel good about spending on your products. Even restaurants brag about their “zero waste” dishes on the menu—and people love it.
Where to start
Start by looking at what you throw away most. Those tomato scraps could become a hot sauce, or fruit peels could turn into vinegar. Even just storing food better and ordering smarter can save you serious cash.
You don’t have to eliminate all food waste—that’s impossible. But with some creativity, you might find that in your trash, there’s a treasure waiting to be discovered.
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