Patterns and Causes of Food Waste in the Hospitality and Food Service Sector: Food Waste Prevention Insights from Malaysia

Effie Papargyropoulou, Julia K. Steinberger, Nigel Wright, Rodrigo Lozano, Rory Padfield and Zaini Ujang
Additional contact information
Effie Papargyropoulou: Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Julia K. Steinberger: Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Nigel Wright: School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK
Rodrigo Lozano: Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, SE-801 76 Gävle, Sweden
Rory Padfield: Sustainability Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
Zaini Ujang: Office of Vice Chancellor, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: Food waste has formidable detrimental impacts on food security, the environment, and the economy, which makes it a global challenge that requires urgent attention. This study investigates the patterns and causes of food waste generation in the hospitality and food service sector, with the aim of identifying the most promising food waste prevention measures. It presents a comparative analysis of five case studies from the hospitality and food service (HaFS) sector in Malaysia and uses a mixed-methods approach. This paper provides new empirical evidence to highlight the significant opportunity and scope for food waste reduction in the HaFS sector. The findings suggest that the scale of the problem is even bigger than previously thought. Nearly a third of all food was wasted in the case studies presented, and almost half of it was avoidable. Preparation waste was the largest fraction, followed by buffet leftover and then customer plate waste. Food waste represented an economic loss equal to 23% of the value of the food purchased. Causes of food waste generation included the restaurants’ operating procedures and policies, and the social practices related to food consumption. Therefore, food waste prevention strategies should be twofold, tackling both the way the hospitality and food service sector outlets operate and organise themselves, and the customers’ social practices related to food consumption.

Keywords: food waste; food loss; hospitality; food service sector; food waste prevention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (22)

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