Food without garbage: smaller portions against food waste!

Food without garbage: smaller portions against food waste!

In Germany, around two million tons of food in the trash end up in the trash every year, which makes up 20% of all food waste. This is a major challenge, and experts advise to counteract food waste by introducing smaller portions. Nevertheless, a market check from the 2023 consumer center shows that only 20% of the over 150 restaurants examined actually offer smaller portions. This practice could play a decisive difference in the fight against food waste.

While 50% of the restaurants have special senior citizens or children's plates on offer, these are often only intended for specific target groups. Among the reasons why smaller portions are so rarely offered, concerns about the quality of the dishes, organizational effort in the kitchen and the standardized amounts from the cooking training. A typical main course weighs between 400 and 600 grams and consists of several components, including a main course, vegetables or salad and a saturation insert. This often leads to larger amount of food that many guests do not need.

challenges and advantages of smaller portions

The pricing for dishes takes into account various factors, such as raw material and overhead costs as well as profits. The idea "half portion = half price" does not work economically, since only the raw material costs would decrease. In a sample, savings for guests of 14 to 22 percent were determined, which shows that smaller portions could not only have economic advantages, but would also attract more guests.

Many guests have prejudices compared to the order of senior citizens or children's plates, although they are not part of the target group. However, some restaurateurs are accommodating and offer smaller portions regardless of the age group. Smaller portions could also bring health benefits by helping to avoid and eat more consciously. It is also possible for guests to take remains in a "doggybag", which not only saves money, but also contributes to reducing food waste.

A look at current gastronomic trends

However, the gastronomy is not only faced with the challenge of food waste, but also develops further through current trends such as zero waste, regionality and digitization. Digitization allows the use of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), which are already used in over 28% of service companies in the hospitality industry. Mobile payment options also increase in gastronomy, which is particularly popular with the younger generation.

A current example is McDonald’s in Germany, which in 2023 recorded over 14,300 tons of food residues and a lot of packaging waste. In this context, the "Too Good To Go" app offers a solution to reduce food waste by saving almost 121.7 million meals in 2023. The high demand for sustainable and regional foods underlines the growing consumer awareness of the Germans, with 45% value on sustainability and 51% of regionality.

These developments and challenges make it clear that the catering in Germany has to adapt to meet the growing expectations of the guests, to reduce food waste at the same time and to promote sustainable practices. The introduction of smaller portions could be an important step in the right direction.