Food
Smaller Plates at Buffets Reduce Food Waste Solution by: Hotel Union Geiranger
The Hotel Union Geiranger has introduced smaller plates and decreased the height of drinking glasses at its buffets, resulting in substantial reductions in food waste. The Triple Bottom Line
Environmental Decreasing food waste results in significant reductions in methane emissions from landfills and saves resources associated with food production.
Social According to UNEP, there is enough food in the world to feed everyone - even without further scientific breakthroughs. It is therefore critical to find simple measures to divert food away from landfills.
Economic By preventing food waste, businesses purchase less food and reduce costs.
Hotel Union Geiranger in Norway has saved around $16,000 in food costs over one year simply by introducing smaller plates at its buffet meals. Switching from plates of 28 to 23 centimeters in diameter prompted guests to be more selective about how much they pile onto their plates, resulting in major waste reductions. Similarly, decreasing the height of the drinking glass by half a centimeter has created a substantial saving in liquids. These simple measures towards reducing food waste have resulted in market advantages by improving publicity, which has attracted more visitors to the hotel, according the company. Why a Sustainia100 solution? According to UNEP, simple actions by consumers and food retailers can dramatically cut the 1.3 billion tons of food lost or wasted each year, representing around one third of all food produced in the world. Environmentally, food loss and waste generate a host of impacts, including unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions and inefficiently used water and land, which in turn can lead to diminished natural ecosystems.1
90% of the Hotel Union Geirangers’ guests serve themselves at buffets.
Developed: Norway
Deployed: Norway and Austria
1 World Resources Institute. ”Reducing Food Loss and Waste.” Working Paper 2013.
“ Reducing food waste and saving money at the same time is plain logic.” Finn Nustad, Hotel Manager, Hotel Union Geiranger
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