Preventing and reducing food waste is good for business. Measuring food waste is an essential starting point in this process as it helps identify where waste occurs and supports informed decision making to reduce it. Now is the time to act to improve efficiency, save money and identify opportunities for valorisation and innovation through new systems and products.
Developed to help Irish food and drink companies measure food waste consistently, the EPA’s Food Waste Measurement Protocol enables businesses to identify all food waste related flows and compare current management practices against the food use and waste hierarchy.
The Protocol provides a simple and consistent method, using data you already have to measure food waste in your business, and this will help you identify actions to reduce it in line with realistic and measurable targets.
And the business case for food waste reduction is strong; research has shown that businesses that invested in reducing food waste realised a 14:1 return on investment. Irish businesses are finding similar potential for savings. What they all have in common is that they start with consistent and regular food waste measurement. Without measurement, waste volumes can easily remain hidden and using the Protocol helped highlight issues and justify efforts required to reduce it.
Learn more about Irish businesses from a variety of sectors that have shared their experience using the Food Waste Measurement Protocol to good effect for their business operations.
Sauce Manufacturing Company
Read how this Irish manufacturer producing sauces, relishes and mayonnaise faced challenges due to the thickness of their products.
Safco Fine Foods
Learn how Safco Fine Food, a local artisan food producer discovered how to cut waste costs with one simple action.
Processed Meats
An Irish company that produces a range of meat products identified three key actions to reduce waste and created new food products.
O’Brien Fine Foods
Read how O’Brien Fine Foods developed a clearer understanding of their waste streams, highlighted areas for improvement and gained a better sense of how they could move materials higher up the food use hierarchy.
BIM
The Interreg funded Food Heroes project led by Irish partners BIM and the Clean Technology Centre used a design thinking approach to develop new food products that make better use of currently wasted resources.
Irish Bakery 1
This successful Irish bakery provided targeted staff to ensure these materials are properly diverted to the brown bin for composting.
Irish Bakery 2
See how this bakery determined that they were generating 13 kg of food waste per tonne of product sold and achieved a 16% reduction over three years.