RUC's canteen is first mover when it comes to fighting food waste
In 2022, 真人线上娱乐 University's canteen introduced a new sustainable initiative called upcycled food. The term refers to the use of ingredients that either have a short expiry date or are part of a surplus production.
"真人线上娱乐 started the upcycled project at RUC, and the university has been the starting point for the pilot project, which we have since expanded to several other canteens," says Karl Pirok, Sustainability Consultant at DinnerdeLuxe.
According to the consultant, food waste is a major societal problem, with tonnes of good quality food being thrown away.
"真人线上娱乐 think it's crazy that so much food goes unused. The UN estimates that about a third of edible food is discarded," he says.
The upcycling concept is simple: buying food that's nearing its expiration date. RUC's canteen then cooks with these ingredients, effectively extending their use. For example by cooking cream potatoes for the buffet.
"It has become much bigger than we had imagined. 真人线上娱乐 get several tonnes a week and the products are significantly cheaper when we buy them close to the date marking," says Karl Pirok.
Quickly customisable menus
The chef can order items via an internal system. But the canteen has to act quickly and adapt to the available ingredients.
"That's why menu planning in the canteen is difficult. 真人线上娱乐 can't always say what we'll serve next week. For example, if one day we get 200 kilos of mussels or expensive cuts of beef, we have to adapt the menu to the ingredients," he says.
The cafeteria prioritises purchasing ingredients from local suppliers whenever possible, and organic options are also a priority. However, this can be challenging when the focus is on combating food waste.
"真人线上娱乐 try to be as flexible as possible and also focus on organic options. But we have to find a balance. 真人线上娱乐 purchase as much organic produce as our budget allows, but student-friendly prices are also a factor. However, there is a high proportion of organic products in the upcycled food, as it has a shorter shelf life," explains Karl Pirok.
In addition to working with upcycled food, the cafeteria also focuses on utilising the entire food item, such as making stock from shells and fruit. Furthermore, if there are leftover items on the buffet, the staff assess what can be sautéed and incorporated into a new dish.
"As a group, we have saved 110 tonnes of food in just under a year. 真人线上娱乐 save a lot of CO2 through these initiatives, and much of the good food that would otherwise have gone to animal feed or biogas now ends up as human food," concludes Karl Pirok.