GIY has joined forces with some of Ireland’s top chefs to launch WASTED, a national, peer-to-peer, education programme for chefs to reduce food waste in the foodservice industry. The initiative is supported by the Department of Environment, Climate Action, and Communications and the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme.
The Irish foodservice sector currently wastes more than 200,000 tonnes of food, worth €300 million, per annum. The aim of WASTED is to create a network of informed and proactive chefs and foodservice teams advocating for zero-waste food initiatives.
With approximately one-third of the world’s food supply going to waste, international climate research organisation Project Drawdown ranks reduced food waste as one of the top three climate solutions. “This programme can have a significant impact on not only the environment but also business efficiency," said Mick Kelly, founder of GIY. "We have been striving to make GROW HQ a zero waste restaurant over the last five years, and we really want to help participants in identifying and managing their food waste, while continuing to learn from our peers in the industry.”
The free eight-lesson WASTED course is delivered online and is now open for sign up at giy.ie/programmes/wasted The WASTED educational programme is a mix of food learning and action, with a free online course that explores ways to reduce the amount of food waste leaving the kitchen. Anyone working in the foodservice industry who is interested in learning about how to reduce, or even eliminate, food waste is encouraged to take part.
“One of the very black and white ways in which we can help identify waste levels is by encouraging participating chefs and business owners to weigh their current food waste at the start of the course,” says Kelly. “Once all lessons have been watched and some of the suggested ways to reduce food waste actioned, participants will be asked to weigh their food waste again in the hope that their food waste weight, and bills, will have reduced. It's a very simple action but one which so far has absolutely shocked every participant who has taken the challenge.”
Participants will be able to follow each lesson at their own pace through the GIY app, while also having the opportunity to implement some of the suggested actions provided by the guest presenters who include Conor Spacey, culinary director at FoodSpace Ireland and the UK; Maurice McGeehan, IRFU performance chef; Janice Casey Bracken, executive head chef, Dunbrody Country House Hotel; and JB Dubois, head of food at GROW HQ. Each chef showcases ways to reduce food waste in a range of innovative ways.
At the end of the WASTED programme participating chefs will be invited to host their own Wasted Supper Club, a dining experience showcasing the best of food that is usually discarded.
The Wasted Supper Club aims to reduce food waste in commercial settings while creating a network of inspired, educated, food literate, and empathetic food producers sharing skills and knowledge, creating and supporting local, zero-waste, food networks. Wasted Supper Clubs will be hosted by participants over a weekend where food diverted from waste is celebrated as the main ingredient on menus.
To join the WASTED programme and start making lasting changes around food waste see giy.ie/programmes/wasted
