Food Waste Prevention Training: Content Determination

Abstract

Food waste is one of the most important issues facing the food and beverage industry today. Food waste means that about one-third of the food produced worldwide is lost before it reaches the consumer. In Turkey, millions of tons of food are wasted every year, and a significant portion of this occurs in the food and beverage sector. Food and beverage businesses play a critical role in preventing waste at every step from the supply chain to the service stage. Raising the awareness of sector employees is one of the most important steps to be taken to solve this problem. A training content should be developed on this subject and awareness of food waste in society and individuals should be increased and ways to contribute to minimizing waste should be presented. The content should emphasize the causes of food waste, its consequences and strategies to reduce it. At the beginning, food waste should be defined and its dimensions should be detailed. The current state of food waste both in the world and in Turkey, supported by current statistics, should be presented to the participants. In this way, participants can reach a better level of awareness to grasp the seriousness of this important problem. One of the other main topics that should be covered within the framework of the training is the root causes of waste. Themes such as consumer behavior, deficiencies or malpractices in production and distribution processes, storage and handling errors should be emphasized. Each cause should be examined in detail and clarified with concrete examples of common mistakes. Strategies to prevent food waste constitute the most vital part of the training. Participants should be given practical advice on proper buying habits, storage techniques and how to utilize leftovers. At the same time, information should be provided on policies and concert projects that can be implemented on a larger scale. Finally, trainings should be interactive and planned to provide opportunities for active participation. Group activities, debates and case studies can be used to engage participants and make the training effective. The ultimate goal of this program is to bring about lasting behavioral changes in individual lives in relation to food waste.