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Many organisations offer food for staff, visitors or patients. As a buyer, the environmental impact of this is largely in your hands. What's more, by making smart choices, you help reduce food waste.
You can also make a positive difference with fair prices and by employing people who are far from the labour market. Finally, your choice can make people more aware of sustainable and healthy food.
Planning to give your food offering a circular boost? Think carefully about communication. The better your communication, the more people will make the better choice.
Circular strategies
When buying food items: pay attention to portion sizes, quantities and use-by dates.
If you buy services: ask that the measures to tackle food waste are measured, reported and adapted.
Measuring is crucial. Collect data to identify waste and scrutinise it. Differentiate between waste generated during preparation, spoiled food and table scraps. This information is the basis for your action plan.
Prevention is better than cure. Only buy what you actually need for consumption. Still have leftovers? Try to use them as much as possible: turn leftovers into dishes for the next day, give prepared meals to customers or staff, use platforms such as Too Good To Go, etc.
Tip: You can also use leftovers as pet food.
Check the Guide to Food Waste within Governments with clauses you can include in your service contracts.
Reduce food waste - Refer to regulations on single-use packaging, especially for products such as sandwiches and salads. Keep in mind guidelines for packaging that comes in contact with food.
Cut your energy, water and gas consumption - Go for local and seasonal products: they consume less during production and transport. Also pay attention to processing and storage after delivery, as this also affects consumption. Good to know: the Public Procurement Act gives preference to local suppliers.
Improve the balance between protein sources - A better balance between animal, plant and microbial proteins has a positive impact on the environment and health.
Make clear agreements with your supplier about the shelf life of products.
Choose products with a longer shelf life to reduce food waste.
Improve storage methods to reduce waste.
Consider canned products instead of fresh: canned foods usually have a longer shelf life.
Keep in mind the composition of products and avoid ingredients or products with a negative environmental impact. Organic labels and tags such as MSC, ASC, RSPO help you make sustainable choices.
Set up circular business models. Find out if you can collaborate with companies for whom your preparation waste might be a raw material. For example, orange peels to make soap aromas, or coffee grounds to grow mushrooms. That way, you reduce waste and take steps towards circularity.
Collect and process food waste efficiently, for example through fermentation or composting.
Work towards separate collection and ensure that food waste is processed sustainably, for example by converting it into biogas or high-quality compost.
Make contractual agreements for recycling waste streams such as plastic containers and cans. Work with approved recyclers so that materials are correctly recycled and reused.
Choose sustainable and organic ingredients that are non-toxic. Avoid harmful chemicals and encourage suppliers to produce environmentally-friendly products.
Put in place circular business models by partnering with companies for whom your food waste may be a raw material for new products. For example, coffee grounds to produce biofuel.
Criteria for purchasing food and vending machines
These tools will get you on the right track:
No two labels are the same. Look critically at the labels you apply for and whether they are suitable for purpose. There should also be enough products available that meet the requested labels.
Also important: demonstrate that similar products with similar sustainability characteristics can be accepted.
Tip: The federal government reviewed several labels in 2019, in the context of procurement regulations.
