There are 2 major trends in the F&B industry right now: Instagrammable food, and an increase in food that’s gone to waste. Food wastage is one of the biggest waste streams in Singapore.
The good news is there are now management measures put in place to make sure that food waste is minimised.
In this masterclass, Unilever Food Solutions, NEA, as well as companies such as Bfooding, Good For Food, TreeDots and Ugly Food showed attendees how to tackle their restaurant’s waste issues. Chefs from the The Singapore Chefs Association (SCA) chefs worked with our products Knorr Concentrated Tamarind Sauce and Knorr Concentrated Chicken Stock to prepare the “Instagrammable food”. The Vegetarian Butcher was showcased because of the recent “Plant-based trend”. SCA chefs did not work with The Vegetarian Butcher. Our own chefs actually presented The Vegetarian Butcher. Read on to learn the hard truths about food waste, how each company contributes to sustainability in the F&B industry, and watch the highlights video below to see what went down in the masterclass!
Creating Delicious, Visually Impressive Food
In this Instagram age, the camera eats first; your dishes have to taste good, and look even better. Using Knorr Concentrated Tamarind Sauce, Knorr Concentrated Chicken Stock, and plant-based meat from The Vegetarian Butcher, chefs from the Singapore Chefs Association prepared delectable refreshments for the masterclass attendees. These tasty tapas were a huge hit because they were a treat to both the eyes and the tastebuds, showing that visual appeal plays a huge role in how customers respond to dishes. Attendees are also surprised at how good plant-based meat could taste!
NEA: Food Waste Management
NEA has introduced programmes such as the Food Waste Reduction Outreach and Love You Food @ Canteen programmes to educate the public on food waste reduction and excess food distribution. NEA has also included food waste segregation requirements under the Resource Sustainability Act, where owners and operators of commercial and industrial premises who are large food waste generators will be required to segregate and treat their food waste from 2024.
The Vegetarian Butcher: Embracing plant-based eating
While many people love meat, raising livestock has a huge impact on the environment. As a result, the market of meat replacers is growing, and The Vegetarian Butcher aims to make plant-based meat the standard. Backed by Unilever, their high-quality, wide array of attractive products—including meat free nuggets, chicken chunks, patties and mince—are commended worldwide. These products are made by meat lovers, for meat lovers, and are produced to taste as close to meat as possible, while being sustainable and responsibly sourced.
Good For Food: Monitoring waste with a smart food waste tracker
Good For Food shows how their portable smart food waste tracker empowers chefs like you with data analytics to reduce food waste, cost and environmental footprint. Using sensors and image recognition, the device measures, tracks and identifies food waste. The data can then be sent via the device’s WiFi to a cloud dashboard, then analysed and displayed in real time. The result? Greater awareness of how much is really being thrown away, and an average of 30–40% reduction in food waste.
TreeDots: Meeting your business needs, at clearance prices
The Treedots app seamlessly connects wholesale suppliers with surplus ingredients to sell, to F&B businesses looking for them. With only reputable suppliers with accreditations onboard, buyers can be guaranteed of the quality, while purchasing at clearance prices. In 2018, an impressive 173 tonnes of food was sold via Treedots, with up to an 82% discount.
UglyFood: Making the most of less-than-perfect ingredients
One of the biggest food waste factors is cosmetic filtering—the rejection of “ugly” produce. UglyFood collects unsold and rejected produce, then processes it into delicious and healthy offerings like juice and ice cream, extending the shelf life and giving these ingredients a second chance of being eaten.
BFooding: Creating biodegradable packaging
Apart from actual produce, food packaging and utensils also create a lot of waste. BFooding’s range of biodegradable tableware and takeaway packaging was initially developed to meet the stringent packaging and waste disposal laws in Europe. From canapé holders to takeaway boxes and drinking straws, their products are sustainably sourced and certified biodegradable, compostable or recyclable/recycled.
Stay tuned for future events
If you missed this masterclass, don’t worry! There will be more coming soon. You can also like us on Facebook or sign up for our newsletter to stay updated.
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