You can't improve what you don't measure. Every successful waste reduction programme starts with understanding exactly what you're wasting, when, and why.
A food waste audit isn't complicated, but it needs to be done properly or the data won't tell you anything useful. Here's a step-by-step guide.
Before You Start
Define your scope. Are you auditing the whole operation or just one kitchen? All services or just dinner? Be clear about boundaries.
Choose your timeframe. A minimum of one week, ideally covering both weekdays and weekends. For seasonal operations, you may need audits in different periods.
Get buy-in. Staff need to participate. If they see this as surveillance, data quality will suffer. Frame it as a baseline for improvement, not a search for blame.
Prepare materials. You'll need:
- Scales (accurate to at least 100g, ideally 10g)
- Bins or containers for each waste category
- Recording sheets or digital forms
- Clear labels for each category
Setting Up Waste Stations
Create separate collection points for each waste stream you want to track. At minimum:
Prep waste: Trimmings, peels, off-cuts from food preparation Plate waste: What returns from customers uneaten Spoilage: Items discarded due to expiry or quality degradation
If your operation is complex, consider additional categories:
- Production waste (cooking errors, burnt items)
- Storage waste (items spoiled in storage before prep)
- Service waste (from buffets, holding areas)
Label each station clearly. Make it easy for staff to use the right bin.
Running the Audit
Day-to-Day Process
Weigh at regular intervals. End of each service is typical, but more frequent weighing gives better data. Record the weight of each category.
Note what's in there. Weight alone isn't enough. Log the major items in each bin. "12kg prep waste" is less useful than "5kg potato peels, 3kg carrot trim, 4kg chicken trim."
Record covers/production. You need context for the waste figures. How many covers did you serve? How much food did you produce?
Capture anomalies. If something unusual happened (delivery problem, unexpected rush, equipment failure), note it. It explains data outliers.
Staff Involvement
Train everyone who handles waste on the process. They need to know:
- Which bin is which
- What goes in each
- That accuracy matters
Consider having a staff member responsible for each service's recording. Distributed ownership improves data quality.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Contamination. Keep categories separate. Mixed bins make analysis impossible.
Liquids. Drain liquids before weighing solids, or you're measuring water not food.
Guessing. If you're not sure, weigh it. Estimates are consistently wrong.
Missing services. Every service counts. Gaps in data undermine the whole audit.
Behaviour change. If staff know they're being watched, they might temporarily reduce waste. That gives you unrealistic baseline data.
Analysing the Results
Once you have a week's data, the analysis begins.
Calculate Key Metrics
Total waste: Sum of all categories Waste percentage: Total waste ÷ food purchases (same period) Waste per cover: Total waste ÷ total covers Category breakdown: Each stream as percentage of total
Look for Patterns
Day-of-week patterns: Is Monday waste different from Saturday? Staffing changes and volume differences often show up here.
Service patterns: Is lunch more wasteful than dinner? Breakfast buffets versus à la carte?
Item patterns: Which ingredients show up most in waste? Which dishes generate most plate returns?
Compare to Benchmarks
How do your numbers stack up against typical hospitality operations?
| Waste Category | Typical % of Total |
|---|---|
| Prep waste | 40-50% |
| Plate waste | 25-35% |
| Spoilage | 15-25% |
If your numbers differ significantly, that points to specific intervention areas.
From Audit to Action
The audit's value is in what you do with it. For each major waste stream:
Identify root causes. High prep waste might be training issue, equipment issue, or recipe issue. High spoilage might be ordering patterns or storage conditions.
Prioritise by impact. Attack the biggest numbers first. A 20% reduction in your largest category beats a 50% reduction in a minor one.
Set specific targets. "Reduce potato prep waste from 8kg/day to 5kg/day" is actionable. "Reduce waste" isn't.
Assign ownership. Someone needs to be responsible for each improvement initiative.
Ongoing Measurement
One audit establishes baseline. Continuous measurement drives improvement.
You don't need full audit intensity ongoing. A simplified daily tracking system—total weight by major category—is enough to monitor trends and verify that interventions are working.
Many operations do a full audit quarterly to reset baseline and check category breakdown, with simplified daily tracking in between.
When Technology Makes Sense
Manual audits work but have limitations:
- Compliance fades over time
- Data granularity is limited
- Staff time is required continuously
Automated monitoring systems solve these problems by capturing waste data automatically. For many operations, the transition from periodic manual audits to continuous automated monitoring happens once they've seen the value of waste data and want to scale their programme.
Start with a manual audit. See what the data reveals. Then decide if automation makes sense for sustained improvement.
Download our audit template or talk to us about getting started with waste measurement.