KU-led project to reduce restaurant food waste continues during COVID-19 crisis

When stay-at-home orders to reduce the spread of COVID-19 are eventually lifted, most restaurants can reopen their doors. Yet when it's back to business as usual, chances are that some of that food will be thrown out. A partnership among University of Kansas researchers, students, local restaurants and community agencies is still working to reduce food waste and food insecurity and will be ready once restaurant business returns.

Students working on the project did not find any similar efforts in the nation, and the larger group of researchers hopes to expand the project to more restaurants and eventually make it available as a template that communities across the country could adapt to meet their own needs.

The group collaborated to determine what consumers and restaurants know about food waste, what can be donated and how to help educate businesses and the public to keep food out of the dumpster and onto the plates of those who need it most. The partnership has developed a toolkit to help all sides reduce waste and will test it later this year when restaurants reopen.

Read the full story from The University of Kansas here.