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“I always say: ‘food is about love’”

Sanne Hordijk

Food waste coach

FOOD WASTE COACH SANNE ON HOW TO START THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE



Sanne has a degree in food waste management, is very passionate about it, and is an eternal optimist. “I believe in micro-change, because small steps can gradually become big ones”, she says. “I work with customers, discussing new ways to reduce food waste within their companies. What I enjoy most about my job is making people aware of their everyday behavior. We bring social and cultural change for a better future.”

These are some of the best pieces of advice Sanne has for professionals who want to take their first steps towards zero waste.

MAKE SURE THE WHOLE TEAM IS MOTIVATED

“If you want to start working on sustainability within your organization, tackling food waste is one of the most effective ways. It requires hardly any research or money to start your food waste journey. In most cases you can see the results quickly, but it’s crucial for everyone to participate in the process. That’s why I want to hear everyone’s perspective.

I work with head offices and management teams, but also with the kitchen staff, from the dishwasher operator to the chef. You interact with each of them differently. What can we do to make their jobs easier? What are their expectations and ambitions? I try to engage them by speaking from the heart. I always say: ‘food is about love’. You prepare food with love and share it with the people you love, and you don’t just throw away the things you love. Besides this, I emphasize that not everyone has access to food, so we should try to make a positive impact together.”

TAKE A CRITICAL LOOK AT YOUR MENU

“The Orbisk monitor lets you see exactly where your waste originates from, whether it’s unused ingredients or unserved prepared dishes. That way you can pinpoint whether things are going wrong in your orders, in the production process, or in dishes that come back from service. From there, you can investigate whether the waste is down to quality or portioning, for example.

A simple first step is trying to ‘recycle’ ingredients throughout the week or within dishes. Opting for more just- in-time preparation is also helpful, for example with sandwiches in a company canteen, or an egg that’s fried, boiled or scrambled on request as part of a hotel breakfast. Guests get a custom-made dish and feel special because they can choose, which is more advantageous for you too. This doesn’t have to be at the expense of your staff budget, because preparing food in advance is not necessarily more economical. It also helps to opt for same-day preparation, instead of batch cooking for a few days. There’s a whole cocktail of solutions to make your menu less wasteful.”

GUIDE GUEST CHOICES

“The Orbi was originally designed to eliminate production waste in hotel and restaurant kitchens but we’re increasingly focused on the guest experience, and thus plate waste. Now that we’re working with cruise ships and all-inclusive hotels more frequently, we’re seeing that the guest can unknowingly be the biggest trigger of waste. So we’re looking at ways to reduce waste from guests without compromising on quality and service.

You can solve a lot with the layout of your buffet and choice of dishes. And if you stop offering trays, people will automatically take less. This is called ‘nudging’, and it’s a subtle way of educating your guests. Similarly, you should always start your buffet with people’s favorites instead of sweet pastries or granola with yogurt. People eat with their eyes when they look at a buffet, not with their stomachs. But that’s the wrong indicator, nobody is going to eat four chocolate buns at breakfast.”

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