The Astrapto Team conducting a food waste audit at Circularity 23.

We help you take food waste reduction to the next level with a focus on prevention through our training program that prepares your team to:

  • Apply best practices for waste prevention in the event design and early planning stages,

  • Plan menus and meal breaks to minimize food waste,

  • Utilize templates and techniques for collecting and monitoring key food waste metrics,

  • Recognize and recommend supplier best practices for preventing food waste.

Session Outlines

Session 1: Food Waste and Planner Opportunities

  • Food waste statistics and related environmental and social impact.

  • Food waste reduction hierarchy and strategies (e.g., reuse, donation, compost).

  • Event inputs that impact food waste (e.g., demographics, registration forms, destination factors).

  • Scheduling and logistics: options for ensuring scheduling and placement of food does not create additional waste.

  • Menu evaluation: tips to recognize potential wasteful items and menus provided by venue caterers and hotels.

Session 2: Menu Planning and Supplier Management

  • Menu planning: best practices for selecting and customizing menus, with budget, demographics, and other data inputs.

  • Special meals and side events: evaluate menus for staff and VIP meals, and special meal requests and accommodations for opportunities to prevent waste.

  • Communicating with the hotel/venue: questions to ask, expectations to set, and realities / dynamics of engaging suppliers on the topic of food waste.

  • Hotel/Venue Requests: review of easy adjustments planners can request in advance based on past event observations and known prolifically problematic items and setups.

Session 3: Making the Most of Data and Auditing

  • Audit overview: purpose of audit and description of key activities and logistics.

  • Other data inputs: third-party data, donations, composting, polls / surveys.

  • Engaging others: food waste communication for attendees and stakeholders.

Consultation

This program also comes with up to 4 hours of consultation is provided on menu/meal planning specific upcoming meetings/events. In these calls, Astrapto provides:

  • Coaching leading up to one or two selected events for planner and hotel/venue partner to recommend and monitor implementation and results of best practices.

  • Tips on applying planning inputs (demographics, attendee data, special meal general guidance, programming, etc.) to menu and meal planning.

  • Deeper dive menu and meal planning consultation for meal services at one or two upcoming events.

  • Suggestions and guidance on questions to ask of, and boundaries to set with, hotel/venue. If possible, attend calls planner holds with hotel/venue.

  • Email support to address the above, as needed.

  • These calls may be recorded and shared with others for continued learning.

  • All calls must be completed within 2 months of the final training session.