What are you doing to reduce the amount of food waste in your restaurant? Andrew Shakman, CEO of LeanPath, shared 10 waste trends to watch this year with the National Restaurant Association (NRA):

1. Rising costs. “When we throw away food, the value of the item we throw away directly correlates to how much it cost to buy,” Shakman said. The cost of wasted food is unlikely to get cheaper, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. “If you look at the projections for 2016, there will be a return to increases.”

2. More data. The public wants to understand the extent of what’s being discarded and how it’s measured. Setting baselines will help prove whether our efforts are working, Shakman said.
3. Emerging standards. The World Resources Institute’s Food Loss and Waste Protocols will measure food waste generation more consistently. The research, available in early 2016, will offer a global standard for measurement and create more accountability.
4. Zero waste, beware! Though some businesses tout their zero waste practices, it is important to make sure the claims are legitimate. Practicing zero waste and diverting waste from landfills isn’t the same. “It’s going to be really important to think carefully about how we use the word zero.” Those who use it will have to pay attention to total generation and prevention as well as diversion.
5. National waste strategy. According to the NRA, the federal government recently set a goal to cut food waste in half by 2030 in partnership with the private sector and charitable organizations, but the strategies aren’t clear yet. “We’re going to have a unique opportunity during the first half of 2016 to put a strategy in place. It will also be important to begin dialog with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency and make our voices heard.”
6. Greater consumer focus. One key to success will be getting consumers to change the way they behave and think. An Ad Council campaign to show the emotional impact of wasted food will help engage the public.
7. Creation of a food waste sector. The food waste prevention market is getting close to critical mass, Shakman told the NRA. “There is an exciting entrepreneurial sector emerging, with a lot of it focusing on food recovery.”
8. Increased public-sector involvement. Cities and states will offer more programs and technical assistance to help with education.
9. Food recovery solutions. Expect more dialogue on how to connect excess product with those who need it most. “There’s plenty of wasted food so let’s recover as much as we can and also prevent as much as we can. We’re not likely to run into a situation where these two things are truly in opposition to each other, at least not for a while.”
10. Regulation. Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and California regulate waste disposal, as do New York and other cities. But the bans might not be applicable to smaller operators because most of the mandates include caveats about who must participate and whether infrastructure exists, NRA reported.