Planning key to prevent food wastage, say hotels

Abu Dhabi: Planning is key to not only providing high-quality service but also for ensuring that a minimal amount of food is wasted, a number of hotels in the capital said.

As per Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADM) regulations, food that has been exposed for over two hours cannot be served but the majority of the capital’s largest hotels and catering companies do not have to throw away a large amount of food due to on-demand preparation of meals.

Shangri-La Hotel’s general manager, Thomas Guss, revealed that Sofra bld restaurant can see up to 9,000 people every year for iftar on an average of 350 people per day.

“All dishes for the grand iftar are served a la minute and this means we prepare fresh dishes in the kitchen as demand requires. This ensures guests have fresh, delicious dishes to enjoy based on demand. Booking for the grand iftar is highly recommended in order to avoid disappointment as the restaurant is very popular. This also assists the culinary team in preparing for iftar,” he told Gulf News in a statement.

Similarly, Loganathan M., head of business excellence and strategy planning at Al Jazeera International Catering, said that the company prepares about 20,000 meals every day, including iftar, dinner and suhour (usually served after 11pm during Ramadan).

“We expect about 6,500 to 7,000 customers on a daily basis. Food wastage is controlled at the production level itself. As we are governed by the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, we dispose of the leftover food to landfills through approved suppliers.”

The official welcomed any accredited initiatives to aid in the upcycling or redistribution of the company’s leftover food.

“We are looking to partner with any approved agency to collect our leftover foods if authorised by Red Crescent.” he added.

Similarly, Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi has encouraged the use of reservations when visiting restaurants during iftar.

“[Our food wastage] is minimal. We make sure to push iftar booking first, and then work on food numbers forecast. This ensures we waste as little food as possible,” Nour Hashem, PR assistant manager, told Gulf News.

Other major hotels such as the Eastern Mangroves Hotel and Spa by Anantara spare some of the leftover, edible food for their staff and discard the rest in an appropriate manner.

Speaking to Gulf News, Samar, spokesperson, Eastern Mangroves Hotel and Spa, said: “Some of the leftover food from Ingredients, one of our restaurants, is upcycled and brought down to the staff cafeteria. Based on the number of room bookings made at the hotel and restaurant reservations, the kitchen staff is able to forecast how much food is required. This helps minimise food wastage. Additionally, the Eastern Mangroves Hotel and Spa by Anantara is studying ways to generate goodwill using the leftover food.”

The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, said it is committed to reducing wastage not just in Ramadan but throughout the year as part of its Community Footprints programme. The spirit of Ramadan, it said, makes this even more relevant. Ron Pietruszka, executive chef, The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC, said: “Ramadan is a time of reflection and restraint but also marks an important time of togetherness, for which iftar and suhour are an integral part of the experience. At the DIFC Ramadan Majlis, we are very mindful to avoid unnecessary food wastage and have introduced several steps which enable us to reduce such wastage on a daily basis.

“For example, [we] work closely together to track reservations right up until sunset — this helps us avoid preparing excessive quantities of food for the main buffet, while still ensuring that our guests have a memorable experience.”