Food inventory management

Reduce food loss at your business by tracking food you throw away.

Overview

Minneapolis restaurants create 35,000 tons of food waste each year. That's 30% of the city’s total food waste.

Ideas to reduce food waste:

Track the food you throw away to better manage your inventory. Download the City’s wasted food log
Discuss inventory practices with your team and make needed changes.
Consider using software to track food inventory and losses.

Rotate stock
Rotate stock within and across food storage areas and coolers to prevent waste.
Incorporate line checks
Use line checks to identify nearly expired items. Use them right away.
Clearly label food with expiration date
Develop an effective date marking system for all foods. Identify older products for immediate use.
Cross-section communication
Communicate across stations on the line to align production with demand. Use older ingredients first.

Check deliveries
Inspect incoming deliveries to make sure food is in good condition.
Use your freezer
Properly freeze excess portions of food to extend shelf life.
Understand sales trends
Track your customers' ordering habits. Use that information to make smaller batch sizes when it makes sense.
Sell excess food
The Too Good to Go app lets you track surplus food and sell it to people in Minneapolis. See Too Good to Go
Do menu planning
Make your menu flexible so you can substitute ingredients.

Prevent equipment malfunctions
Work with your HVAC company to create a refrigeration maintenance plan.
Store food effectively
Do not overcrowd coolers or freezers.
Keep coils clean
Keep cooler and freezer coils clean and free of dust.
Maintain gaskets
Make sure refrigeration and freezer gaskets are in working condition.

Cool food rapidly
Use effective cooling methods to avoid throwing away improperly cooled food. Fill food two inches or less in an uncovered pan and store in a working cooler.
Monitor coolers
Check your coolers regularly to make sure cold foods are held at or below 41°F.

Monitor garbage and compost bins
Look at what fills your trash and compost bins. See what could have been used for something else.
Trim waste efficiently
Monitor unusable trim waste. Make sure your cooks are breaking down meats and produce effectively.
Make stock
Transform most trim waste into a stock.
Divert
Divert unusable trim waste to a compost bin or donate for animal feed production.

As restaurant workers prepare food, some may not realize how much will be wasted.

By keeping food from going to waste, you can save your restaurant money.
On average, every dollar your restaurant spends on preventing wasted food will save you seven dollars.

The County offers free technical help and grants to businesses. Learn how to reduce wasted food, donate food and compost with organics recycling.