Leftovers

The best way to manage food waste is to prevent it from happening in the first place. When surplus food does occur, it should first be repurposed - served as leftovers, transformed into soups or smoothies, or used for texture-modified meals. If still unused, options like selling through an on-site café or offering to staff can help minimise waste. As a last resort, surplus food can be redirected for animal feed, composting, or anaerobic digestion - keeping landfill as the very last option. Every step up the hierarchy means less waste and more value from our food.

Follow the food hierachy to manage serving surplus

Use the food waste hierarchy to guide decisions about surplus food, prioritising prevention and safe reuse before disposal.

Suggested steps for action:

• Consider creating an implementation plan with key staff
• Discuss changes with staff to ensure they understand what changes are happening and why
• Remind staff about the food waste hierarchy and how it works
• Encourage staff to support each other as you adjust to a new way of managing serving surplus
• Check in with staff to see what is/not working to see if anything needs to be changed
• Monitor serving waste to determine the impact of the intervention

Resources to support implementation:

• Implementation planning
• Intervention tracker
• Food surplus hierachy
• Policy for distributing food to staff