Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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stand through better data analysis where the food is being wasted," Siddiqui says, "then we can do something about it." Regardless of the size of the operation, Siddiqui believes a big part of the solution is figuring out ways to stop the waste at the source instead of expending energy trying to figure out what to do with it once it's been produced. MGM is using 2017 as a year to col- lect and analyze data in order to learn more about the drivers of food waste, and then plans to spend 2018 taking action. Ultimately, the Mission Comes from the Top While the positive environmental impacts of waste reduction can't be ignored, Carlos Rojas, sustainability team leader and deputy general counsel for Sprouts Farmers Market, a 250-location chain of natural and organic grocery stores headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., believes companies must fully understand and buy in to these types of programs in order for them to work. Executives must see the value not only from the bottom-line standpoint, but also from the cultural impact and influence on team morale, Rojas explains. "If you can make a business case internally, then this is probably the easiest way to get these programs adopted by the company," Rojas says. For Sprouts, that business case included the fact that its environmentally conscious employees showed great interest in imple- menting compost and recycling programs at the store level. Sprouts runs a robust food rescue program that saw 18 million pounds of still-edible food products donated to food banks last year, as well as a composting program that sends inedibles to a compost site or farm to be used as cattle feed. Each of the company's 255 stores also has an employee dubbed the "Green Leader," who makes sure the initiatives are successful and that team members are follow- ing the proper processes and procedures. Moreover, Sprouts carefully pilots its programs to ensure they can be properly executed before rolling them out company- wide. By getting feedback and sharing best practices internally, the company can be sure things will run as smoothly as possible. In terms of value and effect on the bottom line, proper ordering and carefully managing inventory to prevent waste has been a boon for the business. Sprouts also sees cost savings from reduced waste tonnage fees, earns money on the organic waste that is taken to the farm, and receives a tax break from the federal government for its use of composting and recycling programs. But as with most companies in the industry, it all comes back to the food. "It's a win-win for everybody in the restaurant business if we start focusing more on ways to utilize potential food waste and turn it into f lavor," says Satterfield of Miller Union. "Then you're able to put it on the menu, you can make money off what was going to go into the garbage, and you're creating something new and exciting." Emily Crowe is a regular contributor to Specialty Food Magazine and Specialty Food News. SPRING 2017 35