Exploring Food Waste Management Practices: Insights from a Coastal Hotel in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Food waste is immense, accounting for over one-third of worldwide food production for human consumption, totalling 1.3 billion tons annually. Additionally, Sri Lanka's estimated daily food waste is 4000 tons, with the hotel and hospitality sector responsible for a notable percentage. Therefore, it is essential to understand how this amount of waste is generated and what strategies are being employed to manage it.

Objective: The research intends to identify the causes of food waste and understand the main waste generation points and food waste mitigation techniques employed within the hotel.

Methodology: This exploratory study employs a qualitative approach to examine food waste management practices at a coastal hotel in Sri Lanka’s western province. Researchers used purposive sampling, semi-structured interviews with four key informants, and participant and non-participant observations. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results: The findings demonstrate that the hotel implements various food waste management techniques, including operational, quality, and standards elements. These techniques vary from internal initiatives to external measures.

Conclusion: Effective practices can reduce the waste generated throughout the hotel's food supply chain. This will ultimately result in better economic, environmental, and societal outcomes.

Unique Contribution: This research provides useful insights and lays the groundwork for future research by addressing this timely issue prevailing within both the local and global hotel industry. These findings can be applied to other settings, such as households, retail, and emerging hotels and resorts.