Hävikkimestari halves food waste for catering service providers

Problem

The environmental impact of food production is significant: 12 percent of the world’s land areas is used for crop growing, and 70 of fresh water is consumed by agriculture. The emissions are also significant. At the same time, Finnish catering service providers discard 85 million kg of edible food each year. Uneaten ingredients and their processing represent a significant cost. This means unnecessary food production and environmental impacts which could be avoided.  If food waste were a country, it would be the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases behind the USA and China.

Solution: Hävikkimestari halves food waste for catering service providers

Hävikkimestari by Lassila & Tikanoja (L&T) helps schools, workplace cafeterias, army canteens and other catering facilities reduce food waste. The solution consists of two parts: a monitoring application that provides precise information about waste in money terms, and coaching for catering staff to reduce waste with the help of the app.

Revenue logic and benefits to L&T

The Hävikkimestari service is based on a monthly fee, and coaching is subject to an additional fee. The reduction of food waste can help reduce the number of biowaste collections by L&T, but more importantly the service is about long-term customer relationships and the company’s mission.

Benefits to customers

Hävikkimestari offers an easy way to reduce waste generated at mass catering facilities. It can help reduce raw material costs, time spent on unnecessary tasks, and biowaste charges. The app provides a visualised overview which helps catering staff to identify at a glance any areas where waste could be reduced. Hävikkimestari also provides a way for catering staff to add value to their work.