A person serves food onto a plate at a buffet, showcasing a variety of dishes and a vibrant dining atmosphere

Proven food waste solutions for colleges and universities

Because dining services need sustainable solutions

Campus dining faces unique challenges: a heavy reliance on all-you-care-to-eat leads to waste from overproduction. Students demand sustainable practices. Plus, thin margins and competition from off-campus options mean campuses must be as efficient as possible with their food purchases. Food waste prevention is critical. With deep experience in the segment, Leanpath has proven solutions to reduce food waste in campus dining.

Caitlin McClanahan Portrait

“Leanpath was critical in helping pinpoint the time of day and stations where waste was occurring. In less than one year we reduced food waste by 49% and lowered plate cost significantly.”

Caitlin McClanahan Portrait
Caitlin McClanahan
Sustainability Manager, Berea College (Sodexo)

Lead your campus on sustainability.

When you stop buying food only to throw it out, you stop contributing to the greenhouse gasses that food waste produces. You no longer squander the water it took to grow that food.

And you quit using the energy–power and human energy–to prep that food. By addressing food waste, you impact your campus’s most important sustainability issues. And with Leanpath you have the data to prove it.

“Tracking food waste with Leanpath not only gives you a baseline for improvement but it also tells you the what, where, and when about your food waste.”

<strong>Shawn Kelsey</strong>
Shawn KelseyDining Services Manager
Mt Holyoke College

Make staff more efficient.

Labor challenges are a constant in campus dining. You simply can’t afford to use valuable labor hours purchasing and preparing food that only goes to waste.

Leanpath data shows that if a kitchen wastes 7 percent of its food purchases, it wastes as much as a month of labor hours over the course of a year.

“The staff really like the technology. It’s made it easier and quicker to report [compared to manual tracking]. It is nice to pull the reports and identify where to focus our attention.”

<strong>Sara Royce</strong>
Sara RoyceGeneral Manager
Arizona State University (Aramark)

Drive savings straight to the bottom line.

Typical college and university kitchens waste 4-10% of the food they purchase before it ever reaches a diner’s plate.

Leanpath cuts that in half. And when you stop wasting food, you can stop purchasing food you know is only going to waste, translating to an average savings of 2-8% of food purchase costs.

“Leanpath is easy. At the end of the year it’s amazing to see how much waste we’ve reduced.”

<strong>Cheryl Bauer</strong>
Cheryl BauerAssociate Director of Sourcing & Sustainability,
Unversity of Notre Dame

Make food waste visible

Executive Chef Timothy Morris and his team at Arcadia University in Pennsylvania, USA, have been using Leanpath to track and prevent their food waste for one year.

In that time they’ve already reduced waste by an impressive 45 percent.

A grand castle atop a hill, providing a scenic view of a vibrant green lawn below

Build a kitchen culture of food waste prevention

Senior Executive Chef Tony Pignagrande and his crew at the University of Rochester in New York State have cut their food waste by 46 percent.

“There are savings, because we’re buying less food,” he says. “And we’re shipping less food so that helps the environment. But ultimately, it says our operation is running effectively.”

Two individuals wearing masks and gloves are engaged in food preparation in a clean kitchen environment

68% reduction in food waste

The foodservice team at the University of Notre Dame leveraged food waste photography to get to the root cause of their food waste.

A uniformed woman stands next to a tray of sandwiches

74 thousand meals saved

Arizona State University built a more efficient kitchen culture driven by food waste prevention.

A spacious room showcasing many people gathered around tables

34,000 lb reduction in food waste

The culinary team at the US Coast Guard Academy finally saw what food waste being wasted and why, giving them the insight they needed to take action.

A man wearing a vest and hat stands confidently in front of a computer, engaged in his work environment

Explore Our Solutions

Share these resources with your culinary
team and get started preventing food
waste today

5 Tips To Avoid Food Waste When Labor Is Tight
bottom
How Metz Culinary Management Prevents Food Waste
bottom
When food is wasted, labor is wasted. Foodservice can’t afford that…
bottom
Dozens of food waste prevention tips for Food Waste Prevention Week
bottom

Start the conversation.

Reach out today to discuss your food
waste goals.