ECHO 2016 COLLEGE MAGAZINE

creative writers
Role of Chefs and
Culinary Schools in
Local Food Sustainability
Chef. Harresh Chandra.K
Faculty, Food Production
hough most Professional Chefs are
Tpassionate about feeding people,
the world needs more Chefs that are
just as excited about ending hunger.
Anyone in food service knows that a
huge amount of food gets wasted
between the delivery dock and the
customer's plate. If you need further
proof, the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations
commissioned a study that found that
about "one third of the food that gets
produced in the world for human
consumption…is lost or wasted" and
this number rises to almost one half in
the INDIA. Ending food waste is one of
the ways Chefs can battle hunger
Solutions to ending food waste
Some of the ways Chefs can end food
w a s t e i n c l u d e c r e a t i n g d i r e c t
relationships with farmers and
offering locally-made food, changing
expectations around visually perfect
food, offering reasonable portion sizes
(or letting consumers choose their own
portion size), composting, and
educating themselves about storing
fresh food for maximum usage.
1. S o u r c e r e d u c t i o n ( d e c r e a s e
purchasing costs)
2. Feed hungry people (increase
revenue from tax breaks for
donating food)
3. Create bio diesel with waste oils
(decrease spending on waste
disposal fees)
4. Create compost to amend soils
(decrease spending on waste
disposal fees and increase revenue
by selling compost)
Chefs have had to keep improving their
recipes and menus to reflect these
needs. Better fats, less salt, smaller
portions and organic ingredients are
just some of the improvements chefs
are making to improve the nutritional
value of their food. And in addition to
being healthy, this trend toward local
food is also socially responsible: it
benefits the smaller, family farms and
organic producers.
Chefs who are making the switch to
local, seasonal ingredients need to
know how to work with small
producers and plan menus around the
varying availability of products, which
poses different challenges than simply
ordering all of their inventory from one
or two national or regional food service
distributors. Ordering Indents from
more than one local supplier to help
local market.
Culinary schools also have a vital role
to play in ending food waste. They are
implementing programs to educate
students and staff about preemptive
techniques to keep food from being
lost, as well as ways to use leftover
food once it has been prepared.
Programs include using food scraps to
create compost that gets sold or used
in the campus vegetable gardens,
converting used vegetable oil for bio
diesel fuel to power campus vehicles,
and donating leftover food to food
banks.
Culinary degree program regularly
update and adapt their curricula to
prepare Chefs for the changing Culinary
World. Changing culinary trends,
updated nutritional information, or new
ingredients all require Culinary
students to master new techniques and
develop new recipes.
You can find traditional and online
culinary classes that reflect the need
for local and sustainable choices on
menus. Sustainability is woven
through many kinds of classes in a
culinary degree program, including:
• Food, Wine, and Agriculture
• Food Ecology
• Restaurant Operations
• Food Politics
• Food Sustainability
Whether you're choosing from
traditional or online culinary degree
programs, culinary school can give you
the most up-to-date information
regarding locally produced ingredients
and sustainable practices,
Food waste is a natural concern for
Chefs who love to feed people. Not only
can eliminating food waste help end
hunger, but it can also save other
resources as well: up to 10 percent of
landfill space, as well as the fuel used
and emissions created to transport it.
Do what you can as a Chef to keep good
food from going to waste.
52 ECHO - 2016