How to reduce food waste?

In the context of Da Nang's strong growth in tourism, with millions of visitors coming each year, the surplus of food from restaurants, hotels and resorts is creating a burden on the economy and the environment.

VietHarvest members receive food from partners. Photo: Document

From the efforts of local businesses, a humane solution was born, with the expectation of transforming waste into a resource to support the community.

Challenges from food surplus

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Da Nang, by mid-2025, the city will have more than 2,250 accommodation establishments, with 163 reaching 4-5 star standards, making Da Nang the country's leader in the number of high-end hotels. From these establishments, a large amount of leftover food is discharged after buffet parties, conferences and large-scale catering services that take place regularly.

A survey published in the scientific research “Management of surplus food at 4-5 star hotels in Da Nang” (2023) conducted by Dr. Tran Nien Tuan, lecturer at the University of Economics (University of Da Nang) and colleagues, showed that the most wasted food is from buffet parties. The reason lies in inaccurate demand forecasting, leading to a large difference between the amount of food prepared and the actual number of guests.

Along with that, strict policies and rigorous standards of large hotel groups in using raw materials, ensuring food hygiene and safety and customer service also lead to the generation of large surplus food sources and limit flexibility in handling.

Food waste is a major challenge in the industry, with many resorts generating 100-200 kg of food waste per day, said Gentzsch André, Operations Director of Furama - Ariyana Danang Resort . Furama Resort Danang has adopted measures such as improving portion control, adjusting menus and working with farmers to reuse surplus food as animal feed.

Other resorts have similar strategies, but these efforts have generally been limited, fragmented, and short-term. Businesses still struggle to establish legally enforceable food donation channels, making the food redistribution system ineffective.

This problem not only creates economic pressure, as the cost of handling excess food becomes increasingly overwhelming, but also seriously affects the environment and business image.

Humane solution

Furama Resort Danang has proactively "joined hands" with VietHarvest - a food relief organization established in 2022 in Vietnam, inheriting the successful model from Australia's OzHarvest since 2004, to promote professional, sustainable and humane solutions for reusing surplus food resources.

VietHarvest's model has been successfully applied in many countries around the world, receiving support and commitment from major airlines such as Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand. In Vietnam, this organization cooperates with more than 50 restaurants, hotels, and food suppliers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to support the transfer of surplus food to those in need.

Ms. Ngo Phuong Anh, CEO of VietHarvest, commented: Da Nang is a major tourist center in the Central region, with a rich system of hotels, resorts, and restaurants, which means that the amount of surplus food is very significant. VietHarvest conducted a survey and directly discussed with a number of large-scale hotels in Da Nang, the results showed that the rate of food waste is higher than the average.

VietHarvest's plan in Da Nang begins with cooperation with hotels, resorts, and restaurants to collect high-quality surplus food, which has been classified, preserved according to instructions and packaged in containers provided by VietHarvest, fully complying with food safety regulations, and determining the time of delivery.

After receiving, VietHarvest will re-check the quality, record full information about the food type, weight and storage conditions, then store and transport by specialized refrigerated vehicles to ensure freshness and safety. The food will be distributed to charitable organizations, ensuring it is used within a safe time frame and to the right people in need of support.

The initiative will be officially signed and implemented between VietHarvest and Da Nang resorts within the framework of the Horecfex 2025 event - Forum on technology and innovation in the hotel industry, scheduled to take place at the end of August at the Ariyana International Convention Center.

It is expected that this step will bring a professional and humane solution, helping to reduce the amount of organic waste generated in tourism services, enhance the city's image of sustainable tourism, support social security and promote the circular economy.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/giam-lang-phi-thuc-pham-bang-cach-nao-3300173.html