Reducing Food Waste
In the OIC Member Countries
COMCEC
Food service sectorfood waste
100 food service establishments were surveyed, covering 56 restaurants, 10 bars and pubs and
15 coffee houses. The majority operate 7 days a week.
Turkish food service sector respondents noted the main reason they generated food waste was
due to customers over-ordering, with 37% noting that children were particularly responsible
for food waste. As with Saudi Arabia, respondents felt that buffets were the most wasteful
service option. Less than 15% of their customers request to take away their leftovers. This
correlates with the Turkish household survey findings, in which most respondents were not
concerned about taking leftover food home.
Most establishments do to not have their own food waste collection systems, with most feeding
food waste to animals (probably on the street). However, food waste such as tea and coffee
granules are thrown away in the bin. 10% donate food to charities or it is collected by a
dedicated food waste collector. The majority dispose liquid food waste down the sink.
Most respondents were concerned about food waste, but felt they could have their knowledge
on the issue improved, and would welcome training to do so. A national campaign to reduce food
waste would also be welcomed. Respondents also requested local authorities put in place
suitable waste management systems for the collection of food waste.
Table 34 provides an estimate of food waste generated by Turkish food service respondents per
year. Vegetables and salad; and meat, chicken and fish are the most common foods thrown away,
with fruit juice the largest liquid category thrown away.
Table 34: Estimated amount of food waste generated, on average, by food service
respondents in Turkey, per year
Food type Average food waste per
year
(tonnes)
Meat, chicken & fish 1.5
Vegetables & salad 1.5
Fruit 0.4
Cereals &bakery 0.7
Sweets 0.1
liters
Fruit juice 692
Carbonated drinks 619
Milk 3
Yoghurt 0.3
Source: Field survey results: Cameroon, SaudiArabia & Turkey: 100 household and 100food service establishments;
Afghanistan, Benin, Senegal and Uzbekistan: 20 household and 20food service establishments.
Measures and strategies implemented to reduce food waste
A number of initiatives were identified to reduce food waste in Turkey e.g. the Turkey Waste
Prevention Foundation (TISVA) -an NGO established in 2010, aims to ensure the efficient and
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