AHLA, WWF revamp 'Hotel Kitchen' to help hoteliers cut food waste

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association and World Wildlife Fund have revamped the “Hotel Kitchen” platform to help U.S. hoteliers reduce food waste, divert food from landfills and lower operating costs. The initiative supports the goal of halving U.S. food waste by 2030, AHLA and WWF said in a joint statement.

Hotel Kitchen is part of AHLA's Responsible Stay initiative, which promotes energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation and responsible sourcing, the statement said. Since its 2017 launch, more than 36,000 hotel staff have completed the training, with pilot properties reducing food waste by 17 to 38 percent.

“Reducing food waste provides a number of important benefits: it’s good for the environment, reduces hoteliers’ operating costs and conserves resources at a time when too many Americans are food insecure,” said Lauren Pravlik, AHLA’s vice president for committees and member engagement. “The Hotel Kitchen platform is dedicated to helping hoteliers achieve these goals, and we are pleased to continue sharing this resource with the industry through our partnership with WWF.”

Improvements include:

• Guidelines and best practices for all hotel employees, from corporate leadership to operators and staff handling meetings, events and food and beverage operations.
• Faster access to Hotel Kitchen resources, such as the 16-Week Champion’s Guide Checklist, the Fighting Food Waste in Hotels Video Training Series, and the Food Waste Audit Guide.
• An updated Lobster Ink online training platform for hospitality employees to track progress in implementing food waste reduction programs.

Through Responsible Stay, AHLA co-manages the Green Key Global sustainability certification with the Hotel Association of Canada and has partnered with IncentiFind to help hotels identify sustainability cost savings, the statement said.

“With food at the forefront of every hospitality experience, reducing food waste in hotels helps move the entire sector in the right direction,” said Pete Pearson, WWF vice president of food, food loss, and waste. “For years, Hotel Kitchen has shown what can be achieved when the right tools are used by hotels and event staff. The latest updates make the program even more accessible, as we work to bring the broader meetings and event community along on this journey.”

AHLA convened hotel and sustainability leaders in Washington for the second annual “Responsible Stay Summit” on Feb. 28, reaffirming the industry’s commitment to environmental sustainability. The summit, part of the 2022 Responsible Stay initiative, focused on energy efficiency, waste reduction, water conservation and responsible sourcing.