About Food Waste Bites
Food waste prevention program for the Kansas City food service and retail sectors
Food Waste Bites (FWB) is an effort to eliminate food waste in the Kansas City region’s food service industry. Coordinated by Kansas City Food Wise, FWB takes a hands-on approach to help restaurants, caterers, cafeterias, grocery stores and other food service operations take a comprehensive approach to food waste reduction.
By eliminating food waste, your business can:
- Save money
- Improve customer service
- Boost employee morale
- Reduce food insecurity in the community
- Help the planet
Why eliminate food waste?
Return on investment
It's estimated that a food service business can save $8 for every $1 invested in food waste reduction.
Reduce contributions to waste streams
In 2024, U.S. restaurants and food service businesses generated 12.5 million tons of surplus food, more than 89 percent of which was sent to landfill, down the sewer or incinerated as waste.
Food insecurity
Despite this surplus of food, 15.3 percent of households (nearly 1 in 7) and 17 percent of children (nearly 1 in 6) experienced food insecurity in the Kansas City region.
Strategies
FWB uses three primary strategies for eliminating food waste:
- Rescue - The practice of collecting and distributing edible food that would otherwise go to waste.
- Diversion - The process of redirecting inedible food away from landfills to composting and / or animal feed.
- Prevention - Practices that reduce the amount of food that is wasted during “food flow”: purchasing, receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, holding, cooling, reheating, portion control, plate waste, menu design, and overall customer engagement.
Get started
Join Food Waste Bites by contacting Lisa Burgess, Food Waste Bites Specialist, at 816-682-6601 or by sending a message.