Project Introduction

India may be one of the worlds fastest growing economies today, but that this growth is a lopsided
one is evident when one looks at any of the countrys social sector indicators. On the Global Hunger
Index, India is at 55. According to a study by the International Food Policy Research Institute, one-
sixth of Indias population is undernourished, while 190 million people go to bed hungry daily. A
total of 30% children below the age of 5 years are underweight. These statistics are worrying
because there is no dearth of food it seems, the problem lies in transporting and reaching it to the
people. According to an agriculture ministry study, India is growing more food but also wasting up
to 67 million tonnes of it every year. Thats more than the national output of Britain, and enough
food for Bihar, one of Indias larger states, for a whole year. The value of the food lost Rs 92,000
crore -- is nearly two-thirds of what it costs the government to feed 600 million poor Indians with
subsidised ration under the National Food Security programme.
This wastage happens because of
Retail Businesses
Most of the loss in retail operations is in perishables including baked goods, produce, meat,
seafood and prepared meals .Unfortunately, wasteful practices in the retail industry are often
viewed as good business strategies. Some of the main drivers for food loss at retail stores include:
overstocked product displays, expectation of cosmetic perfection, oversized packages, the
availability of prepared food until closing, expired "sell by" dates, damaged goods, outdated
seasonal items, over purchasing of unpopular foods and low staffing.

Restaurants
Approximately four to ten percent of food purchased by restaurants is wasted before reaching the
consumer. Drivers of food waste at restaurants include oversized portions, inflexibility of chain
store management and extensive menu choices. According to the statistics , on average, diners
leave 17 percent of their meals uneaten and 55 percent of edible leftovers are left at the
restaurant.This is partly due to the fact that portion sizes have increased significantly over the past
30 years. Kitchen culture and staff behavior such as over-preparation of food, improper ingredient
storage and failure to use food scraps and trimmings can also contribute to food loss. All-you-can-
eat buffets are particularly wasteful ,The common practice of keeping buffets fully stocked during
business hours (rather than allowing items to run out near closing) creates even more waste.

Indias food wastage statistics are shocking, while some of it is due to lack of cold-storage facilities,
a majority of it comes from restaurants. It is very important that restaurants collaborate with food
bank NGOs to avoid any food wastage.
Some popular restaurants in Delhi like Dum Pukht, give away their leftover food to the AWB Food
Bank at the end of the day. Varq, at the Taj Mahal Hotel said they give the leftover food to the NGO
named Aap ki Rasoi. Zerzura said they tend to avoid any wastage of food as their place is not very
big and even if there are leftovers, they give it to their employees. Mia Bella said they have a sort of
per plate system so each portion is meant for one person which is why they usually dont have too
much leftover food.
These restaurants are doing their bit to reduce food wastage, but there are scores of restaurants in
the country which are lacking in this, our project shines in these light of events, we hope that,like
Dum pukht, other restaurants too do their bit to reduce world hunger .