Exploring Food Waste at a Hospitality Staff Canteen With Meteorological Data

Abstract

While food waste in the hospitality industry remains a major global issue, the food waste practices of employees have been largely neglected. This paper explores the effects of meteorological factors on unserved food from the perspective of hospitality employees. A mixed methods research design is adopted with quantitative data obtained from the unserved food records of an integrated resort (IR) with additional meteorological data from an official government website. This quantitative data is complemented by in-depth interviews with employees of the IR. The results of the quantitative study indicate that high mean temperatures and higher average sulfur dioxide and ozone levels significantly influence the amount of unserved food. Further exploration of the quantitative study results through qualitative interviews reveals the mechanism that underlies the impact of meteorological factors on the amount of unserved food. Managerial implications are provided for hospitality firms to mitigate food waste in the workplace.

Responsible Tourism and Hospitality

“…The study revealed a negative effect, suggesting that a lack of alignment between hotels and OTAs hinders consumers' willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly accommodations. Lei et al (2023) examined the relationship between meteorological data and food waste at a hospitality staff canteen. The authors discovered that temperature and air pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and ozone influence the amount of food waste generated, highlighting the importance of environmental factors in waste management.…”