Wasted food report
The wasted food report helps you track how much food is thrown away and why. By recording waste consistently, you can spot patterns, reduce costs, and improve sustainability.
What the report shows
- Date and type of each waste event
- Which meal or ingredient was wasted
- Quantity wasted and its estimated cost
- Reason for the waste (spoilage, overproduction, customer return, contamination, etc.)
- Totals and cost summary over the selected period
How waste is recorded
Waste is recorded in two ways:
- Through the Kitchen display — when staff write off more portions than were ordered (for example, something was dropped or overproduced)
- Through E-Control → Wasted food — staff log waste directly as it happens during the day
It is important to record waste as it happens, not at the end of the week — this gives accurate data for the report.
Generating the report
Go to Reports → Wasted food.
- Select a date range (e.g. the past month)
- Optionally filter by:
- Meal or ingredient category
- Waste reason
- Catering service
- The report shows all recorded waste for that period
Reading the report
| Meal / Ingredient | Date | Quantity | Cost | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken soup | 12 Mar | 3 portions | 45 kr | Overproduction |
| Salmon | 14 Mar | 1.5 kg | 180 kr | Damaged packaging |
| Vegetable stew | 18 Mar | 5 portions | 75 kr | Customer returns |
| Total | 300 kr |
The total food cost of waste is shown at the bottom of the report. This is the cost of ingredients that had to be discarded.
Why track waste?
Tracking waste serves several purposes:
- Cost control — wasted food has already been purchased and paid for. High waste means money thrown away.
- Menu planning — if the same meal is regularly over-produced, the planned quantity in the menu or kitchen plan should be reduced
- Sustainability reporting — many organisations are required to report on food waste as part of environmental targets
- Spotting problems — if waste suddenly increases, it could mean a storage problem, a supplier issue, or a change in customer eating habits
- Staff awareness — logging waste in real time makes kitchen teams more mindful of production quantities
Reducing waste
Common steps to reduce waste based on the report data:
- Reduce planned portion counts for meals that are frequently overproduced
- Improve ingredient rotation in storage (first in, first out)
- Adjust ordering quantities based on actual consumption patterns (the Shopping list report can help)
- Check temperature control — spoilage is often caused by storage that is too warm (see Temperature sensors)
Exporting the report
Click Download to export the report as PDF or Excel. The Excel version is useful for including waste data in a broader sustainability or cost report.