Prevention is key to waste management.  To integrate sustainable food practices within the initial stages of your event:

• Do the math of how much food is needed for the number of people attending your event.
• Encourage attendees to RSVP in advance so you can order the appropriate amount of food or meals.
• Know your event.  Account for the length and break times during the event to plan snacks or meals accordingly.
• Be aware of attendees’ special dietary restrictions or needs such as vegan, vegetarian, nut allergies, gluten or dairy-free.
• Label your foods properly to avoid waste from unwanted or unknown ingredients.
• Place food near recycling and waste bins so that attendees are encouraged to properly dispose of their waste.

• Select foods that do not require cutlery or serving utensils.
• Select bulk foods or a buffet style lunch to avoid waste from individual packaging.
• Know the shelf life and storage requirements of your food to avoid waste from improper handling.
• Select in-house catering and choose caterers that already implement green practices (such as Aramark at UCF).
• Plan your meals in accordance to the season.  By choosing organic, local, and or seasonal foods you not only reduce your environmental impact but improve their nutrient efficiency.
• Offer fewer meals containing meats, specially beef.  Instead, offer more vegetarian, chicken or turkey meals.  According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methane released from meat production is 25x more effective at trapping atmospheric heat than carbon dioxide.⁵

Choosing sustainable products can sometimes be tricky.  To ensure your food choices are in fact sustainable look out for these packaging seals:

• Rainforest Alliance Certified™⁶ logo to support farmers and ecosystem maintenance.
• Fair Trade Certified™⁷ logo on coffee and or snacks to ensure farmers are receiving a fair price for their agricultural labor.
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)⁸ certified seafood to ensure that marine species are safe and support sustainable aquaculture practices.
• Offer Shade Grown Coffee⁹ to support sustainable agriculture by protecting bird habitats, rainforests and reducing the amount of chemicals used during production.

Single use plastics are becoming a major environmental concern as they pollute our waterways, threaten wildlife and even our health.  By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in our oceans!10 To prevent excess waste from single-use plastics used for dining:

• Aim for reusable tableware or offer recycled, recyclable, or biodegradable such as paper cups, straws and plates.
• Avoid the automatic distribution of eating containers or utensils and instead allow your attendees to grab what they need.
• Offer napkins instead of plates for smaller bite sized foods.
• Ask your caterer if they can provide reusable tableware such as washable plates, silverware, cups, tablecloths and napkins.
• Offer fountain water whenever possible or use pitchers to decrease your plastic waste.
• BYO- Encourage attendees to bring their own metal straws, refillable water bottles or refillable coffee cups.
• Provide bamboo or paper straws.  Straws are a common single use plastic as most recyclers do not accept plastic straws.

A lot of time, effort and resources go into food production; yet food remains the single largest waste – over 20% –  in municipal landfills.11 When we waste food we are wasting precious resources such as water, nutrients and energy.  As food decomposes, it releases methane, which adds to our greenhouse gas emissions, further polluting our planet.12  Not just this, but around 1 in 8 Americans face food insecurity in the United States.13  If you have meals or food left over from your event:

• Separate organic waste from recyclable or reusable materials so that you minimize landfill waste and increase recycling.
• Take account of the number of attendees, amount of food left over and consumed so that you may better prepare for future events.
• Share leftover food with others by sending a free-meal alert to your attendees, planners or others so they can take the remaining food with them.
• Donate to organizations within UCF (Knights Pantry) or outside of campus such as shelters, soup kitchens or local food banks.  See below for points of contact for more information.

Below are points of contact and resources that will help you implement sustainable food practices in your event planning:

UCF Catering Services14

UCF has an approved list of catering vendors15  you can use for your catering needs.  Ask your caterer about their sustainability efforts.  Sometimes vendors already implement sustainable practices, such as Aramark’s Green Thread16 commitment to reducing their environmental impact by sourcing responsibly, minimizing waste, operating efficiently and managing transportation.

Knights Helping Knights Pantry17

Have any leftover canned foods or non-perishable items? Donate them to The Knights Pantry18.  A study done across several campuses in the U.S. showed that 1 in 5 college students face food insecurity.19

Local Food Banks

If you have food you would like to donate to an organization or charity outside of UCF please visit the EPA’s Sustainable Food Management20  website for further details.