Expert opinion: Reducing food waste in the hospitality industry at Christmas

With the festive season well underway, the hospitality industry is in the midst of its busiest time of the year.

However, this period also sees a significant surge in food waste, driven by workplace Christmas parties, family gatherings, and countless celebrations.

Natalie Pearson, Associate Lecturer in the Hospitality, Tourism and Events subject area in Oxford Brookes Business School, has extensively researched food waste in the hospitality sector. Here she explores the key factors contributing to the problem and provides practical insights on reducing waste during the festive period.

Why is food waste in the hospitality industry particularly high during Christmas?
“Food waste tends to surge during Christmas because it’s the busiest time of year for the hospitality industry. For hospitality businesses, buffets are a big contributor to food waste. Food safety rules mean anything left over often has to be discarded. Overproduction is another issue—event organisers, particularly those without experience, tend to overestimate how much food is needed.
"My research also found that guest behaviour plays a role. During Christmas, people often drink more at events and forget about food, or they don’t turn up at all. In fact, 12% of Christmas bookings last year resulted in no-shows, which creates huge amounts of waste when food has already been prepared. On top of that, predicting food orders can be tricky, especially for seasonal items like turkeys that need to be ordered months in advance."

What are the main ways food is wasted in hospitality?
“Hospitality food waste falls into three categories:
Preparation Waste: This includes unavoidable waste like eggshells and coffee grounds, but also avoidable items such as vegetable peelings, bread crusts, or cake trimmings, which are often discarded for aesthetic reasons.
Spoilage Waste: Food that is past its use-by date, spends too long on a buffet, or gets ruined during cooking—like burnt food—falls into this category.
Plate Waste: This is food left uneaten by customers. It happens when portion sizes are too large, people over-order, or diners simply don’t like certain parts of a meal. Chips, bread, and other carbohydrates are commonly wasted because they’re often used as cheap plate fillers.”

What sustainable practices can restaurants and hotels adopt to limit food waste during festive celebrations?
“There are lots of ways hospitality businesses can cut down on waste. Start by conducting waste audits to see where waste is happening. AI tools like Winnow are great for tracking what’s being thrown away, helping kitchens become more sustainable while saving money.
“Staff training is another key area. Teach teams about portion control, menu planning, stock rotation, and tracking waste. These small steps can make a big difference. Businesses should also collaborate with suppliers to improve ordering accuracy and work with customers to manage bookings better—taking deposits, using waiting lists, or asking guests to pre-select meals can reduce overproduction.
“Buffet waste can be reduced by encouraging guests to take leftovers home. Apps like Too Good To Go are also a great way to sell surplus food at discounted rates. Freezing surplus food is another solution that’s become more common since Covid-19, as more businesses recognise the value of preserving unused ingredients.”

What role can customers play in helping the hospitality industry reduce food waste during Christmas?
“Customers have a big role to play. Be proactive by pre-ordering your meals—it helps chefs predict how much food to prepare. If you need to cancel or change your booking, let the restaurant know as soon as possible. It gives them time to adjust their plans or rebook the table for someone else.
“Also, don’t be afraid to ask for advice on portion sizes, especially if you’re planning an event or ordering sharing plates. And if you’ve over-ordered, ask for a doggy bag to take leftovers home—just make sure you eat them or share them before they spoil!”

How can these insights be applied at home?
“Research suggests we spend 20% more on food over Christmas, but households still throw away the equivalent of 4.2 million Christmas dinners. That includes hundreds of thousands of turkeys, millions of sprouts, potatoes, and pigs in blankets, plus enough gravy to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
“Many of the lessons from hospitality can be used in our own kitchens. Start by planning your meals for the festive season and creating a shopping list based on realistic portions. Use recipes that show how many people they serve and scale up ingredients as needed. Don’t forget to plan for leftovers—websites like Love Food Hate Waste and BBC Good Food are full of ideas for using up surplus ingredients.
“Think about how you store food, too. Rotate items in your fridge or cupboards so that things with shorter use-by dates don’t get forgotten at the back. Fridge temperatures should be below 5°C to keep food fresh—WRAP’s ‘Chill the Fridge Out’ campaign has some great tips.
“And if no one in your family likes sprouts or bread sauce, don’t bother buying or making them! Focus on what people actually enjoy to avoid waste.”

Natalie’s closing thoughts
“With millions of people facing hunger this Christmas, businesses and individuals need to take action. Whether it’s donating surplus food, managing stock better, or simply being mindful of portion sizes, there are so many ways to make a difference. Reducing food waste is not just about saving money—it’s about making our food systems more sustainable for everyone.”

Natalie is an Associate Lecturer in the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events in Oxford Brookes Business School. She has conducted research into food waste prevention in hospitality, and has recently had research papers published, ‘Rethinking food waste: lessons from best practice’ and ‘Influencing others to prevent hospitality food waste: The reception of food waste messages by hospitality employees’ are both now available to read in full.