NEW ZEALAND | Summerset has moved away from relying on food waste monitoring technology alone, taking a broader approach that focuses on reducing waste before it occurs through better planning, kitchen processes and communication between teams.
Debbie Summers, Head of Sustainability at Summerset, said the organisation's approach had evolved considerably since its original trial of Method InSight technology at its Bishopcourt village.
“While that trial provided valuable insights, it became clear that achieving meaningful and lasting reductions in food waste required a broader, more integrated approach,” said Summers.
Following the trial, Summerset joined a research programme involving the Retirement Villages Association, the University of Otago and the Ministry for the Environment. Its Casebrook and Hobsonville villages participated alongside 12 other retirement villages across New Zealand.
The research achieved an average 24 percent reduction in food waste across participating villages, exceeding the original 10 percent target and preventing approximately 13 tonnes of food waste. The programme received a WasteMINZ Award of Excellence in Research and contributed to the development of a Food Waste Toolkit for New Zealand's aged care sector.
For Summerset, the research helped identify where relatively straightforward operational changes could make a measurable difference.
These included reviewing portion sizes, improving communication between kitchen and care teams, understanding residents' dining preferences and examining food procurement practices.
Rather than extending the original Method bin technology trial across its villages, Summerset has concentrated on more consistent food waste measurement and reporting, supported by improvements in forecasting, ordering, menu planning and food utilisation.
More recently, the organisation has introduced CBord, a hospitality and foodservice management system designed to help teams plan and manage food production.
Summers said the emphasis was on building better systems and practices throughout the operation rather than expecting one technology to provide the answer.
Reducing food waste also has commercial and operational benefits, particularly for aged care providers managing food budgets while maintaining resident satisfaction.
Better forecasting and portion management can help kitchens control purchasing and production costs, while closer communication between care and catering teams supports a dining experience that better reflects residents' needs.
Summerset has not reported a standalone company-wide reduction figure attributable to any one initiative. However, it continues to measure and report food waste collected across its villages, including waste from residents' households, care centres and café operations.
This information is helping the organisation understand waste patterns and identify further opportunities to improve its food management practices.
For Summerset, the ongoing priority is to make food waste reduction part of everyday village operations, with procurement, kitchen production, care teams and resident dining all contributing to the results.
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