6 Smart Steps to Avoid Food
Wastage in Weddings
(http://www.bollywoodshaadis.com/article/planning–reception/wedding-planning-tips/6-smart-steps-to-avoid-food-wastage-in-weddings) (07.10.2013)
As the wedding season is approaching, you will be
busy looking for ways to make your wedding the talk of the town. In every
Indian wedding, food is the most important part, and the most wasted
too! In India, statistics related to food wastage at weddings have been
quite shocking, given the fact that it is the same country where countless
number of people have to survive without the basic necessity of two meals a
day. So, as you make preparations for your beautiful and lavish wedding, spare
a thought to how you can avoid wasting tons of food on your big day! Here are
some pointers to help you out.
Guests come to a wedding to shower their
blessings on the happy couple. They are not there to dine out or explore a food
tasting event. Now, this doesnt mean you keep the menu limited, but also
doesnt imply that it has to be very elaborate. Choose the appetisers and main
course keeping in mind vegetarian and non-vegetarian quantities. Too many
dishes of similar flavours can lead to disappointment amongst the guests and
also cause wastage of food. So, prepare your menu keeping this in mind.
A norm abroad but ignored in India, RSVP is a
must! Please tell your guests to confirm their presence in advance. Of course,
last minute cancelations and additions are obvious, but at least it gives an
approximate idea of people who are going to be attending the event. Pass on the
exact number to the caterer or wedding planner, asking them to keep a slight
buffer as well.
Plan the menu in a way that it doesnt show off
too many exotic dishes because Indian palate is not really open to
experimenting much at once. Thus, leading to wasteage of food. Putting obvious
choices like dal makhni,
butter chicken along with a few rare dishes can do the trick. Do not think that
you need an elaborate menu to satisfy or please your guests, but the food
presentation and other details are what make the experience worthwhile.
Make sure you keep a little kids-friendly menu
and a server to help them with their servings. Kids often end up putting a lot
of food without the supervision of their parents and then dump it in the bin.
Keeping a check on this will help you to keep an watchful eye on the food
wastage in your wedding.
Have servers behind the wedding buffet to help
guests with correct sized portions. People move around in a hurry and dont
concentrate on how much exactly they are putting on their plates. So, having
servers to assist them to avoid wastage is a trend worth a try. The guests can
always come back for a second round in case they really like something a lot.
Use
the LeftoverThis is one of the best
ways to avoid food wastage. Tying up with an NGO to supply the leftover food
while maintaining proper hygiene standards is something you can tell the
caterer to do for you or approach one on your own. By doing so you can keep as
lavish a buffet as you want, and still take care of the wastage of extra food!