SAGE Dining Services launches food waste tracking

Daily Record Staff//April 19, 2023//

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In an effort to minimize waste and implement environmentally responsible business practices, Lutherville-based SAGE Dining Services has launched U+SAGE, a proprietary food waste tracking program.

With the addition of U+SAGE, the communities SAGE serves can assess how much waste is generated in their kitchens and dining halls and learn from that data to develop methods to boost efficiency and sustainability.

The process involves sorting waste into different categories – these include expired items, production waste, composting, leftover food from service — weighing each category, recording the data into the online platform, and using that platform to set goals and reduce waste. A key element of U+SAGE is community partnership, awareness, and education. Managers work with student sustainability organizations, faculty, and staff to make the program a success. U+SAGE provides detailed reports and charts of food waste trends and strategies that can be displayed and shared with the communities to track progress and set objectives.