How to use this calculator
- Enter or choose food purchased or used in the period.
- Enter or choose food wasted (weighed).
- Enter or choose average food cost per kg.
- Enter or choose covers served in the period.
- The waste as % of food used updates as you type. Use Copy result or Share to keep it.
Method
Waste % = Waste kg ÷ Food used kg × 100; Waste cost = Waste kg × Cost per kg; Grams per cover = Waste kg × 1000 ÷ Covers
- Waste kg
- weight of food thrown away
- Food used kg
- weight of food bought or issued to the kitchen
- Cost per kg
- average purchase cost of food
- Covers
- guests served
Worked example
- Waste % = 96 ÷ 1,200 × 100 = 8%.
- Cost = 96 × 6.50 = 624.
- Per cover = 96,000 g ÷ 3,000 = 32 g, or 624 ÷ 3,000 = 0.21.
The kitchen wasted 8% of the food it used, costing 624, or 32 g and 0.21 per cover.
What the result means
Separate the waste into spoilage, preparation and plate waste if you can: each has a different fix (ordering, prep methods and portion sizes respectively). Track grams per cover weekly to see whether changes work.
Assumptions and limits
- Wasted food costs the same per kg as the average food purchased.
- Expensive items (meat, fish) wasted cost more than the average figure suggests; weigh and cost them separately for a sharper picture.
Questions
Should unavoidable waste such as bones and peel be included?
Track it, but separately. Unavoidable trim is part of the recipe yield; avoidable waste is what you can reduce.