BRF Reduces 24% of The Daily Food Waste in Its Restaurants During A Project Carried Out in Three Company Units

BRF, one of the largest food companies in the world, managed to reduce by 24% the daily amount of food wasted in the restaurants of the Concórdia, Rio Verde and Ponta Grossa units. The volume represents 563 kilograms less CO2 (carbon dioxide) being released into the atmosphere every day. These are the results of an experiment based on behavioral science carried out between January and September 2021. The initiative was a collaboration between the areas offacilities and open innovation – the BRF Hub, and meets the Company’s goal of promoting education against food waste to approximately 1.5 million people worldwide by 2030.

The project was carried out in partnership with the CLOO Behavioral Insights Unit, a behavioral science consultancy, and ACE Cortex, a company specializing in consultancy for innovation in practice, which helped in the operational process. The pilot project, developed completely remotely due to the restrictions of the pandemic, had two major phases:behavioral diagnosis and Interventions and Evaluationin the three production units of BRF. Among the applied behavioral science techniques, there are physical signs inside restaurants (such as: stickers on trash cans, murals that encourage individual participation in support of the cause), specific tests with reduction in the size of buffet utensils and dishes, in addition to stimuli called “nudges”, capable of subconsciously influencing the behavior of employees on a daily basis, encouraging more conscious decision-making at the time of eating.

The study measured the total leftovers (kg) per meal served, covering all stages of the food journey where waste occurs in restaurants: in the production of meals, in the buffet service and in the disposal by diners. In addition, by carrying out interventions focused on people’s behavior, it is believed that this new vision of waste is also taken to the employees’ homes, directly impacting the company’s adjacent communities.

“The CLOO and BRF partnership was dedicated to designing, implementing and measuring interventions based on the diagnosis of the main behavioral elements present in the specific context of preparation, serving and consumption of meals. We managed to reduce waste in all these areas. This is a pioneer study in the world, we did not find such a large test in the literature and in these three pilot units we created official methodologies to measure the company’s food waste. So, now, we can expand to our other units with data and mentoring”, explains Sergio Pinto, innovation director at BRF.

“At CLOO, we intend to use the insightsbehavioral through low-cost initiatives to improve people’s well-being while helping to overcome challenges in organizations. We managed to achieve excellent results in the pilot project with BRF, made possible by the coordination, engagement and enthusiasm of the teams in the field in the area of ​​facilities, outsourced companies and other employees of each of the participating units. Thus, the reduction in food waste based on the number of meals served was seen in a widespread way in all the units’ restaurants, in the various meal shifts (lunch, dinner, supper) and in all the steps that were measured”, commented Henry Nasser, Project Coordinator and Head of Operations at CLOO.

“ACE Cortex has participated alongside BRF Hub since the project was conceived, still in the search and selection phase of a startup that could help reduce food waste. We are extremely pleased to have managed the POC (Proof of Concept) in partnership with the Hub, Cloo and the operational areas. The incredible result we achieved is fully aligned with our ESG strategy, where we seek to help large companies and startups to implement solutions or create new businesses together to impact society through innovation”, explains Mateus Quelhas, Head of Innovation and New Business of ACE Cortex.

 Study in the units

In the three units where the study was carried out, there was a daily average reduction of 24% in food waste (kg/meal served) between the pre- and post-intervention period – including the implementation phase – and 36% in the daily average among the first 60 days and last 60 days of the project, after all interventions have been implemented. This is equivalent to saying that 563 kg of CO2 (carbon dioxide) generated in the production process of inputs are no longer being thrown into the atmosphere every day.

“In addition to the concern with waste, we also thought about whether employees and collaborators would be comfortable with the interventions. Therefore, we carried out surveys that were applied before and after the interventions, indicating that the level of satisfaction perceived by diners in relation to meals remained at good levels during the period. This is very important for BRF, which is concerned with maintaining the well-being of people who are daily in these restaurants”, explains Giulliano Sandrini, executive manager ofFacilities of BRF.

This is not BRF’s first action to reduce food waste. Also in October, the Company launched the ECCO Game internally, a game that aims to make employees aware of ways to reduce food waste. The application, which is available on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, has several mini games that promote teachings and good practices to reduce food waste in everyday life, both at the company and at home.

About BRF

One of the largest food companies in the world, BRF is present in 117 countries. Its purpose is to offer quality food that is increasingly tasty and practical, to people and their pets all over the world, through the sustainable management of a living, long and complex chain, which provides a better life for everyone, from farm to fork. Owner of iconic brands such as Sadia, Perdigão and Qualy, the Company bases its actions on fundamental commitments to safety, quality and integrity. The company bases its strategy on a long-term vision and aims to generate value for its more than 100 thousand employees worldwide, more than 350 thousand customers and approximately 10 thousand integrated people in Brazil, all of its shareholders and society.