System dynamic model for restaurant’s food waste in Surabaya

The food service sector is the third-largest source of food waste (covering 18% of the total) after households and the food industry in terms of food input at each stage in the value-added chain. The problem of managing food waste in the foodservice sector is a complex phenomenon and includes a variety of factors and activities. By using a system dynamics method, the purpose of this study is to obtain an overview of the results of research of strategy that can be used as a consideration for making policies to reduce food waste in the foodservice sector. Food waste of restaurants in Surabaya is currently estimated at 61.23 kg per restaurant per day. Three scenarios developed in this study include increasing the frequency of purchases, implementing a fine system for customers who leave food scraps and cooperating with the food bank. Based on the simulation results, the highest percentage reduction is achieved by applying the third scenario with a reduction of food waste by 25.10% per day. Therefore, this research shows that restaurants should start to consider collaborating with food banks to donate their serving losses to those who need it. The effect of scenario simulation is uncertain and cannot be taken for granted. However, this study provides an overview of the potential impacts of the scenarios developed.