The Sustainable Restaurant Association is launching a campaign in October calling on London restaurateurs to offer diners doggy-bags so they can take home their leftovers.
The aim is to reduce the incredible amount of food waste created by restaurants - much of which is avoidable plate waste.
What do you think about the idea? Can you see this happening across the board or will it just work at the more mid-market restaurants?
Fat Duck doggy-bag anyone?
I think doggy bags are a great idea. Less waste and more food to enjoy for the consumer.
But I think that there's a bigger issue at stake here: restaurants should control portion sizes so that there aren't so many leftovers in the first place!
Kerstin: this is another great mad idea, in my opinion also fraught with danger.
Will the restaurant issue a thermobag and/or paying for a food hygiene training course for customer's benefit? What instructions on what to do once the customer arrives home, in order to avoid being sued for negligence if the exercise results in a person suffering from food poisoning should be given? Store in a fridge, wait to reach a safe low temperature before eating it cold; can the food be reheated and, if so, at what safe temperature (so, will a food thermometer be issued with the bag?) And can you imagine people exiting a restaurant with a doggy bag? The embarrassment would be palpable. At this stage the SRA should also ask that the restaurant provides plastic bottles to take home the dregs of the evening - after all, they have also paid for drinks.
If there is too much left on a plate, the restaurateur has a double problem: either his food is of inferior quality - and he should not be in business, or there is too much of it on the plate - and he is throwing money away.
Ermanno Nuonno di Agnone
Thanks Nino, valid points. I think the SRA plans to create a fact sheet with advice for consumers on how to store and re-heat food but I guess it's a minefield - they cannot cover all their bases.