On Wednesday 12th June 2019, the Malta Business Bureau (MBB) and the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) hosted a food waste reduction seminar, in collaboration with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA). The objective of this information seminar was to introduce the LIFE FOSTER project to businesses, and to highlight how it will provide both immediate and long-term benefits to the Maltese hospitality sector.

Opening the event, ITS CEO Pierre Fenech said, “It is great seeing a lot of workers from the hospitality industry, who have shown interest in learning more on what can be done to reduce the food waste problem.  As ITS, our role is not just educating tomorrow’s industry workers but also to continue educating those already in the industry with new skills sets. We currently have two lecturers who have received training and who will be passing on this knowledge to other lecturers and students. We will soon be hosting workshops for individuals in the hospitality industry to spread the know-how to reduce food waste in the industry.”

MBB CEO Joe Tanti highlighted the importance of tackling commercial food waste, which he described as “a challenging topic which tangibly affects businesses’ bottom line.” He added that “providing businesses with practical food waste reduction techniques will not only enable them to make an environmental contribution, but will also boost the efficiency of their operations and cut costs.”

Mr Tanti left the floor to Claire Briffa and Gabriel Cassar, ITS and MBB project managers respectively, to present LIFE FOSTER in greater detail. Ms Briffa introduced the strong educational element behind the project, which will eventually provide significant long-term benefits for the hospitality sector. On his part, Mr Cassar outlined how the project will also offer immediate and tangible benefits to businesses, through dedicated training activities and student placements.

ITS Lecturers David Pace and Ronald Briffa briefly touched upon their experience during an intensive one-week training course on food waste reduction, provided by the Italian University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG) as part of LIFE FOSTER. They emphasized that food waste is a multi-layered issue, with waste being generated at several steps along the food service chain. This increases the need for flexibility, innovation and creativity when designing recipes.

Representing the MHRA, Vince Lungaro Mifsud expressed his organization’s full support towards the LIFE FOSTER project, and augured that it will result in real reductions in food waste levels, contributing towards the continuous development of a key economic sector in Malta.