Giving  Compass' Take:

• A restaurant called the Root Café in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas is limiting food waste by saving food scraps and turning them into tasting meals for the customers. 

• Why aren't more restaurants utilizing food scraps in the same way? How can we encourage the restaurant industry to be more cognizant of food waste and environmental sustainability? 

• Read about other innovative ways to reduce food waste. 

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, Americans throw away more than 60 million tons of food each year, much of it ending up in a landfill. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that about 20% of U.S. methane emission is traceable to landfills, which, in turn, contributes to hastening climate change. Recognizing this problem, many restaurants have committed to limiting their food waste, turning otherwise wasted food scraps into great tasting meals for their customers to enjoy.

The Root Café in downtown Little Rock, Arkansas, is one such restaurant. Located in the South on Main (SoMa) district of Arkansas’ capital city, The Root Café has served locally sourced breakfast, lunch, and dinner to an often-packed house since 2011. The Café also hosts community events, including a hot-pepper eating contest, and movie nights for city residents. Whenever possible, the restaurant maximizes their cabinet contents by incorporating food scraps, and what would otherwise be considered food waste, into their dishes. Much of the rest goes to a local farmer who uses the scraps to feed the farm’s pigs.

The Café’s efforts have found support from both residents of Little Rock and granting organizations. A few years ago, The Root Café received a US $25,000 grant from the viewers of the HLN TV network’s  “Growing America: A Journey to Success,” a documentary series. And, more recently, The Root Café received US $150,000 from the Chase Bank Mission Main Street Project, allowing them to add a dining room onto their existing structure and begin serving dinner.

Read the full article about The Root Café tackling food waste by Sean Alexander at Food Tank.