Food Waste in the Hospitality Industry in Italian and Romanian Experience

Every year, in the European Union (EU) approximately 20% of food produced, with associated costs estimated at €143 billion, is thrown away along the whole food supply chain. Approximately, 88 million tons (Mt) of food are yearly wasted particularly at the final consumption stage both at households and hospitality level. The hospitality industry is responsible of substantial amounts of waste and of course of Food Waste (FW). It is estimated that a hotel guest generates each day on average over than 1 kg of waste of which more than one-third is FW. Although Academia and authorities have widely recognized the issue, it remains under-researched. Based on these considerations, the authors analyze FW management within the hospitality industry, proposing a comparison between an Italian (Bari) and a Romanian (Buzau) hotel, with the final aim of understanding their food service weaknesses and the principal opportunities to prevent or minimize FW. Throughout the usage of Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) and personal communications, the authors highlight their main characteristics and the main drivers of FW, focusing on managerial and future policy implications.