BENGALURU: Anand (name changed) has not just learnt to order food wisely in a restaurant, but also cook wisely at home. He brought about this change after he was asked to pay a penalty for wasting food on his plate, while on a holiday. He is not the only one, there are many who have learnt the eco-friendly lesson while on a holiday at Ibnii Spa and Resorts in Madikeri, where they paid Rs 100 per 10 gram of food wasted on their plate. This initiative has not just become the talk of the town but also set an example for many to follow.
However, the lesson doesn’t end here. The money collected from the penalties is given to Madikeri Girls Home, an orphanage, where around 60 children reside for their ration supplies. “There have been instances when people get into argument with us stating, “I am paying for the food, hence I’m allowed to waste.” While some understand our motive and our cause of food for underprivileged children, many do not listen. There are also some instances where people have paid money, gone back home and sent us photographs that they haven’t wasted food even at home,” said Shriya Krishnan, CSR head of the resort.
The highest amount they have collected from a guest is Rs 6,000 and the lowest is Rs 100, for the three meals eaten in a day. Shriya said that over one third of the food produced globally is wasted while 25% of the world’s water supply is used to grow food which is never consumed and food is wasted at every meal. It is our prerogative to be more conscious both as a consumer and a business as we witness the impending climate crisis and tries to grapple with sustainability.
She added that the exercise started six months back and since then it has led to a drastic decrease in the quantity of food wasted. The number of waste bins have come down from 14 to one.The resort has 38 rooms and most of the times it sees full capacity. The guests are given three meals in buffet or a la carte basis. The concept now is order how much you want, waste how much you want, but be ready to pay for the wastage.