As part of the session on sustainability, Melody Melo-Rijk, WWF-Philippines’ Project Manager for Sustainable Consumption and Production, shared about The Sustainable Diner project and the five particular action points that restaurants and diners can practice in order to contribute to a more sustainable food service industry here in the Philippines. Coming from Pinga’s presentation, which focused on farming and how sustainability also meant supporting the livelihood of our local food producers, Melo-Rijk reaffirmed that The Sustainable Diner project believes in the same thing, which is why local sourcing is one of the action points most promoted to its partner restaurants. “We promote local sourcing not only because it helps our farmers and fishermen, but also because when restaurants and hotels source local, they lessen their carbon footprint by cutting down on emissions caused by long-distance transportation and delivery”,’ says Melo-Rijk. “Sourcing local also means promoting indigenous ingredients - fruits, vegetables, and herbs - that some of us may forego in favor of imported ones. Our local ecosystem benefits whenever we choose to grow and consume produce that are local and endemic.”

Aside from local sourcing, The Sustainable Diner project also heavily prioritizes the reduction of overall waste produced by restaurants and diners. This includes food waste and plastics waste produced throughout a restaurant’s service. “When it comes to restaurants, food wastage occurs at two key points in the entire service process. Food loss happens mostly in the kitchens, when ingredients and produce spoil because of improper practices, or when ingredients and produce arrive battered from delivery and are deemed unfit for consumption”,’ says Melo-Rijk. “When it comes to diners, food waste happens when we over-order and end up not finishing our food. While we can always take our leftovers home, which we recommend, not everyone would end up doing so, which results to otherwise edible food ending up in landfills.”