The Application of Menu Planning Principles in Food Waste Prevention by Food Handlers in Supermarket Kitchens in Soweto, South Africa

This study determined how food handlers apply menu planning principles in food waste prevention in supermarket kitchens. The objective was to assess whether menu planning principles that positively impact minimising food waste are applied by food handlers in supermarket the kitchens in Soweto, South Africa, and to understand the underlying causes of food waste. The quantitative, structured observation was conducted using a checklist to observe food handlers' practices throughout meal production. The study found that food handlers lacked proper menu planning and execution principles for food waste prevention, including not following standardised recipes, poor food preparation skills, lack of food texture variety, improper meal distribution, and poor food storage practices. The findings revealed that food handlers overlook menus' importance as communication tools in planning, operation, and waste minimisation. This highlights a gap in poor practices that needs to be addressed as a step-in meeting target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to halve global food waste and loss. per capita by 2030 and recommends developing food waste guidelines specific for food handlers in supermarket kitchen. This paper contributes to the existing theoretical literature. The significant practical implication of this study is to enforce sustainability practices in supermarket kitchens.