Magic Costa Blanca Hotels & Resorts wants to tackle the problem of food waste in the global race against climate change. Several of its accommodations joined the Too Good To Go app months ago, an application that acts as an intermediary between businesses that put unsold products up for sale and put them to new use, and since last week it has begun to adopt an innovative set of food waste management solutions.

The first hotel to start the project has been Magic Cristal Park, located next to the centre of Benidorm, which already has elements such as a 'FIT' APP, tablets, digital scales, bins and specific signage to monitor and enable comprehensive control of the food journey through seven critical touch points, from purchase through to reception, distribution, storage, preparation, buffet and customer plate.

With the help of the firm 'Open Revenue Consulting' and 'Horeca Sustainability Solutions', the hotelier now wants to prevent and reduce food waste by contributing to reducing carbon emissions in the hotel industry and aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2, 12, 13 and 17.

Along these lines, more than 60 Magic Cristal Park staff members have undergone different training and awareness days on food waste, from department heads to frontline staff under the leadership of its executive chef Juan Antonio Juárez and Irene Martín, the hotel's director.

The ultimate goal of implementing these training and technological measures, such as measuring and separating the food that is not consumed in the buffets, is to be able to keep an exhaustive control of how much and what type of food is most discarded in order to draw up an action plan that involves all the departments (kitchen, purchasing, marketing, etc.) of the hotel group.

This plan would, among other things, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and better understand the food tastes of guests in order to avoid food waste and save on energy and costs.

Food waste is a challenge of global proportions with one third of all food production worldwide being wasted: 1.3 billion tonnes each year, 70% of which is still fit for human consumption.

It is estimated that restaurants and buffets waste approximately 200 grams of food per plate at an average food cost of 5 EUR/kg according to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation), figures that we at Magic Costa Blanca are looking to reduce.

Javier García, vice president of Magic Costa Blanca, explains that his team "has shown great dedication to adopt and integrate new measures within our daily operations to continue fighting food waste. Incorporating new digital tools will allow us to remain aligned with the UN's Agenda 2030, which focuses on reducing waste by 50% by 2030. This is one of Magic's values to follow, to try to improve the planet".

For her part, Cristina Blaj, CEO and Accredited Sustainability Consultant at Open Revenue Consulting commented that it is an "innovative project that can inspire other hotels, restaurants and destinations in the Valencian Community and the Spanish sector".

Finally, Marcel Hendrickx, CEO of HORECA Sustainability Solutions and Giovanni Pitorri Project Lead at HORECA Sustainability Solutions, highlighted that "the tourism sector in Spain and globally is at a turning point where immediate action is needed to accelerate the race against climate change", for which they have shown their gratitude and collaboration to Magic Costa Blanca Hotels & Resorts for joining the initiative.