Challenges and Practices in Food Waste Management of Selected Food Service Establishments in Robinsons Manila during COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected supply chains and attracted the attention of researchers and business experts worldwide. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization report in 2020, the supply chain's activities remain significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly in the food processing industry, tourism, hospitality, education, fashion and apparel, leather, etc., and other retail sectors. Among many manufacturing sectors, the food service industry is one of the excelling industries through which basic needs for human development are fulfilled.

Amid this situation, the researchers embarked on the idea of knowing the issue of the quantification of food loss and waste as well as one related managerial and behavioral changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide academic community stakeholders and practitioners with original contributions that addressed the applications of quantitative Analysis and methods able to improve our understanding of food loss and waste, the assessment of the impact of the pandemic on waste management systems, and decision-making processes to help companies and policymakers cope with the consequences of COVID-19.

Quantitative research encompasses a range of methods concerned with systematically investigating social phenomena using statistical or numerical data. It focuses on answering the how, what, when, and where questions of a research problem rather than the why. The study was a descriptive research design, a type of research that describes a population, situation, or phenomenon that is being studied. It utilized frequency of distribution and the Likert scale to treat and validate the data. Therefore, quantitative research involves measurement and assumes that the phenomena under study can be measured. (Watson and Roger, 2019).

The researcher concludes that most food service establishments strongly agreed that food waste management practices, including landfill, segregation, and recycling, were of their choice. The challenges that the respondents commonly encountered during the pandemic were the limitation of required personnel and financial constraints. Respondents strongly agreed that COVID-19 negatively affects operational expenses due to implementing health safety protocols and other personnel protective gear.

The impact of the pandemic, as proven by this research, was more on the workforce's needs. Researchers recommend that aside from providing standards, there should be additional focus on the individual needs and challenges of the employee. Training on proper waste management personnel should be done. Furthermore, food service establishments should maintain their performance and adhere to the health and safety protocols according to the government mandate rule to help control the spread of the virus.