When purpose meets profit: Radish Events’ mission to reduce food waste

“We have food waste reduction ingrained in our culture. There’s no rocket science behind reduction, it’s really more about habit change.”

– Henri Turra,  Managing Director, Radish Events

Radish Events is a boutique caterer dedicated to creating delicious food, whilst minimising waste and taking responsibility for the resources they use. 

Henri Turra, Radish Events’ Managing Director,  recently collaborated with End Food Waste Australia on the Catering Sector Action Plan, a co-designed, industry-tailored initiative that offers practical and evidence-based solutions for food waste hotspots in foodservice.  

Addressing food waste in the hospitality sector is both a challenge and an opportunity; we sit down with Henri to explore how Radish Events’ commitment to reducing food waste has both environmental and financial benefits, and how they are making an impact – one fish head croquette at a time. 

Can you tell us about how Radish Events came to inform the Catering Sector Action Plan? 

At Radish, we try to look at food waste in a very holistic way. It’s not just using carrot tops or beetroot leaves, though that’s an important part, it’s about understanding that our catering business doesn’t operate in a vacuum. We’re part of a community, an ecosystem and a planet that we have an impact on, whether we want it or not.  

As a B-Corp certified and 100% carbon neutral business on an ongoing sustainability journey, we were able to help validate some of the research and the insights that came from the Catering Sector Action Report, plus offer practical operational insights into what’s achievable at an industry level.   

What are the unique challenges you have as a boutique caterer when it comes to managing food waste? 

We try to increase the positive impact and decrease the negative impact that our business has on the environment. But there are a couple of key challenges. 

Customer Education 

The catering industry often operates within an “abundance culture,” which if left unchecked can often result in over-catering. We educate and help clients understand their guests’ needs in order to prevent excessive and unnecessary amounts of food leftover. This can involve taking the time to talk through the event flow, avoiding inflexible packages that might result in food waste, and discussing whether packaging up any excess food as leftovers for guests to take home could be a possibility.  

Creative Kitchen Practices 

We have food waste reduction ingrained in our culture. There’s no rocket science behind reduction, it’s really more about habit change.  

Our chefs are encouraged to adopt mindful practices regarding ingredient usage and consider each ingredient in its entirety. We also track our food waste by weighing bins at the end of each service, which not only provides data on waste levels, but also fosters a culture of accountability among the staff.  

Over time, our chefs have developed a sense of achievement in their ability to minimise kitchen food waste. When a new chef comes into the kitchen, there’s pride in showing them how we do things. For a profession that values high standards, reducing food waste is just another high standard we uphold in our kitchen. 

Adaptable menus   

Radish has designed its menus to adapt to the unpredictable nature of guest attendance— an ongoing challenge in our industry. For instance, when setting up a grazing table, rather than pre-slicing all our charcuterie, we bring along a slicing machine and keep some items whole. This allows us to be flexible during the event, reduces costs, minimises food waste, and puts clients’ minds at ease.  

What are the key benefits to your business in reducing food waste? 

When food is wasted in a business, the cost to society and the environment isn’t always factored in. 

For me, there is great personal satisfaction in doing the right thing, and I also believe this is simply how businesses should be run.  

As time goes on, our team and our clients are buying into this mentality as well. We’re standing for something different and better, and that mindset trickles into other areas of the organisation too.  

As well as purpose, there is obviously the profitability side as well. One of our best-selling dishes is a ‘heads and tails’ croquette made from parts of the fish that would otherwise go to waste. It’s not only delicious and loved by guests, but by using the whole fish, you can see the profit injection straight into your bottom line.  

How do your customers feel when they hear about your zero/low waste philosophy? 

While Radish’s sustainability initiatives, particularly its zero-waste philosophy, may require some explanation, there is growing interest among clients.  

Corporate clients often focus on carbon emissions and local sourcing, but there is a noticeable trend towards awareness of food waste issues. We try and bridge this gap by translating our sustainability efforts into tangible actions.  

​​For example, we use a zero-waste veggie powder which is made from vegetable offcuts in our menu, allowing clients to see and appreciate the impact of reduced food waste. ​​​ 

How can caterers use the Catering Sector Action to address food waste?  

Reducing food waste is not necessarily difficult, but it requires a change in mindset. The Catering Sector Action Plan breaks it down for businesses. Some low hanging fruits to get started are:   

1.Look at your recipes 

Consider analysing your best-selling items. Are you fully utilising their ingredients? For example, if you’re purchasing fish fillets, could you buy whole fish instead and then make use of the entire animal? By using whole ingredients, you can often create unique recipes while maximising both creativity and cost efficiency. 

2. Measuring matters  

As the Catering Sector Action Plan outlines, measurement is key. Just as you need results when heading to the gym, the Radish team needed to see their achievements in food waste reduction. We measure our waste at the end of each shift. By establishing metrics and having data to work with, the team could visualise their progress and see that the actions we were taking were having a quantifiable impact.  

3. Simple solutions 

Reducing food waste can be as simple as introducing compostable takeaway boxes at events featuring grazing tables. Leftover food is repackaged into these boxes, allowing guests to take home surplus food to eat later.  

4.Suppliers on your side 

Just by discussing surplus stock with our vegetable supplier, we are often able to acquire unwanted boxes of produce, which would otherwise be discarded. The team creatively process these ingredients into items like pickles and fermented drinks, transforming potential waste into value-added products. 

Changes made by the hospitality sector ultimately contribute to Australia’s ambitious target of halving food waste by 2030, and Radish Events shows what’s possible.  Download the Catering Sector Action Plan here.