Weddings have always been special occasions, celebrated with zest, enthusiasm, and, in the case of the wealthy, elaborate settings and food.
The fact of the matter is that for numerous families and individuals marriage is that one single biggest milestone which they want to remember for the rest of their living life (for good or bad) and most parents think of it as their social and moral responsibility. Parents live to see their son and daughter getting married one day in a loving and caring family. Hence, wedding is that one window of opportunity for them to show how much they care about their siblings.
In every Indian wedding, food is the most important part and the most wasted too! About one-fifth of the food served at weddings and social gatherings is discarded. About 58 per cent of people in the country are food insecure, says the findings of the National Nutritional Survey (NNS) 2011. The country has enough food to feed its people but that poor cannot afford even two-square meals a day.
Thus every wedding should take care of not only food served to the guests but also the food being wasted and food that is left over. Below are the ways to reduce and reuse that food.
- Please tell your guests to confirm their presence in advance.
- Put a notice at the dining not to waste the food.
- Take it into consideration when considering the caterer –
Managing scraps and food waste is already a priority for many caterers (and, though this paints with a broad stroke, caterers—especially smaller, more specialised companies—are more likely to have a plan for dealing with food waste than the catering arms of big hotels). Have a conversation about your expectations for how any scraps and other waste will be handled, and make sure that your caterers do indeed have a plan.
Here are a few questions to ask when hiring a caterer:
- What will happen to any food left on plates? Untouched leftovers of food that was served? Food that was not even served during the evening?
- Is there a possibility of donating any food to a local shelter or kitchen? Is there one you already have a relationship with?
- What kind of plates/trays/serveware will you use? (Is it possible for them to be reusable?)
4. Set out recyclable take away boxes to food home with your close guests.
5. Tying up with an NGO to supply the leftover food while maintaining proper hygiene standards.
6. List of NGO’s that collect the left over food and give it to the needy. These people or groups, take the excess food from you, and ensure it reaches the underprivileged.
- Feeding India – Delhi + 16 other cities (The organisation can be contacted on 098711 78810)
- Robin Hood Army – Delhi/NCR + 8 cities
- Roti Bank by Dabbawalas – Mumbai (contact them on 91-9867-221-310 or +91-8652-760-542)
- Mera Parivar – Gurgaon (can be contacted on 0124-4111787)
- R.B. Shivakumar – Bengaluru (can be reached at 9900568514)
- Annakshetra – Jaipur (To contact the organisation, call +91-9001295293, 0141-3221267)
- Wrap It. Don’t Waste Food. – Coimbatore and Chennai (can be contacted on 099520 63561, 099405 58802, 099403 18578, 096001 33657)
- Santhimandiram -Thiruvananthapuram (contact the organisation on 919895527372, +919895525097)
- Arham Anna Daan – Mumbai (can be contacted on 098218 75656, 098676 22002)
- Hunger Heros (098711 78810)
- Delhi FoodBanking Network – Contact Us
- Contact Bhookh.com
Having the blessing of the needy and poor will not only make your wedding memorable yet remarkable.
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