Joshua Parfitt
BRITS could soon be forced to go without big buffet meals at Spanish resorts as Benidorm has become the first destination to address food waste.
Hotel association HOSBEC has recognised it could prove an unpopular move among holidaymakers – who are used to a massive range of choices at breakfast, lunch and evening meals.
But the group insists something has to be done to tackle the ‘over-abundance’ of food.
Plans range from fewer choices at buffet counters, to bringing in pre-packed starters or desserts.
Signs will also be put up asking hotel clients to ‘think twice’ before they pile so much food on their plates – and those who participate may even get ‘rewards’ from hotels.
“We understand that the challenge is complex, especially in the holiday hotel sector where the gastronomic offer is based on the free buffet,” HOSBEC said in a statement.
“However, this translates into a tendency to offer a great variety of dishes which in many occasions leads to an over-abundance of food.”?
The driving force, the organisation insists, is the sheer waste of food in a tourist trade that is becoming more committed to sustainability and care of the environment.?
The group estimates that in Spain, each restaurant throws away more than a tonne of food each year as a result of over-packed buffets.
