Beginning this New Year Eve, when hotels and restaurants have been allowed to be open till 5 a.m., the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) on Wednesday adopted a “No Food Wastage” policy to prevent wastage of food and redistribute this food to the needy in the drought-affected areas of Marathawada.
The association adopted the resolution in the wake of the increasing number of suicide by farmers and the association’s desire to express solidarity with the farm community, of which the hotel industry is a direct beneficiary.
“The New Year season has traditionally been a season of festivities and revelry. But it is also a season of charity, goodwill and compassion. As hoteliers, while we will ensure that the patrons make merry to their fullest, we will also imbibe the spirit of compassion and charity to their merriment,” says Bharat Malkani, president, HRAWI & Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI).
With around 1,300 members across western India, the HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa, and is considered to be the voice of the hotel industry.
Protocol
The association has requested its members to maintain a protocol aimed at discouraging patrons from wasting food starting with the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Among the steps identified to curb food wastage, hoteliers have been requested to highlight the ‘no food wastage’ message in all their New Year Eve offers, place placards at buffet counters and other appropriate places in their premises. The association also appealed to members to pledge a part of the earnings on December 31 to the drought-affected.
The association said it would bring in a policy where all members would work towards arresting the wastage of food and find a way to redistribute it to those affected by drought.
“Tonnes of food is wasted daily in hotels and restaurants. We have taken a principled decision to stop wastage of food, and ensure that it is redistributed in a hygienic way to those suffering from nature’s vagaries. But, the logistics of how to do it is still being worked out. Two companies have approached us, and we will have meetings with them before finalising a way to do this,” Mr Malkani told The Hindu .
