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FEB. MAR. 2019 XII “adventure” at the Vecchio Mulino where over the next two years he refined his techniques and his experiences. From Vezzano he went to Madonna di Campiglio, dividing himself between various Michelin- starred events, cooking classes, personal chef and consultancy. Restaurant info Mas dei Chini di Trento, winery and agriturismo: www.masdeichini.it Personal Instagram address: https://www.instagram . com/fiorenzoperremuto/ ______________________________ AT PAGE 44 AT THE TABLE Fight waste? Yes we can Through appropriate behaviour even the catering industry food can fight food waste. Here’s how By Elena Consonni Last February we celebrated the sixth edition of the National Waste Prevention Day. A necessary event because – according to reports from the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Tourism – in Italy food with a value of € 12 billion is discarded every year. Even the catering industry generates waste. To manage it properly, and recovering as much as possible, means making their business more responsible and sustainable. The chefs know this. “Preventing waste is important,” commented Lorenzo Buraschi, a young chef who is part of the National Junior APCI Chefs in Italy – at home as well as in professional kitchens. But it’s not easy. I am against wastage, but managing and reusing leftovers is a job that requires time and staff. Often there is waste, not because of bad intentiosn, but for reasons of time. For example, a dish using the fried peel of the carrot to garnish the dish is not always a feasible option. Maybe I have to prepare creamed carrots, but I don’t need the peel, or I could, but I have no dish on the menu which uses carrots... And then what do I do, conserve it? And for how long? And how much do I have to accumulate? It’s not good even like that, because it’s difficult to find the time to do all the operations necessary for a proper conservation. To be able to make good use of the leftovers you need to consider this variable for the construction of the menu, in order to have ‘complementary’ dishes and thus avoid waste.” INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE Some advice to better manage the leftovers is by Laura Mongiello, food technologist from Potenza, one of the experts of the platform www. iononsprecoperche.it that works for the application of the “Gadda Law” as a consultant to third sector bodies. “The leftovers – she explains – must be handled and treated as normal ingredients for the preparation of the dishes, before taste comes safety. If we think of the trimmings of meat or fish it is appropriate to chill the product quickly and keep it between (+2 and +4 °C) for no more than 24 hours before preparing for processing; you can thus prepare, for example, meatballs, stuffed olives, sauces, meat or fish broths. Vegetable scraps, after a thorough washing, may be subjected to a quick blanching to inactivate enzymes and bacteria.” This is not the case with ready-to- eat and unadministered dishes. “The management of surplus – she says – requires particular attention: when it comes to foods with a reduced shelf-life that is quickly subject to a loss of sensory characteristics and food safety requirements. First of all, it is important that the preparation is made in strict compliance with the rules of good hygiene practice and the application of the H. A. C. C. P. plan, in accordance with Reg. EC 852/2004. Ready-made dishes must be maintained without interruption of the cold chain (+4 °C) and the hot chain (+65 °C for not more than 2 hours), and adequately protected to prevent contamination. If unadministered, they can be chilled or frozen.” The other path is that of donation. Law No. 166/16 (anti-waste law) reorganizes the regulatory framework that governs the donations of food with the measures of simplification, harmonisation and incentives. It establishes human consumption and donation to needy people as a priority. “This law – she continues – allows you to take a step forward in the recovery of surplus, in respect of the more complex products to donate and manage, such as bread, fresh produce and cooked food while ensuring the respect of hygiene rules and traceability of products. The food prepared in professional kitchens can be donated if it is handled with the utmost care and attention, as it is necessary to consider that the needy people, in general, are fragile people, like children and the elderly. It is appropriate to chill more foods, and to respect the cold chain; if the meal should be within two hours after preparation, it is possible to provide it without interruption to the hot chain. You have to indicate the date of preparation and the list of ingredients to control the hazard of allergens and – a guarantee for the donor – the conservation and use of the product and the date by which to consume it.” The steps of chilling and/ or freezing may also be performed by the association responsible for the meal. THE BENEFITS OF DONATING “The data on food waste is staggering - comments Mongiello – if you think of how many people don’t have access to food. The first advantage of the donor is the respect for his work, of the human needs and of the environment MAGAZINE