Have you ever wondered what happens to the food that is leftover in big restaurants? What about the fruits and veggies in supermarkets? What really happens to restaurant and supermarket food if it’s past its sale date? A number of products indicate manufacturing and expiry dates, especially in supermarkets, just to guide the buyer of when such food is best to be eaten. But then, when such food expires, or if it is not fully consumed in restaurants, what happens to it? Chantal Uwera runs Ram Lounge, a popular bar and restaurant based in Kimironko sector. Uwera is of the view that in order for restaurants to avoid food wastage, the management should plan to only prepare food for the estimated number of clients on a daily basis. “We have orders that are made and consumed there and then but since our restaurant deals in buffets and other food orders, food that is not consumed or leftover is sold to dog owners,” she says. Faith Rekha Mugabo, a manager at Rafta Mart Supermarket at Kisimenti says that they don’t have a lot of leftovers but when it happens, it is never thrown away. “With time, we have come to estimate our daily customers, for perishable snacks like chapattis, pancakes, cakes, and samosas so we stock every day based on that gauge. Anything that remains goes back to the supplier or is given to the needy who move around asking for what to eat,” she says. Darby Batamuriza, the manager of Bamboo Shade coffee shop and Take away Restaurant, at Kisimenti explains that it is difficult to predict the number of customers that might come to the restaurant every day. However, to avoid wastage, the restaurant signed a contract with a certain company to buy the leftovers. She says that the little food that remains is thrown in dustbins. Joseph Mutabazi, who works in a supermarket attendant in Kacyiru emphasises that at times when some food is one day to expiration, it is taken out of the shelves and given to employees. However, he reveals that supermarkets work under losses because it is not possible for everything to be consumed in time, and most of the food ends up in the dustbins. Mutabazi urges everyone to be vigilant while buying food especially the kind without expiry dates. “Chances are, such food or snacks might spend a day or two, but are just warmed to keep them fresh. If eaten, it can lead to stomach aches and allergies,” he says. Janet Mukabaranga, a resident of Kibagabaga is not so fond of shopping for food or edibles in supermarkets, as she believes the prices are way higher. She rather buys food like spaghetti, powdered milk, and ketchup from street vendors since they are cheap. She says supermarkets sell items that are almost expiring to vendors at a cheaper price. Sharif Mickhidad Rugamba, the delivery service manager at Camellia restaurants explains that usually, orders are made depending on a number of factors, for instance, the kind of day(as some days have many reservations compared to others), the weather, and much more, which enables the management to plan for the food that will be consumed quickly. He points out that refrigerated food like liver, chicken, meat, and fish, rarely stays in the refrigerator for long. This he clarifies that it takes about a day in the refrigerator since it is made on order, and perhaps, the restaurant prefers clients to have fresh, tasty food. The more it stays in the fridge, the more it loses its taste. “It is better to order less food, and re-order in case the clients are more than expected, this saves the rate at which food is wasted,” he emphasizes. According to Harshad Sharma, the owner of Sharma supermarket Kigali, items that get expired easily, like milk, yogurt, cakes, juice, bread, and others, are usually exchanged with new stock by the suppliers. He notes, every week, the supermarket employees check for products that are expired or almost perishing, so that they are replaced immediately. Sharma also stresses that since fruits are unpreserved, they are kept mostly for a week. If they are not sold within seven days, they are thrown away. We have managed to prevent food wastage by only stocking items that would expire minimally in six months, to enable us to have enough time to sell them off, he states. Dr. Charles Karangwa, the Director General of Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority (Rwanda FDA) explains that expiry dates are key for food safety and there should be administrative measures in distributing products. He notes that to avoid food wastage, there should be guidelines on food safety, for instance, proper hygiene, in preparing, cooking and storing food, to stop it from going bad easily. He further adds that some local food and other food products are not registered, which hinders Rwanda FDA from controlling them. To those who sell expired food, Karangwa warns that it is a serious offense that is punishable by the law. For food that is kept in refrigerators, the temperature of the fridge should be followed for different food, for it to be kept fresh. Experts warn that food that is not expired prevents food borne diseases. The degree of food borne diseases in Rwanda is not known because there is no established system for its surveillance and investigation, hence most food borne diseases cases go undiagnosed and unreported. “Since awareness on good hygiene practices by many people is still low and vaccines for most food borne diseases are available, the magnitude of the problem is likely to be high,” Karangwa states. Taking into contemplation that food consumers may be exposed to high risks of food borne diseases, Rwanda FDA identifies that developing an investigation, control and surveillance system could significantly help in collection of relevant data and making appropriate and timely interventions.
