Using Blockchain Technology to Achieve Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry by Reducing Food Waste

The hospitality industry generates significant food waste leading to adverse environmental and economic impacts, social and ethical concerns, legal and regulatory issues, and operational challenges. In particular, the lack of traceability and trust among stakeholders in the hospitality industry makes it expensive and difficult to manage food waste. Blockchain technology can revolutionize how food waste is managed within the hospitality industry. This work proposes a blockchain-based solution that encourages a sustainable food ecosystem by minimizing food waste generated in hospitality outlets. With the proposed solution, businesses can track and verify the origin of food items, movement, and disposal in real-time, allowing them to plan and purchase inventory, reduce waste, and increase efficiency. Additionally, our proposed system can provide transparency and accountability, ensuring food waste is properly disposed of. Using a permissioned Ethereum network, our solution connects food and beverage outlets with food waste organizations. We present a generalized system for securely sharing information, including algorithms to capture stakeholder interactions to enhance trust among participating stakeholders. Additionally, we analyze the solution for various security vulnerabilities. The proposed blockchain-based solution is commercially viable, the hospitality industry can operate with enhanced efficiency and provides better information connectivity for various stakeholders in the food supply chain