Lean Startups for Social Change Webinar on April 11th, 2019
The following series of workshops was developed with Kjell van Zoen and Lean Portland to assist with improvement efforts to reduce wasted food.
Wasted food is one of the worst types of waste we have as a society. We spend significant resources and generate tons of carbon emissions to grow, transport and prepare food for consumption, yet it often doesn’t get eaten. Instead of donating that food to someone in need, we often throw it away in the landfill, where it decays without oxygen, and turns into methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas, further contributing to climate change.
If we can reduce wasted food, or better allocate our food to those in need, or compost it for soil, we can reduce hunger challenges and minimize our impact on the environment!
That is why I offered to develop a series of training classes, to show how Lean and Six Sigma concepts can assist in these efforts to reduce wasted food.
I explain more about the background of this workshop series in my podcast episode #20
Workshop #1 (April 2017, 75 mins)
- Overview of Lean and Six Sigma concepts
- Video exercise on the 8 forms of waste and how these wastes impact the environment
- Case studies on food delivery and waste reduction
- How these concepts align within an organization’s sustainability program.
YouTube Video | Podcast Episode | PPT Slides
Workshop #2 (Oct 2017, 60 mins)
- Review last workshop
- Discuss project charter form and A3 template
- Split into groups for working session
- Work on defining a problem from one of the group members
- Work on developing a measurement plan around that problem
Workshop #3 (July 2018, 119 mins)
- Intros and Agenda
- Measure and Analyze tools
- Worldwide Fruit Limited Continuous Improvement video
- Measure Tools
- Gemba Walks
- Process Mapping
- Pareto Charts
- Analyze Tools
- Data Analysis
- 5 Why’s and Fishbone Diagrams
- Working session and Q&A
Workshop #4 (Nov 30, 2018)
- Review
- Analyze Tools
- Statistical Analysis
- Case Studies
- Improve
- Multivoting
- Lean Startup
- Behavior Change
- Mistake Proofing
- Control
- Statistical Process Control (SPC)
- Daily Management
- SQDC
- Recap
During some of the videos, you heard about the work done in Washington County. Here are some videos about their efforts around wasted food. Below are some great suggestions from LeanPath’s Robb White about the 15 food waste fighting questions you need to ask your kitchen right now, based on years of experience. To summarize, he mentions overproduction (using production sheets and repurposing food), expiration date tracking person, trim waste tracking and knife skills, equipment failure (freezers and fridges not working), and monitoring incoming food quality.
Here is another article and video about LeanPath’s work to prevent food waste at Google and another article summarizing their work.
More articles
- Ensuring food safety from farm to fork through industrial engineering
- From Port to Plate: How Legal Sea Foods Is Improving Through Lean
- Lean innovations for restaurants
- Facing the crisis with an appetite for improvement
- Preventing Manufacturing Food Loss at 50 Facilities (Enviro Stewards)
- It’s Messy, but Worth it: Trial and Error in Food Waste Mitigation – The Food Industry Association
- 2019 EPA Food Recovery Challenge National Award Winners
- Using Statistics to Improve Quality in Food Manufacturing and Keep Up with Food Demand (Minitab Software)
- How Restaurants Can Cut Food Waste on Valentine’s Day – and Every Day
- Appetite for Action (Oregon Wasted Food efforts)
- Lean-n-food – How Lean can improve the food industry
- Climate Collaborative 10-step Food Waste Reduction Toolkit
- 5s and Daily Management lead to Industrial Bakery Lean Transformation
- Houston’s Farms Lean Agribusiness Case Study
- Toyota’s ‘lean’ lessons for dairy farmers
- Legal Sea Foods’ New Problem-solving Philosophy Brings A Sea Change
- Removing Lean Waste from Farm Food Delivery Service – Just-In-Time Cafe
- Value as defined by the food consumer – LeanBlog.org
- Lean Restaurant Management: Reduce Steps and Time
- Rose-Hulman Students Calculate, Educate Ways for Campus Food Waste Savings
- How Lean Six Sigma Students at Rose-Hulman Reduced Food Waste
- Food Recovery at UMass Amherst Dining
- Lean Changes the Restaurant Industry with Legal Sea Foods
- Food loss ‘hotspots’ identified in major new study with food manufacturers
More videos
Using Lean Tools in Food Businesses during COVID-19 from Oregon Tilth
Contact me if you’d like to learn more about this workshop, or would like assistance in reducing your wasted food in your community or organization!
