Cut waste: make the doggy bag great again

We have all been out at a restaurant and eaten so much that we couldn’t finish the meal. In some cases, we have left the venue feeling satisfied. In other cases, we’ve asked for a couple of containers so we can have leftovers for lunch.

However, restaurants don’t have to give you the leftovers. There is no law stopping them from doing so, but there is also no regulation that says they have to.

In NSW, the NSW Food Act of 2003 allows restaurants to hand out doggy bags, but restaurants may elect not to provide containers.

In this case, customers are permitted to use their own containers. It is then the responsibility of the diner to store and handle food safely to minimise the risk of food poisoning.

That is the catch. Restaurants don’t want to be liable for the bacteria that may grow if you take home your leftovers in non-restaurant conditions.

Crown Sydney do not allow takeaway after dining due to OH&S reasons. However, you can order takeaway straight from the menu.

In an era of great waste, is withholding doggy bags really the right move to make.

While food poisoning is a concern, the cost-of-living crisis may be a turning point. People are paying good money for a meal, with many wanting to make every dollar count.

And why throw away perfectly good food, just because it couldn’t be finished in an allotted two sitting.

Food wastage is a major problem, with more than 20 per cent of Australian produce binned before it hits our supermarkets.

Imagine what good could be done if that waste went to feed the 3.3 million Australians living below the poverty line.

It’s time to make the doggy bag great again.

Jonathan Jackson, 21^st August 2023