Criticism of all-inclusive: food waste on a Turkish holiday exposed!

Criticism of all-inclusive: food waste on a Turkish holiday exposed!

Autumn brings millions of holidaymakers to Turkey who want to escape the dreary weather in Germany. These all-inclusive travel offers on the Mediterranean coast are very popular and particularly attract families. However, in recent weeks there has been increasing discussion about a glaring problem that many all too often overlook: food waste.

A vacationer spoke up on Reddit and reported his impressions of the buffet in a hotel. The pictures he shares show overloaded plates and unfinished drinks adorning the table. He criticizes the behavior of the guests, who, in their greed, put more on their plates than they can actually eat. This behavior, according to the holidaymaker, leads to an unacceptable amount of food waste.

Discussion about food waste

The holidaymaker demands that guests behave more considerately, because all-inclusive should not mean that you eat to excess and without a conscience. In the comments on Reddit, he finds support from other users who hold similar views. One commenter even suggests implementing a fee model that would incur additional charges for plates that are not empty. These suggestions could potentially help change guest behavior.

In Turkey, the problem of food waste is taken seriously. Every year, around 8.7 million tonnes of food ends up in the trash, which amounts to around 102 kilograms per person. This could have serious consequences for society: a reduction in food waste by just two percent could provide 360,000 families with basic food for a year. A member of the Agriculture and Food Council, Ramazan Bingöl, criticizes the popular breakfast buffets, estimating that half of the food there ends up in the trash.

Initiatives to reduce waste

Turkish newspapers report that advisers to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plan to review buffets in restaurants and hotels to reduce food waste. The focus is not only on all-inclusive offers, but also on suggestions for more flexible billing, which could help regulate the amount of food served.

The service and retail sectors are responsible for 40 percent of global food waste, while private households account for the remaining 60 percent. To address this issue, proposals will be developed and presented to the President within the next two months. Given the increasing concern about environmental impacts, such initiatives are essential.

The appeal of all-inclusive travel has led to high demand in recent years. Hotels use attractive images of their buffets to attract guests. But the other side of this coin is the enormous food waste, which clear figures show needs to be drastically reduced.

The discussion about sustainable tourism and the responsibility of holidaymakers is more topical than ever. Therefore, both catering establishments and guests should work together to raise awareness of food waste and use resources responsibly.

For more information on this topic, please visit News38 and DW.