{
  "id": 2364061,
  "title": "Restaurant portions, surplus food worsening Ghana’s food waste problem — Food Scientist",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/restaurant-portions-surplus-food-worsening-ghanas-food-waste-problem",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-21T10:30:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/restaurant-portions-surplus-food-worsening-ghanas-food-waste-problem-food-scientist/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dr Joycelyn Quansah, a food scientist at the University of Ghana's Department of Nutrition and Food Science, has highlighted the significant role that restaurant portion sizes and surplus food play in contributing to Ghana's food waste problem. During an interview on Joy FM's Super Morning Show, she explained that restaurants often overprepare meals to ensure quick service, resulting in excess food that may go uneaten. She noted that standard portion sizes often exceed what customers consume at home, leading to leftovers that cannot be served to others at the restaurant. Quansah emphasized that restaurants are just one aspect of a broader food waste issue, with substantial losses occurring from the farm to households. She estimated that between 30% and 40% of food reaching markets could be wasted, depending on the type of food. The situation becomes particularly concerning when considering the potential of food waste to address hunger. Quansah cited the Ashanti Region as an example, where the waste from approximately 49 restaurants could potentially feed 5,000 people for three weeks, illustrating the magnitude of food loss in the country.",
  "summary": "Food Scientist at the University of Ghana’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Dr Joycelyn Quansah, has said that Restaurant portion sizes and surplus food are contributing to Ghana’s wider food waste problem.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}