Redução de desperdícios de alimentos através do uso de práticas de qualidade: enfoque do TPM num restaurante industrial

Abstract

The paper focuses on the reduction of food wastes in an industrial restaurant of a petrochemical company, through activities based on quality practices, during a period extending from 1996 to 2001. The theoretical reference encompasses : 1) notions of waste (general and food); 2) the Quality Movement, from its inception to the latest contributions of experts and 3) the Total Productivity Management (TPM). On these premises, an ex-post facto case study was carried out, that is, a past situation was analyzed based on the applicable theory and some lessons and conclusions were achieved. The study describes interventions conducted in a restaurant where, after the methodology was used, the reduction of food waste was attained, which means several positive impacts. Two other restaurants in the same company are mentioned for comparison and deduction purposes. Considering the business context which grows more and more competitive, the validity of such studies is perceived since their intention is to increase competitiveness and productivity, focusing on the reduction of wastes in an organization. In view of a challenge such as this, the goal is to propose an effective contribution through the application of specific methodology. The author hopes that the present work may be expanded, possibly in the same company that is the object of this study, and that it may serve as a reference to other parties interested in reducing wastes, for even though it is centered on a restaurant, there are prospects for its application in other business and in other areas of an organization.