Environmental Knowledge Management in Food Service Industry. A Preliminary Empirical Research from Companies in Poland

Abstract

The last phase of the food chain, the food service industry, stands out because of its significant waste emissions, energy and natural resource consumption. This occurs in the situation of disposing of uneaten, cleaning consumption areas, disinfecting vegetables and fruits, among others. It should be borne in mind that also a very large amount of consumer products constitute waste that is difficult to manage in the system. Therefore, environmental protection in the food service industry requires the implementation of good practices both at the corporate management level, but also these procedures must be put into practice at the lowest operational levels. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the functioning of environmental knowledge management in the food service industry. The method of individual interviews was used, which makes it possible to collect a wide range of information regarding the opinions, perceptions and comments of the subject. The interview was based on a semi structured interview form, which consisted of several survey steps. The research was conducted in Poland. Due to the scarcity of publications in this field, it was considered that the individual interview would be a suitable tool for obtaining detailed and in-depth information on environmental knowledge management in the food service industry. The results of the collected data gave a broad picture of the situation of the food service industry in Poland and potential opportunities to increase environmental protection. Undoubtedly, the survey confirmed that better knowledge management in this specific industry is required. Employees' responses indicated a lack of training in this area. Which made it much more difficult for them to make pro-environmental decisions on the job. Posters and other materials in graphic form, which on the one hand would remind of the necessity of pro-environmental behavior but on the other hand would indicate the right course of action, turned out to be good solutions. The research made it possible to draw attention to a very important aspect of knowledge management relating to environmental procedures and principles. Despite the existence of a large number of environmental regulations, it appears that front-line employees are not convinced about the maximum involvement of their companies in pro-environmental activities and there is an area where more could be done.