Food waste cost calculator

What the bin costs. Waste per day, valued at ingredient cost, scaled to the month, the year, and the group, and set against what you buy. The formula is on the page; the inputs stay in the link.

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Waste value per day: Waste value per day = kilograms wasted per day × average cost per kilogram (or the value you enter directly)
Per month, per year: Per month = value per day × days open per month. Per year = per month × 12. Group = per branch × number of branches.
Share of purchases: Waste as % of purchases = monthly waste value ÷ monthly food purchases × 100, for the same branch.
Savings at your target: Savings = group waste cost × your reduction target %. The target is yours; this page does not suggest one.

What each input means

Waste per day is everything the kitchen throws away that was bought as food: spoilage, trim beyond the recipe’s yield, over-production, and plate waste. Weigh the bins for a week and average, or take the total from a waste log. Cost per kilogram is the ingredient cost of what is in the bin, not the menu price; a mixed bin is valued at a weighted average, and a waste log valued item by item at recipe cost is more accurate. How to keep one is in how to track kitchen waste.

Days open per month and the number of branches scale the daily figure. Monthly food purchases per branch, if you enter it, turns waste into a share of what you buy, which is the number a purchasing manager can act on. The reduction target is a percentage you choose; the savings line is arithmetic on it and nothing more. AKLI does not publish customer results and does not claim a reduction percentage.

Worked example

One branch weighs 12 kg of waste a day at an average SAR 18 per kg: SAR 216 a day. Open 30 days a month, that is SAR 6,480 a month and SAR 77,760 a year for the branch. Four branches like it: SAR 864 a day, SAR 25,920 a month, SAR 311,040 a year. Against monthly food purchases of SAR 95,000 per branch, waste is 6.8% of purchases. If the group sets itself a 20% reduction target, that target is worth SAR 5,184 a month, or SAR 62,208 a year. Illustration, not a customer result.

Waste is not the whole variance

Logged waste explains part of the gap between theoretical food cost from recipes and actual food cost from inventory. The rest is portioning, short deliveries booked as stock, counting errors, or theft. Published figures on what food service throws away, and what it costs per tonne and per meal, are on the statistics page; how AKLI keeps the two numbers apart is in waste and variance.

Calculator FAQ

How is the food waste cost calculated?

Waste value per day equals kilograms wasted multiplied by the average ingredient cost per kilogram, or the value you enter directly. Multiply by days open for the month, by twelve for the year, and by the number of branches for the group.

What cost per kilogram should I use?

The ingredient cost of what you throw away, not the menu price. A mixed bin is usually valued at a weighted average of what goes in it. Valuing waste by item, at recipe cost, is more accurate and is what a waste log is for.

What does waste as a percentage of purchases mean?

Monthly waste value divided by monthly food purchases for the same branch. It puts waste on the same scale as buying. WRAP found food waste in UK restaurants, pubs, services, and leisure was over 20% of the weight of food purchased, in its 2013 overview of the sector; the statistics page links the report.

Does AKLI promise a reduction percentage?

No. The reduction target is a number you set, and the savings line is arithmetic on that number. AKLI does not publish customer results or promise a specific reduction.

What is the difference between waste and variance?

Waste is what you logged and valued. Variance is the gap between theoretical food cost from recipes and actual food cost from inventory. Logged waste explains part of the variance; the rest is portioning, invoices, counts, or theft.

Facts you can quote

Price, pricing unit, product languages, and HACCP jurisdictions. Figures below are as of 22 September 2026.

Price: SAR 299 / QAR 290 / AED 293 / BHD 30 / OMR 31 per branch per month, excluding VAT. Details
Pricing unit: Priced per branch, not per user. Unlimited team members are included. Details
Product languages: The product interface supports English, French, and Arabic. You choose the language in the product. This marketing site is available in English, French, and Arabic. Details
HACCP jurisdictions: Digital HACCP logs are timestamped and built to be exported for inspections under Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), UAE Food Safety Department, and Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) requirements. The logs do not, by themselves, make a kitchen compliant. Details
As of: 22 September 2026

Waste logged at cost, by station

AKLI values every waste entry at ingredient cost and shows it next to the variance it does or does not explain. Book a demo.

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