Campaigners are on a crusade to tackle nearly £3billion of food thrown away by the hospitality and foodservice sector.
The Guardians of Grub campaign has been developed by WRAP, as part of an ambitious plan to cut food waste from farm to fork. Its aim is to empower professionals across the foodservice industry to reduce the amount of food thrown away in their establishments. It has been developed to inspire action at every level of the hospitality and foodservice profession; from kitchen porter to business owner and across preparation and service. The theme of guardians helps stress the enormous environmental impact wasted food has on the planet, and makes the point that everyone has the power to defeat waste within their work.
THE FOODSERVICE SECTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 10%{ONE MILLION TONNES}
OF THE TOTAL 10.2 MILLION TONNES OF FOOD WASTED IN THE UK EACH YEAR,
with the cost of avoidable food waste varying between 38p and £1 for every meal it serves.
Previous research by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and WRAP across 700 companies operating in 17 countries found a high return on investment for activities implemented to reduce food waste.
Research by Wrap found that on average:
21% of food waste arises from spoilage
45% occurring in food preparation and….
34% from consumer plates
THE AVERAGE BUSINESS SAVING, ACROSS MULTIPLE SECTORS,
WAS SHOWN TO BE MORE THAN
£14 for every
£1 INVESTED BY A BUSINESS INTO REDUCING FOOD LOSS AND WASTE
A suite of free materials has been produced for the Guardians of Grub, using the latest behavioural change strategies to inform best practice that can easily be incorporated into any business, by anyone. These include information posters, how-to guides, and a free calculator to record the changes being made. A dedicated month of action will take place in September when the hospitality and foodservice sector will come together to Stand Up for Food.
For more information visit www.wrap.org.uk/content/guardians-grub
