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Last week, our Chairman, Deborah, took part in the ‘United Against Waste’ online debate – a debate run by Caterer and Hotelkeeper and Unilever Food Solutions (UFS), to discuss the impact of food waste on our industry and the environment…
At Pabulum, we’re dedicated to conducting our business activities in a sustainable way and make a conscious effort to look after the world we live in. Reducing food waste as a company is something which we’re very much focused upon - the ‘United Against Waste’ campaign is a real opportunity for those in the foodservice industry to work together, share best practices, ideas and experiences, and ultimately reduce the negative effects of food waste.
It’s clear that small changes can make a significant difference – we’re already been involved in a number of activities which have reduced waste associated with food, including: working with suppliers to recycle our waste cooking oil (which gets turned into bio-fuel - we achieved an impressive CO2 saving of 17.63 tonnes between 1st January-31st December 2010.) and cutting food miles by reducing and consolidating deliveries (with one of our group clients, we have reduced deliveries by 126 per week).
During the debate, when asked, ‘Surely any chef trying to achieve a good GP will manage his waste well, making sure portion sizes are accurate and disposal of produce is kept to a minimum?’, Deborah commented:
‘We put a lot of effort into planning menus, so that they're not only delicious and healthy, but also minimise food waste. In addition, good menu planning helps us to ensure deliveries are consistent and regular (with fewer ad-hoc requests), which in turn helps to reduce road miles and ultimately reduce our carbon footprint. We've also found standardising recipes and being consistent with portions really helps to reduce food waste.’
Solutions like these are relatively straightforward but in the long term and on mass, with other players in the foodservice industry, will make a significant and positive impact. Excerpts from the debate transcript, including Deborah’s comments, and further information about the campaign be found at the Caterer & Hotelkeeper website.