The UK hospitality and food service sector produces 8 billion meals a year, resulting in 920,000 tonnes of food waste, ¾ of which is food that could have been eaten, that is the equivalent of 1 meal thrown out for every 6 served. In an industry that has around 260,000 UK outlets, the cost of this food waste equates to £10,000 for each outlet each year. That’s money that businesses on tight margins could do without throwing away!
Derry and Strabane District Council Environmental Health Department is partnering with the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) during February and March to encourage hospitality and food service businesses to try their “Your Business is Food” toolkit for themselves. The Toolkit is a free resource that:
- Uses simple tools and techniques
- Boosts profits
- Reduces food thrown away
This will help food businesses get started identifying and understanding the real cost of your food waste and get top tips on how you can make savings. In a recent study by Champion 12.3 and WRI of 700 businesses in 17 countries taking part in food waste prevention activities found that nearly every business achieved a positive return on their time invested in this area and half seeing a 14- fold increase or greater return on investment.
It’s simple – reducing the amount of food your hospitality or food service business throws away can boost your bottom line.
What’s more, it’s really easy to do. WRAP have developed a free toolkit – called Your Business is Food; don't throw it away – that will help you through a very straightforward three-step process:
Step 1: Review the food you throw away
Step 2: Make an action plan
Step 3: Keep it going!
“This …really helps you identify areas that can improve your business. It really opened my eyes”.
Trevor Roberts, General Manager, The Airport (pub).
“This has been really simple, with easy
results, and the site staff have been able to
see that it’s had a really significant impact.”
Mark Hall, Elior (food service business)
“Your Business Is Food resources make perfect sense. Get the brochures, -it is so simple and it’s good to help both the environment and your business”
Mohammed Somir, Owner, ShilamTandoori (restaurant)
For further information contact
Kathryn Tims
028 9590 8023