In the UK alone, 12% of food waste comes from the hospitality and food service industry and on average 18% of food purchased in this sector is thrown away, according to figures from WRAP.
With 1.1 million tonnes of food wasted by the hospitality and foodservice industry a year, recent research from Guardians of Grub suggests that food waste is costing the UK food industry on average £3.2 billion per annum.
To combat this, WRAP and Hellmann’s are launching a free online hub – hosted on the Guardians of Grub website - that provides operators with 'practical support' and resources to help tackle food waste and improve profits in the process.
Cutting waste for a more sustainable, profitable out of home sector
Eleanor Morris, Special Advisor for Business Collaboration at WRAP explained this collaboration is an ‘industry first’ that she hopes ‘is the start of many more.
“We know that wasting food is an ongoing issue for the hospitality and foodservice industry, damaging profits and the environment. By working together, we can accelerate the pace of change in reducing wasted food. We want the sector to feed people, not bins, and also be profitable," she said.
The website features resources such as a money saving menu planner, Guardians of Grub cost savings skills course, and tips and tricks in the form of videos and interviews from industry voices.
A dedicated QR code will feature on Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise 10 litre tubs to direct the company's away from home (AFH) customers to the website.
The collaboration comes as Hellmann’s, the largest mayonnaise brand both in retail and the AFH markets, builds on its established brand purpose of fighting food waste and looks to bring its expertise to the AFH channel.
“We strongly believe that food is too good to be wasted, which is why at Hellmann’s we’ve joined forces with Guardians of Grub to help operators make big changes through small actions,” Alex Hall, Executive Chef at Unilever UK&I, explained.
“Given the challenges operators are facing, from rising costs to staff shortages - every penny and every process needs to be checked and audited to ensure that nothing is wasted. This is why, together, we have created the new menu planning guide and template to help the operators take an easy assessment of their business to see what changes they can make, to deliver a more profitable and less wasteful business for the future and the planet.”
