Software provider Fourth is seeking ten restaurant operators to take part in the Sustainable Restaurant Association’s six-week Food Waste Bad Taste (FWBT) programme.
The cohort of Fourth-sponsored operators will nominate one or a handful of sites depending on the size of the estate, to spend six-weeks on the programme. An operator-nominated BOH/FOH project manager will receive full support to prep one or more kitchens for measuring the real food wasted at every stage, then set a realistic target and implement an easy-to-follow plan to meet it and reduce the overall amount of food wasted.
Previous participants include Farmacy Kitchen, Hawksmoor, River Cottage Kitchen, OXO and Bread & Honey. There are no restrictions on operator size or type that can apply, or whether they are a Fourth customer.
FWBT has for many been the first time they have assessed, measured and monitored their food waste and has proved not just an eye-opener but a genuine lever of change.
All the participants viewed FWBT as the launch point they needed to get to grips with food waste in a simple, creative and team-focussed way to effect measurable, manageable changes.
Catherine Marshall, Communications Director at Fourth, said: “We’re long standing supporters of the industry we serve. We know there’s no one silver bullet for tackling food waste; it’s complex and challenging and fundamentally requires behavioural change. But it’s worth it – morally, environmentally, financially and not least to meet the demands of customers. They are increasingly demanding greater transparency from the operators regarding their sustainability credentials”.
One of the participants, Aine Mulligan at Farmacy Kitchen said: “FWBT was a really worthwhile project for us. We were supported every step of the way, literally taken by the hand through each week.
“It was so insightful to see exactly how much food waste we were really producing. The online community was a great help to bounce ideas and concerns off other participating operators. We have started to see reductions in our Prep waste. The campaign gave us the tools and resources to kick start us into action. We are proud to have taken part and excited to see more progress in the future.”
The initiative forms one element of a wider Fourth campaign to tackle food waste. It will be holding a Footprint Forum event in November, as well as engaging with WRAP and SRA on an ongoing basis.
The Government’s food surplus and waste champion, Ben Elliot, branded the UK’s food waste production as a ‘national disgrace’ at the Food Waste: Bad Taste launch event in May. Considering, food waste is estimated to cost the restaurant sector over £682 million a year, it is clearly a pressing challenge the industry needs to tackle.
Applicants will be accepted onto the Fourth cohort of the Food Waste: Bad Taste programme on a first come, first-served basis. The deadline for entries is 18 October 2019, to be put forward for consideration please visit https://thesra.formstack.com/forms/foodwaste_sign_up_fourth
