FOCUS CATERING
LOVE FOOD
HATE WASTE
28 FEBRUARY 2020
Nearly £3 billion worth of food is wasted
every year across the hospitality and
food service sector, of which 75 per cent could
have been eaten (see References, note 1). The
UK is making significant steps in reducing its
food waste, with total food waste levels falling
by 480,000 tonnes between 2015 and 2018(2).
However, sustainability not-for-profit body
WRAP says many more businesses need to step
up their action on food waste to help halve
global food waste by 2030.
According to the statistics, the sector is
responsible for 10 per cent (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 served.
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(3).
The average business saving, across multiple
The hospitality and food service sector wastes billions of pounds worth
of food every year. What more can caterers, FM providers and clients
do to help reduce food waste?