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Independent hospitality provider, BaxterStorey, has taken substantial strides in its commitment to prevent food going to waste by saving the equivalent of almost 6,500 meals this year, feeding the equivalent of 800 households.
In the UK where seven per cent of fruit and vegetable produced never reaches a plate, amounting to approximately £1 billion worth of food, BaxterStorey is using this week’s Zero Waste Week, an environmental campaign to reduce landfill waste, as a platform to celebrate its efforts to prevent food going to waste.
By encouraging its locations to participate in the scheme, the company has seen the avoidance of over 11 tons of CO2e emissions, which is equivalent to the environmental impact of 40,000 car miles, as well as saving up to two million litres of water.
At the heart of its efforts is BaxterStorey’s partnership with food sharing app, Olio, which is helping the business to repurpose surplus food and simultaneously providing much-needed access to fresh and nutritious food for families grappling with the rising cost of living.
In a changing landscape where flexible working arrangements are increasingly common, meal deals and bundles have become an appealing choice for many workers, offering both value and convenience, particularly during challenging economic times. However, with the ongoing cost of living crisis affecting flexible working patterns, many of BaxterStorey’s locations noticed that surplus food was contributing to higher levels of food waste.
Ronan Harte, CEO at BaxterStorey, said: “The hospitality sector is at its strongest when we come together and collaborate. Our partnership with Olio ensures that surplus food reaches people who genuinely want and need it. It’s truly remarkable to know that countless families have been fed as a direct result of our food donations, providing a powerful solution to an industry-wide problem.”
BaxterStorey has a long-standing commitment to reducing food waste, which has been ingrained in the company’s culture since 2014. Since then, it has reduced food waste by over 43 per cent and is working to reduce it even further, aligning with its commitments with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.
