Arla Pro and the SRA launch guide to reduce food waste

Arla Pro, the foodservice division of farmer-owned dairy co-operative Arla Foods, and the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) have launched a practical guide to help chefs win the war on waste.

The toolkit provides hospitality businesses and their kitchen staff with support to cut food waste, thereby saving money and significantly reducing their carbon footprint. The five-step guide estimates its expert food waste hacks can save the average kitchen £10,000 a year.

Chefs Jake Mills of the Rising Sun, Jason Calcutt of Arla Pro UK and Ruth Hansom of the Princess of Shoreditch have contributed to the guide, with Mills recommending incentivising staff to upsell dishes that are risk of being wasted. Calcutt offers dairy-specific advice and Hansom suggests a nose-to-tail and fin-to-gill approach, which will provide menu variety and balance the bottom line.

Jenna Hodgson-Silke, global marketing operations at Arla Pro, said: “Fighting food waste is an industry-wide effort that Arla Pro are a passionate part of. We’re doing all we can to reduce our waste – from optimising production in our dairies through to collaborations with food banks – and we’re now delighted to be working with the SRA to help our end-users in the hospitality industry to do the same.

"We know there’s still so much to be done, but we hope that this guide will go some way to supporting kitchens across the country to do their bit. Because only through our collective efforts can we successfully fight the War on Waste.”

Louisa Dodd, project manager at the SRA, added: “Chefs really shouldn’t need any incentives to help them keep food on their customers’ plates and out of the bin, given that food waste is costing the sector more than £3.2b a year. By following the five simple steps in this guide and the chefs’ top tips, there’s an opportunity for all chefs to save serious money and be part of the climate solution – halving food waste by 2030.”

Click here to view the guide.