This pioneering food waste pledge is the first of its kind and has been inspired by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 12, focusing on responsible consumption and production, which aims to reduce food waste by 50% per capita by 2030.
Regent Street & St James’s have brought together leading dining and drinking destinations who share the aim of reducing their environmental impact and want to provide greater choice for the conscious consumer.
The Food Waste Pledge also exceeds the UK’s Courtauld Commitment 2025 target of reducing UK food and drink waste by 20% and will be completed five years earlier.
Among the signatories to the Courtauld Commitment are contract caterers such as Compass Group, ISS and Sodexo, catering associations such as TUCO (The University Caterers Organisation), the Hospital caterers Association (HCA) and the National Association for Care Catering (NACC) plus suppliers such as Bidfood and Premier Foods.
The 11 restaurants currently collectively committed to reduce food waste include:
Brasserie Zedel; Angela Hartnett’s Café Murano; Frescobaldi; Hawksmoor Air Street; Hotel Café Royal’s Laurent; ikoyi; Ralph’s Coffee and Bar; Scully; Sketch; Stem and tibits.
Currently, the UK food service industry wastes enough food to fill The Shard nearly 11 times every year and an average of one in six meals is wasted, resulting in a loss of £2.5bn each year.
The restaurants taking part in The Food Waste Pledge say they are not only committing to reducing their environmental impact, but also to becoming more efficient and streamlining operations.