Food waste recycling partnership cuts the mustard

As part of a strategic initiative to reduce waste, streamline preparation processes and improve corporate sustainability, Mustard Foods partnered with ReFood to implement an integrated food waste recycling solution.

Waste generated in our kitchen is typically drawn from technical samples and internal staff meals, with a smaller volume also coming from quality control rejections.

To tackle the issue, we partnered with ReFood to implement an integrated food waste recycling solution.

ReFood supplied full-size, sanitised bins for use in the kitchen area as part of an innovative ‘bin swap’ service while also collecting and recycling all excess produce, both packaged and non-packaged.

Food waste is collected and transported to their state-of-the-art gas-to-grid anaerobic digestion facility in Dagenham, which processes more than 160,000 tonnes every year and generates enough biogas to power 12,600 homes.

Since entering the agreement, Mustard Foods has lowered unavoidable food waste volumes, cut carbon emissions and slashed waste management costs.

Adrian McCaffrey, facilities manager, explained: “We know that food waste is a challenge in the food manufacturing industry, so we set ourselves strict reduction and recycling targets as part of our Good Business Journey. Working with ReFood has enabled us to adopt an end-to-end solution, which makes it easy for our employees to separate and dispose of food waste.

“Consumers are also starting to put more value on the sustainable and ethical practices of restaurants and their suppliers. The implementation of our food waste strategy means we can show our restaurant customers that we are taking the issue very seriously.

“Our partnership with ReFood is the icing on the cake our existing initiatives to drive sustainability across the business. It helps to demonstrate our credentials as a responsible supplier who is committed to reducing our environmental impact.”