Food waste has a large impact on global greenhouse gases, from emissions released during production and transportation of wasted food, to the gas released from food that’s been left to rot. And with businesses looking to achieve Net Zero and taking steps towards greener practices, there’s an impact on food waste from businesses too.

Do you think your business could reduce its food waste? Or are you looking to pick up more sustainable methods of practice?

Whether you work in hospitality or catering, or you want some tips on how to tackle and deal with food waste in your office, we asked two Chamber members working to tackle food waste, to give us an insight into their businesses, talk about the challenges and problems businesses might face, and advice on how get started. 

I'm Michael Kennard, and I founded Compost Club to reduce food waste emissions, regenerate soil and educate on the power of the soil to sequester carbon, reduce drought, and flood issues and produce naturally pest and disease resistant food with a high nutrient density.

We do this by creating a living compost with naturally occurring beneficial microbes, using no fossil fuels. The compost is available to our members, and to local community gardens. I've basically found a way of making my activism my job!

The current model is an issue. The convenience which is offered necessitates waste, as there needs to be a surplus to ensure availability. There’s also a lack of infrastructure to deal with the amount of food waste in a sustainable or regenerative manner.

Another big challenge is that there isn't a widely shared knowledge of how to effectively and efficiently deal with food waste in dense urban areas, as space can also be at a premium.

On the personal food waste side: some top tips are to only purchase what you will actually use, and find ways of preserving like fermenting, pickling, and basic meal prep.

Sourcing your food seasonally and locally will mean its fresher.

Set up a composting system. There are many ways of composting in small spaces from wormeries and bokashi bins, right up to big compost tumblers. In an ideal world we would all deal with any waste ourselves where we are and cycle nutrients as nature does.

In terms of businesses: your business could carefully source produce like fruit, milk and other office refreshments (if they do) to ensure there isn't a surplus.

They could also set up some on site composting, if possible, or ask someone to collect the food waste from staff lunches, coffee grounds from your office coffee machine.

I’m Ali Ghanimi, Senior Manager at Brighton and Hove Food Partnership. I lead on projects to reduce Brighton’s food waste, including the citywide food use campaign and convening the city’s Surplus Food Network.

The food partnership is a multi-award winning non-profit organisation helping people learn to cook, eat a healthy diet, grow their own food, and waste less food. We believe that food is more than just fuel, it brings people together and has the power to change lives.

Wasting food feeds climate change.

A third of all food produced globally is wasted – 1.3 billion tonnes. An analysis of household refuse in Brighton and Hove in 2021 found that food made up a third of the contents. Half of this had never left its wrapping.

Our food system is a significant but hidden aspect of the climate crisis. All the food we eat has a carbon footprint - the energy, water, and resources it takes to grow, process, pack, transport and store. Around 30% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) come from food production.

By reducing food waste you’ll save money on purchasing and waste disposal costs, increase profits and reduce operating costs. You’ll also be helping the environment.

There are four main ways businesses can tackle food waste, based on the food waste heirarchy: reduce, redistribute, repurpose, and recycle.

1. Reduce - start by measuring your food waste. It’ll give you clear insights into what’s being wasted and why. Smart meters like the Winnow system can help businesses measure and analyse food waste, but a simpler way is to have separate food waste bins and weigh what’s wasted at the end of the day.

For hospitality and food service business Guardians of Grub have some brilliant tools to help measure and reduce food waste, which includes a savings calculator and free 15 -minute course for staff.

2. Redistribute - Brighton & Hove has a Surplus Food Network which intercepts edible surplus food from local businesses to redistribute to people in need. Businesses and individuals can donate surplus food through an online form. Alternatively, surplus food can be dropped off at one of the city’s community fridges.

3. Repurpose - Do you have any leftover food that could be used to make new products? For inspiration on how to take a circular economy approach to food waste, check out: Toast Ale, Espresso Mushroom Company, bio-bean, Rubies in the Rubble, Gail’s Bakery.

4. Recycle - Start a food and packaging waste recycling collection for your business. Paper Round offer collections of food waste, coffee grounds, Vegware (compostable), coffee cups and other recyclable materials, and can help with food waste audits.

Thank you to Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, and Compost Club for their contributions. For more advice, signposting and support on Net Zero, head over to the Chamber’s Net Zero in Brighton business support page. 

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk