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Posted on 04 September 2018
That’s exactly why Bidfood Scotland have embarked on a new sustainable initiative, “Source, Serve, Sustain” says Katie Sillars, Supplier Development Manager at Bidfood Scotland.
We recognise the importance of a sustainable approach to food and drink in your business and are encouraging our customers to adopt some really simple approaches.
In the past ‘sustainability’ has been viewed as a buzz word or a nice to have, but increasingly it is becoming essential to a successful hotel or catering business. The impact it has on business is unrivalled, not to mention the environmental benefits.
But what are these benefits, and how can you implement small changes to make a big difference?
As Scotland has such a fantastic larder, being able to source local Scottish products can be a key step to being more sustainable. At Bidfood Scotland we work with over 100 Scottish suppliers, big and small, to ensure this can happen for our customers.
Visit Scotland reported that businesses promoting Scottish produce typically enjoy up to 20% higher sales, as well as finding that visitors will pay up to 15% more for food of Scottish origin. By using local produce you’re not only supporting the Scottish economy and local businesses but you’re also making money for your business.
And don’t forget to tell your customers! If you’re serving Scottish salmon or locally-made jam make it clear on your menu.
We’ve created a series of tools to help our customers that buy Scottish food and drink from us, to tell the story. And these can all be used to help tell the story at your business too.
In the UK alone, the amount of food wasted each year is the equivalent of 1.3 billion meals, with 34% of this coming from excess food on consumer plates. This is draining money from your business.
To avoid this consider your portion size, are they too big? Or could you offer more choice? E.g. a meal doesn’t have to automatically come with chips, let the customer decide. You can also start to cut down any waste with better planning when it comes to ordering, consider frozen fresh ingredients or add a daily specials menu to use all the leftovers you might have. This is also great for the creativity of your kitchen team.
When it comes to packaging, only buy from suppliers who reduce packaging or provide reusable or recyclable options. At Bidfood we work with suppliers who offer fully compostable packaging or reduced packaging as well as offering these products to our customers through Vegware, and in Scotland, we are promoting Vegware’s new ‘Close the Loop’ initiative to our customers.
Customer facing staff are key to communicating sustainability, so they need to be well-informed. Ensure your team are up-to-date on all things to do with the menu – including where the produce is from.
As part of our Source, Serve, Sustain campaign, we are launching a ‘Zero Carbon Workshop’ in the form of a webinar with our partners Green Tourism to provide pragmatic advice on how to switch to a more sustainable way of serving up great food. Training staff is an integral part of the chain, as you’ll need them on board to ensure you are actually being more sustainable.
By following some of these simple tips and techniques, your hotel business can switch to a greener way of working and reap the benefits.
In a bid to increase the green credentials of food producers and catering establishments across Scotland, one of the leading foodservice providers, Bidfood Scotland has launched its new sustainable initiative, “Source, Serve, Sustain”.
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