Intelligent move to benchmark sustainability in foodservice

In a far reaching move, the publishers of Foodservice Footprint assembled a number of senior foodservice industry executives to discuss the groundbreaking environmental research and benchmarking programme, Footprint Intelligence. Having piloted the Beta version with Brakes, the roundtable discussion was held at Pret A Manger’s Victoria offices before the Footprint Forum general meeting on Thursday May 27th and involved representatives from Pret A Manger, Sodexo, Reynolds, Brakes and Llanllyr Source Water.

“For years the industry has been crying out for its current environmental impact to be measured,” Charles Miers, Managing Director of Foodservice Footprint commented. “With Footprint Intelligence the industry can work together towards improving standards year on year ”

Footprint Intelligence is working inclusively with the foodservice industry to benchmark the supply chain from farm and factory to fork. Nick Fenwicke-Clennell CEO of Footprint Media Group concluded: “Suppliers will be able to monitor their own improvements and our team will be able to guide them through the data capture process. The industry is diverse and so we will be working closely with businesses to analyse the impact by sector with the aim of improving environmental performance across all sectors of the foodservice industry.”

“This is not about accreditation but about industry benchmarking”, said Miers. “As the project develops, suppliers will be able to assess their performance against a sector mean and will be able to focus resources on those areas needing attention. The net result we hope will be a steady improvement to the industry’s environmental credentials”, he said.

For further information about Footprint Intelligence please contact james@foodservicefootprint.com

ARAMARK AIMS HIGH WITH BITC

ARAMARK, the award-winning managed food service company, achieves Bronze for the second year-running in the Business in the Community’s Corporate Responsibility Index 2009.

Designed to benchmark responsible business practice, the report is used by industry leading companies at the forefront of corporate responsibility to lead change. The CR Index supports companies to improve their social and environmental performance through a targeted and systematic approach.

Val Carter, Corporate Responsibility Director, ARAMARK, said, “Taking the key learnings from last year, when we also achieved Bronze status, ARAMARK has concentrated efforts on reducing its environmental impact and stepping up momentum in core strategic areas. These include the workplace with the implementation of the employee benefits programme; the marketplace with a commitment to local food sourcing; and environment management with the completion of the company’s two-year carbon footprint analysis report.

“Working with BITC to achieve certification solidified our commitment to corporate responsibility and further demonstrates the company’s credentials in this area; it’s a true mark of our leadership in the food service industry. Thanks to our dedicated team and customers we are already working hard on all areas to ensure 2010 will be another step towards a Gold Class CR programme.”

Further results of the Index have been featured within the Responsible Business supplement of the Financial Times today.