Stop wasted food eating into your profits. Become a Guardian of Grub.

Sponsored article by Eleanor Morris, WRAP Special Advisor Hospitality and Food Service Sector.

Wasted food.

We throw away 1.1 million tonnes of the stuff. To put it another way, that's a whopping £3.2billion we're chucking in the bin ever single year. And that's not just spoilage. With a bit of planning, 75% is food that could have been eaten.

Wasted food is not only eating into your profits, it's contributing to one of the biggest challenges facing humanity – the climate crisis. In fact, if global food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the US.

Thankfully, help is at hand. Guardians of Grub will help you take a stand against wasted food. We're on a mission to help everyone from the sous chef to the CEO do their bit to feed people not bins, with a range of clever hacks and online tools to stop wasted food costing you money. And best of all, it's completely free.

But don't take our word for it. Kate Nicholls, UKHospitality CEO, is a fan, too: "Guardians of Grub is a great initiative, highlighting the issue of food waste and providing solutions to tackle it. Even during this time of crisis, food waste reduction is important, not only for its environmental benefits but also in protecting businesses financially."

So how exactly can Guardians of Grub help you?

It all starts with understanding how much food you might be wasting, and how much you could save. And to help you get insights into how your business is performing we've worked with experts in the industry to design a range of solutions which are simple to understand and easy to implement.

The Guardians of Grub Cost Saving Calculator will give you all the information you need to find out how wasted food may be harming your business, in under a minute.

Then, armed with this knowledge, take the Cost Saving Skills Course. It's specially designed for time-poor employees and employers alike to learn the principles of ‘Target, Measure, Act' in just 15 minutes.

And once you've completed that, try taking the deep dive Guardians of Grub ‘Becoming A Champion' online course which will take your food waste reduction expertise to the next level. It's a great opportunity to upskill and make a positive difference to you, your profits and the planet.

But the £3.2billion question is, does it all work? And the answer is a resounding ‘Yes'.

The Guardians of Grub tools and techniques have been delivering results for all types of businesses from across the Hospitality and Food Service sector, with some astonishing results.

BaxterStorey slashed food waste at its 900 locations by 42% – a massive 6,600 tonnes, saving clients over £3million in disposal costs and cutting nearly a million tonnes of CO2.

And it's not just big businesses which can benefit from becoming a Guardian of Grub. Andy Wightman, the tenant at the Harrington Arms Pub in Cheshire, cut his waste by 33% and his gross profits are up 6%.

You can read more success stories by heading over to Guardians of Grub, where we have loads more case studies which show just how effective these simple measures can be.

Food Waste Action Week

The Guardians of Grub are proud to be joining the UK's first ever Food Waste Action Week, a ground-breaking, cross-industry week of action which starts on March 1st. The Hospitality and Food Service sector will join retailers, manufacturers, suppliers, local authorities and the public to reduce wasted food and tackle the climate emergency.

Want to get involved in Food Waste Action Week? We'd love to have you on board! You can find out how to take part here.

Chef Adam Handling, owner of the Adam Handling Group of restaurants and bars, is just one of many Guardians of Grub who've already signed up: "I'm so excited to be supporting WRAP's first ever Food Waste Action Week to help spread awareness of our wasted food and how it's impacting our environment. It's an issue that has always been close to my heart, and I'm really looking forward to sharing some of my tips for reducing food waste as part of this campaign."

Humanity faces a huge challenge in the coming years. Guardians of Grub gives the UK's Hospitality and Food Service sector the tools to meet these challenges head on. It's great for the planet, great for business and something great to share with customers and clients to help drive brand loyalty and engagement.

It's time for us all to make a stand. Defend your profits and protect the planet. Become a Guardian of Grub today by taking one of our online courses or signing the pledge at guardiansofgrub.com.