Two Welsh businesses are the first Welsh signatories of the Hospitality and Food Service Agreement, a UK-wide voluntary waste minimisation agreement for the hospitality and food sectors.

By becoming signatories, Castell Howell Foods and pub chain, S.A. Brain and Co. Ltd, have pledged to reduce the amount of food and related packaging waste they produce.

The agreement, developed by WRAP Cymru (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and supported by Millenium Stadium, the Welsh Government and the British Hospitality Association Wales, hopes to reduce food and associated packaging waste by 5 per cent by 2015 and recycle, compost or dispose of through anaerobic digestion (AD), at least 70 per cent of that waste in the same time frame.

“This UK-wide agreement will help more businesses prevent waste, manage unavoidable waste sustainably and save money, in line with the ambitions set out in our Towards Zero Waste strategy and draft Food Manufacture, Service and Retail sector plan”, said John Griffiths, the Welsh Government Environment Minister.

“Hospitality, tourism and food service businesses play an important role in our economy, which is why WRAP Cymru and the Welsh Government are working closely with Welsh industry bodies and with businesses, to ensure that the Agreement meets their needs.”

According to WRAP Cymru, each tonne of avoidable food waste costs a business £1,800, and the hospitality and food industries in Wales could save £5 million a year by cutting waste.

“Businesses of all sizes from right across Wales can benefit from the savings which can be made by reducing food and packaging waste”, said Hugh Jones of WRAP Cymru.

Castell Howell says its newly-pledge commitment to waste minimisation will apply to their entire supply chain: “Castell Howell Foods recognise our commitment and responsibility to the environment and are proud to be one of the first Welsh signatories to the WRAP Hospitality and Food Service Agreement”, said Matt Lewis, Operations Director for Castell Howard.

“We will take an holistic view of the supply chain and will identify key suppliers to work with ourselves and one of our major accounts, Brains, to minimise waste in the hospitality sector.”

Jill Matthews, Head of Retail Marketing at Brains, added: “We will foster realistic and sustainable working practices and work with our suppliers, such as Castell Howell Foods, to minimise our waste production and impact on the environment.”

The Hospitality and Food Service Agreement is open to businesses of all sizes throughout the UK.

More information about the Hospitality and Food Service Agreement, can be found on WRAP’s website.