Under the Courtauld Commitment 2025, WRAP has developed a new online learning programme to help UK Hospitality and Food Service businesses put food waste reduction and associated cost savings right at the heart of their operations, as many of them prepare to reopen.

This programme is called ‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’, and follows on from the successful launch of Guardians of Grub’ in 2019. The programme is currently being readied for pilot testing this September, and we plan to roll it out more widely in 2021. Our ultimate aim is to embed food waste reduction good practice across the sector, and help achieve the Courtauld 2025 targets as well as UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 and climate action.

WRAP is committed to supporting the Hospitality and Food Service sector as best we can during this extremely challenging time.  We are working closely with governments, businesses, and citizens to do what we can to help.  Keeping track of food and costs is critical at any time, which is why WRAP has been working to create this brand new online learning pilot for you to use as you start to reopen.  This can be a positive step to engage employees as they return to work as well as demonstrating your dedication to feeding people, not bins. We realise this comes at a time when many businesses are under intense pressures, but food waste is a massive cost to your sector. On average wasted food waste costs £10,000 per year for most outlets. Keeping track of wasted food is critical at any time, and that’s exactly what ‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’ does.

‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’ is a new online learning course to help you develop food waste reduction skills that are good for business, good for staff and good for the environment. You can complete it at your own pace, and it will enable you to become a Guardians of Grub Champion to help in the fight against food waste. This is your opportunity to help shape the course in its pilot phase before it is rolled out across the sector next year.

‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’ has been developed by business for business. Suitable for all UK Hospitality and Food Service businesses, the course will help you to understand how food can all too easily become waste in your day-to-day work, and how you can take positive action to reduce this.

Measuring food that is thrown away can at first seem daunting, so ‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’ will take learners step-by-step through a practical process to help you avoid the cost of wasted food. The pilot pack will be available shortly and will explain the length of time to complete the course.  This is an opportunity to become a pioneer in your industry, to get in at the early stages of using this unique programme and help shape future best practice in the sector. What’s more, ‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’ can become a key part of you and your workforce’s continuing professional development.  Sustainability is going to be at the heart of building back better, and you will receive regular progress reports, including cost and environmental savings throughout the pilot.

There are five Levels to ‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’. This is an active learning approach, and participants will receive certificates of progress and takeaway tools as they develop their competency and understanding of reducing wasted food.  Participants will have access to all Levels of the course.

If you are ready to join ‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’, please email us at [email protected]. ‘Guardians of Grub: Becoming a Champion’ will be live from 1st September.

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