Delivering fresh fruit and veg to 3,500+ chefs in the UK, the company said its aim has ‘always been to minimise waste,’ with a number of new initiatives launched for 2019:

• Replaced polystyrene trays with compostable trays made from sugarcane
• Replaced plastic nets with compostable netting made from beechwood
• Introduced 100% recyclable plastic wrap for deliveries
• Installed an automatic screw press process in its Bolton warehouse - this removes the water from fruit and veg waste to reduce the load’s density by 90% and leave only organic waste behind
• Resulting compost is then collected by farmers to use on fields
• Donates ‘some’ produce to local charities

Commercial and sustainability director Paul Leyland commented: “A business of this type and size obviously generates packaging and food waste.

“Deliveries come in to us in cardboard boxes, which we separate and re-pack to send out to our customers. Through our strict quality standards and prep department, we produce approximately 2.5 tonnes of food waste each day. (The Bidfresh Group-owned business said it receives the equivalent of 10,000kg of cardboard boxes each day across its three sites).

“Our aim has always been to minimise our waste and reuse or recycle any that we do have. The big task is to ensure our outward-bound packaging also causes no environmental damage. Plastic bags are the last item we need to address on the packaging front.”

Bidfresh chief executive Stephen Oswald added: “Paul’s enthusiasm and drive to get this project in place has been an example to all in our business and the wider foodservice community. 

“We will be taking his example and rolling it out across the rest of our organisation. We must ensure that all our packaging is compostable in the future.”