August Sustainability Blog
Last winter the Met office predicted 2023 would be the hottest summer on record. It may not feel like it at the moment (especially if your life was recently consumed by rain soaked cricket like some of us poor souls) but we’re on track to prove those predictions right. June saw record breaking heat waves, and earth itself registered its hottest day EVER on July 3rd.
And while many of us spend the winter months longing for the heat and the sound of the sizzle from the barbeque, extreme weather fluctuations like the ones we’re experiencing often impact crop availability and quality. For instance, I am sure a lot of you are still feeling the impact of tomato and salad shortages as a result of the draughts in Spain and North Africa.
Of course this isn’t new – farming and produce supply has always been at the mercy of the weather gods. Nevertheless, supply chain issues provide a reminder for us to be thoughtful about the impact we have on our changing world, and to look for opportunities to make actionable changes to protect our fresh produce supply chains for the future.
Climate action and sustainability policies can often feel opaque and slow-moving. But we think that there are lots of practical, digestible ways to make a difference on a daily basis which can help be part of positive change alongside national and industrial climate related policies and action.
One way to champion change is to make sure all things sustainability are always part of the conversation. And so begins our new blog feature we’re calling The “S” Word. We’ll use this space to explore an issue relating to the overall umbrella topic of ‘sustainability’ (hint: it actually means we’ll talk about anything and everything as ‘sustainability’ issues are all issues, and they impact every part of business, society and the environment.)
To kick us off in our first instalment, we’d like to suggest 3 seemingly small things you could put into action today alongside of any other sustainability projects. These are easy wins – we feel confident that not only would they lead to positive sustainability progress, but they would likely also support other business goals. So, in no particular order, here goes:
1.Check out our weekly crop report.
This can help you manage and minimize waste in your kitchen by planning for potential shortage and quality issues. Our quarterly supply updates also provides really useful product and supply information on the upcoming season and gives key information to help you plan your menus.
2.Consolidate!
Every consolidated supplier delivery makes for a more efficient supply chain, which in turn inevitably leads to a reduction in carbon emissions. Look for opportunities to combine orders to help take additional vans off the road. Anything that goes into a fridge, we can supply and we’d be delighted to chat through any of your produce, meat and fish needs to see if we there’s anything we can do to simplify your ordering and delivery processes.
3.Communicate.
Be transparent with your customers about challenges you face such as menu items that are impacted by supply chain disruptions, or how your efforts to consolidate might lead to menu changes. Knowledge is power and the more customers know about how and where their food comes from, the more socially responsible they have the option of being in their buying choices. This communication can be in the form of messaging on your website, social media channels, directly on the menu – or our personal preference, face to face if the opportunity arises!
We’d be delighted to support with you enacting any of the above so if there are product, logistical or marketing related activities that could help you shift the dial in these ways, please let us know by contacting your account manager, or feel free to email me directly at oliviaobrien@bidfood.co.uk.
We’ll see you in our next instalment where we’ll dive deep into the challenges and nuances of one particular topic that’s affecting us all, if you can guess what it is, you’ll win…. nothing at all. Sorry about that.
Until then!
A blog by Olivia Obrien. Olivia is our new National Account Manager and will be supporting with our new sustainability focused initiatives.
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