JD Wetherspoon and Punch push for greater food sustainability

JDW will work closely with the SRA to ensure the company progresses in terms of social and environmental responsibility across its entire estate to achieve a Food Made Good rating while Punch has signed up two of its new managed ‘Falcon’ sites to the scheme.

Jameson Robinson, head of food development at JDW, said: “Our pubs, and the business in general, have a very good track record on sustainability.

“The fact that Wetherspoon has now become a member of the SRA highlights the fact that we wish to learn from the experts and to make further progress in this field.

“We look forward to working with the SRA to ensure that Wetherspoon pubs improve on their already high levels of sustainability.”

Campaigns

This comes as the SRA announces plans to run a calendar of campaigns throughout 2017 focusing on different sustainability topics, designed to provide the industry with a library of resources as well as opportunities and tools to engage customers.

Andrew Stephen, chief executive of the SRA, said: “The traditional image of a pub as a thriving hub of any community aligns perfectly with the reality of a sustainable business; one that takes pride in the provenance of the food it serves, is passionate about minimising its impact on the planet and is committed to being the beating heart of society.

“The SRA is delighted to be working with two progressive pub companies, JD Wetherspoon and Punch, both of whom have the potential to have a hugely positive impact both at a national and local level.”

Credentials valued

Research recently conducted on behalf of the SRA reported that 75% of customers said they valued the sustainability credentials of pubs and restaurants they frequented more than they would a 10% discount on food.

David Wigham, development director at Punch Taverns, said: “We have engaged with the Sustainable Restaurant Association, in conjunction with our commitment to developing the quality, efficiency and performance of our estate.

“Initially, we will be working with the SRA in a small number of pilot sites in our Retail Division and we are looking forward to exploring the benefits the SRA can bring to our business.”

Eggs​

JDW also announced this week (7 October) that it had gained RSPCA Assured recognition for sourcing eggs from high-welfare farms.

The company sells roughly 44 million eggs via its pubs every year.

Jameson Robinson said: "We place a lot of emphasis on ensuring that our egg suppliers look after their laying hens to the highest of standards and this has been recognised by RSPCA Assured... it is vital that our customers know how important the welfare of laying hens is to us."