bartlett mitchell 'first contract caterer to complete SRA company assessment'

07 May 2013

Boutique contract caterer bartlett mitchell has achieved a Two Star Champion status rating in an assessment of its sustainability credentials by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) – the first company to complete the SRA’s new model rating for contract caterers

The company performed very well across the SRA’s three sustainability pillars of Sourcing, Society and the Environment, achieving an excellent score of 69%; just one percentage point away from the SRA’s top status, Three Star Champion.

bartlett mitchell’s highest scoring area was for Society, where a perfect score was awarded for Treating People Fairly. The company was commended for the approach it takes towards its staff, as well as the way in which it communicates its sustainable ethos and transparent pricing to its customers. Other commendations were given for the company’s practices under the pillar of Sourcing, such as sourcing locally and seasonally in a number of areas. Excellent scores were also achieved in Environment, with perfect scores being awarded for Workplace Resources and Energy Efficiency. Of particular note were the efforts being made to monitor and reduce waste as well as to recycle across the business.

Sally Grimes, Quality Standards Mentor for bartlett mitchell, said, “We’re so happy to have scored this highly for our first ever assessment. We do a lot of work in the background on sustainability and it’s really good to know that we are on the right track. The great thing about an assessment like this is that it ticks off what you are already doing well but also helps you identify the areas that that need more work.

“Some of our new targets include investigating high welfare animal produce, further reducing the amount of air-freighted produce used, setting formal water saving targets and team training on water use reduction, and formalising arrangements regarding regular support for national charities.”

Wendy Bartlett, Managing Director, added, “Our team, both at Head Office and in our operations, have done a great job in implementing a wealth of sustainability issues in recent years and this award is recognition of all their hard work. We’re not ones to rest on our laurels though and will be cracking on with enhancing our systems and processes to make sure that we hit the top Three Star Status next time round.”

Mark Linehan, MD of the SRA, commented, “bartlett mitchell has demonstrated an excellent all round level of sustainability. As increasing numbers of consumers make dining choices on the basis of restaurants’ sustainability, it is very encouraging to see that contract caterers like bartlett mitchell are also meeting this demand in the workplace.”

www.bartlettmitchell.co.uk