The not so yummy reality of food waste in bakeries

As Food Waste Action Week kicks off, and a new government legislation tightening waste controls comes into force, how can fresh produce bakers help the environment and steer clear of the law?

By Annabel Sinclair

It’s the end of a busy day at Cambridge’s beloved bakery, Maison Clement. Customers have been flocking in and out, eyeing up the abundance of sweet confections. But nearly one fifth of their golden glazed doughnuts dipped in a sweet chocolate icing and crispy cookies with a soft and chewy core remain untouched behind the thick glass. So, what happens to these baked goods now? Let’s just say it starts with being not so scrumptious and ends in a black plastic bag dumped in a large topless bin. This is an everyday routine shared by nine out of ten bakeries across the UK, according to statistics published by the food-saving app Too Good to Go.

The Felix Project says the UK is responsible for wasting ten million tonnes of food each year, with almost two million tonnes coming from the food retail industry alone. And with the London-based food redistribution charity dubbing fresh bread as the most wasted food, bakeries are looking particularly guilty.

Today, 6 March, marks the beginning of Food Waste Action Week. Hosted by the sustainability charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), this year’s theme is ‘Win. Don’t Bin’, bringing awareness to the value of food in our lives and the detrimental impact that wasting food has on our wallets and our planet.

Luckily, stricter food waste recycling regulations will be implemented by the government this year, requiring food-producing organisations in England and Wales to manage their waste responsibly and segregate it from other types of waste in an effort to eliminate food waste from landfills by 2030.

But the demand to minimise food waste is at odds with many bakeries’ desire for freshly made items. Charlotte Lee, the head server at Maison Clement, says: “We make our food fresh every day, and it is very difficult to predict how much to make; it’s like predicting the weather, you can never get it exactly right.”

It’s only natural to be struck with guilt after disposing of good food, and Lee certainly is. “We do have unsold food at the end of the day, around one fifth,” the Cambridge-based server explains. “As bread can be eaten after a few days, we often donate our unsold loaves to foodbanks, but the reality is that many of our sandwiches and pastries have a very short shelf life, so we have to get rid of those… food waste is inevitable at the bakery, and I absolutely hate it!”

Food waste in bakeries is more than just a source of guilt, it’s a major issue for tackling the worsening climate crisis. Andrew Pankhurst, a food waste expert at the sustainability non-profit organisation Zero Waste Scotland, says: “It is often stated that if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after America and China. In the food retail industry, especially in bakeries, disposal is a key area to address.”

After a food waste separation law was successfully implemented in Scotland in 2016, Pankhurst recommends three tips to help other bakeries across the UK minimise their avoidable food waste. First, start setting targets: “By working towards goals and strategically reducing food waste over a given period of time, the amount of food thrown away could be cut in half.” Next, the environmentalist suggests measuring food waste. “Knowing exactly how much food is discarded of establishes a baseline and helps bakers identify waste hotspots.” Finally, Pankhurst urges bakeries to take action: “Using the data gathered [from measuring waste] can lead to interventions being designed that will reduce the overall disposal of edible goods.”

But some bakeries are already one step ahead. The Biskery, an independent biscuit bakery in Leeds, made a commitment to never throw away baked goods when it first opened its doors in 2016. Saskia Roskam, a co-founder of The Biskery, spills their secret: “Baking to order is the solution; we only make customised biscuits upon our customers’ requests,” she explains. “We never significantly overproduce as a result.”

There is always a way to prevent baked goods from being thrown out, even when The Biskery’s sweet food-saving scheme turns sour: “Sometimes we have cancellations, or some biscuits do not pass quality control. In those instances, we do not throw our biscuits away; we either let employees take them home or we put them outside The Biskery to let passers-by enjoy them,” the Leeds-based baker explains.

Baking on demand isn’t the only way for other bakeries like Maison Clement to cut their waste. Roskam offers her advice: “Look at how much you throw away at the end of the day. Can you bake less and have some people be disappointed? Because wastage is both bad for the planet and for the bottom line of a bakery.”