How the Food Made Good Standard Supports Caterers

“One of the greatest challenges in hospitality is balancing sustainability with financial viability,” says Oliver Szczepanski, Lead ESG Consultant at Sands Catering. “Ethical sourcing, waste reduction and lowering carbon footprints all require investment, and not all businesses have the resources or commitment to make the necessary changes.” 

While this is relevant across the spectrum of hospitality businesses, some of these challenges can be even more pronounced for contract caterers. “Unlike restaurants, which operate from a fixed location, we work across multiple venues,” says Oliver, observing that this makes reducing food miles, managing waste and ensuring energy efficiency more complex.  

“Large-scale food production often results in unavoidable surplus, while client-specific requirements can limit the ability to implement sustainable alternatives,” he shares. “Additionally, many corporate clients prioritise cost over sustainability, making education and advocacy essential to encourage responsible choices.” 

Managing Director at Eden Caterers, Nick Mead, weighs in, saying that identifying sustainable packaging is a challenge for caterers. “For many years, PLA (polylactic acid) was heavily promoted as an eco-friendly solution, leading many in the industry to invest in this supply chain — with the expectation that commercial composting infrastructure would improve,” he says. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. “As a result, we have shifted back to packaging that can be easily recycled within mainstream waste streams, reducing contamination and improving overall recyclability. Alternatively, we seek materials that can break down naturally alongside food waste, ensuring a more sustainable end-of-life solution.” 

How the Food Made Good Standard helps caterers 

So how can a third party certification like the Standard help catering businesses to turn sustainability goals into reality, even with logistical challenges like these at play?  

1. INFORMS BUSINESS STRATEGY 

All businesses who complete the Food Made Good Standard receive a tailored report, highlighting where they’re doing well and outlining the best next steps for further improvement. This can be invaluable in informing sustainability strategy going forward.  

In a case study about their work with the Standard, Sean Ritson, Divisional Director at Lexington Catering, told us that they’ve found this incredibly valuable for measuring their actions against industry standards and keeping their sustainability journey on track. “[The Food Made Good Standard] really encourages you to think outside the box,” he said, “leading to innovative ideas like our zero-waste food brand, Trashed, which has become a hit among our clients and showcases our commitment to sustainability across the business.” 

“Receiving our final Food Made Good score and report has provided valuable insights into our sustainability performance, highlighting both our strengths and areas for improvement,” says Nick. “The detailed assessment has helped us refine our strategy by setting clearer priorities, such as improving sustainable sourcing and reducing our carbon footprint.” 

“CH&Co has been completing the Food Made Good Standard for years,” says Rosie Rayner-Law, Sustainability Business Partner at CH&Co. “It’s an invaluable exercise for us to take stock of where we are and what progress we’ve made, and it functions as a tool to work with our teams to raise any areas of concern and identify areas of best practice. It ensures we maintain good governance and, in meeting the evidence requirements, it helps us build our data infrastructure.”  

Head of Strategic Growth at Fooditude, Cristina Covello, sees the Standard as a process that can offer guidance and inform strategy. “We started using the three pillars (Sourcing, Society and Environment) to create our strategy – this is straightforward because the final report includes recommendations for what you can do,” she said in an interview for our case study. “This became an operational document. We could decide what we wanted to accomplish under each pillar by the end of the year, then look back later and have a clear overview of whether we did that or not.”  

“The FMG report has provided invaluable insights into our strengths and areas for growth, allowing us to refine and enhance our sustainability strategy,” says Oliver. As a result, Sands Catering have prioritised: 

“The Standard has also reinforced our long-term commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2030, aligning our objectives with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring that sustainability remains a driving force in our business,” Oliver adds. 

Gavin Gooddy, Marketing, Brand and Communications Director at Restaurant Associates, shared how the Standard supports their sustainability work in their recent case study. “The FMG Framework provides a structured approach to measure success and pinpoint areas for growth. Tracking our progress not only ensures that our efforts align with our sustainability roadmap but also strengthens our connection with both teams and clients. 

“Adopting a more evidence-based approach has fundamentally transformed our decision-making process,” Gavin continued. “With access to reliable data, we are now able to make more informed choices about our partnerships and projects. This shift has enabled us to prioritise initiatives that drive meaningful, long-lasting positive change. By grounding our actions in data, we’ve also become more intentional in our sustainability efforts, ensuring that every step aligns with our overarching goals and contributes to a more sustainable future.”  

Having a rigorous, evidence-driven third-party certification helps to build credibility and supports businesses in talking transparently about their sustainability work, boosting brand reputation without the fear of greenwashing. Nick sums up the benefits neatly. “A credible third-party sustainability certification like the Food Made Good Standard helps caterers build trust, gain a competitive edge, improve efficiency, ensure regulatory compliance, enhance supply chain accountability and drive continuous improvement, all while demonstrating a genuine commitment to sustainability.” 

Oliver agrees, noting that being certified with the Standard helps a business turn strategy into action — and gain recognition for doing so. “Achieving three stars in the Food Made Good certification has strengthened our commitment to sustainability while providing independent validation that differentiates us in a competitive market,” he says. “It also inspires confidence among stakeholders, reassuring them that our sustainability commitments are both measurable and meaningful.” 

“For caterers, an accreditation ensures transparency, credibility and trust, demonstrating that sustainability is embedded in our operations rather than just a marketing statement,” Oliver continues. “It helps attract ethically conscious clients, retain eco-aware employees and benchmark progress to drive continuous improvement.” 

“The Food Made Good Standard is a well-regarded accreditation in our industry,” Sean told us, explaining that Lexington Catering views taking the Standard as a necessary part of staying competitive. “It inspires trust in our customers and stakeholders, and the report provides us with clear action points for where we can improve. In the complex landscape of sustainability and ESG, having this clear direction and support is important for our success.” 
 

“It’s a great marketing tool,” said Cristina. “I started at Fooditude in 2013 as a Marketing Manager, and the sustainability work we were doing gave me great stories to tell. That’s part of why we signed up to The Sustainable Restaurant Association. It’s important to be able to talk about all these great things that we do in a way that is credible and without greenwashing.” 

The tangible impact of taking the Food Made Good Standard is clear. “Undertaking the Food Made Good Standard and working with The Sustainable Restaurant Association has driven measurable improvements, including refined energy reduction policies and a stronger commitment to recycling,” says Nick.  

What’s more, the Standard has also had a positive effect on staff and customer engagement. “All employees now complete sustainability training to deepen their understanding of our focus in this area and feel more connected to our efforts,” Nick continues. “Additionally, we've seen renewed customer interest and loyalty, as more businesses seek sustainable catering partners. This has strengthened our market position and created new opportunities — an achievement further recognised when Eden Caterers won the London Venues & Catering Sustainability Award for Catering at the end of 2024.” 

This effect is mirrored in other catering businesses. “Clients are increasingly choosing Sands Catering for our sustainability credentials, leading to new partnerships with businesses that prioritise environmental responsibility,” says Oliver. “Our sustainability initiatives have also helped to foster a more purpose-driven work environment, improving staff retention and engagement. Employees are now actively involved in waste reduction, ethical sourcing and energy-saving initiatives.” 

The team at Sands Catering has seen numerous other benefits, too. “Since working with The SRA, we have achieved several measurable improvements,” Oliver says. These include reducing food waste by 30% — achieved through improvements in stock management and repurposing surplus food — and some impressive reductions in energy use.

“Our newly designed cold chain system has cut energy consumption by over 20%, while upgrading to Energy Star-certified Rational iCombi Pro ovens has resulted in a 34% reduction in electricity use and 53% less water consumption,” says Oliver. “The Food Made Good Standard has not only validated our efforts but has also driven real, lasting change in how we operate. It has strengthened our ability to lead the way in sustainable catering, ensuring we make a meaningful impact both environmentally and socially.” 

Cristina mentioned an even more direct positive impact of the Food Made Good Standard on business at Fooditude: their biggest customer has been with them since 2014, when they found Fooditude through The SRA. “They were small then, but they're big now and that's how they found us – not by Googling, but through our listing on The SRA website. It's had a bottom line business impact, which is always great for justifying all this work to financial directors.” 

Interested in finding out how the Food Made Good Standard can help your business? Read more here or drop Will a line with any questions at will@thesra.org.  

Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date with the latest news, insights and stories from across our global network. 

Lead image courtesy of Fooditude. Social image courtesy of Restaurant Associates.