News & insights / Insights / 03.12.24

How The Food Made Good Standard Supports Pubs

THE FOOD MADE GOOD STANDARD IS OUR FLAGSHIP SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATION DESIGNED FOR HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES OF ALL SIZES AND SHAPES AROUND THE WORLD — PUBS INCLUDED. IN THIS ARTICLE, WE’LL EXPLORE THE BENEFITS THAT THE FOOD MADE GOOD STANDARD CAN BRING TO YOUR BUSINESS, INCLUDING INSIGHTS FROM SOME OF THE PUBS IN OUR NETWORK.

Just like the rest of the hospitality industry, the pub sector is facing a challenging time. “Sustainability is a long-term business investment that has many benefits,” says Aimee McDonald, Sustainability Manager at Young’s Pubs. “However, in an industry that has already been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis and the energy crisis, Labour’s new budget (which is estimated to cost hospitality an additional £500m), it’s a difficult time for pub businesses.” In this article, we’ll show how the Food Made Good Standard provides invaluable business support, helping your pub build sustainability into its operations in ways that are both manageable and strategic, and setting you up for long-term success.

The power of collaboration

Ed Robinson, Sustainability Specialist at Wells & Co., points to collaboration as the key to greater success in sustainability efforts across the sector. “No pub, bar or restaurant can go it alone,” he says. “We can (and should) work to improve the sustainability of our own operations, but it's also vital that we collaborate with our business partners, suppliers and peers in the marketplace to collectively raise our game. A rising tide lifts all ships.”

At The SRA, we are big believers in the power of collaboration, and a large part of the work we do is connecting businesses to facilitate relationship building and knowledge sharing. Signing up to the Food Made Good Standard connects you to a vibrant global network as well as a wealth of support, guidance and resources — and plenty of other benefits worth shouting about, too…

How the Food Made Good Standard can help pubs

1. THE STANDARD TRANSLATES STRATEGY INTO OPERATIONS

As Operations Director at Cubitt House Michal Kobierski observes, it’s easy for pub operators to lose oversight on sustainability when dealing with the demands of the busy every day. “Given the fast-paced nature of service, many businesses struggle to implement initiatives like comprehensive food waste reduction strategies or to manage energy consumption effectively. This makes it essential work for pubs and bars to balance operational efficiency with sustainability goals.”

That’s where we come in. The SRA has been working with the hospitality industry since 2010; on an individual level, almost everyone on our team has spent time in the foodservice trenches in their careers past. We have an intimate understanding of the need to break the big-picture ideals of sustainability down into manageable, bite-sized actions that can be embedded into operations. Every business that completes the Standard receives a tailored report that does just this, outlining the next steps on their sustainability journey.

“Receiving our final score and detailed FMG report has been extremely valuable, providing us with a clear picture of our strengths and areas where we need to improve,” says Michal.

2. THE STANDARD INFORMS YOUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

With the process completed every two years, these smaller actions add up, informing your overall sustainability strategy. “In achieving our three-star rating, the report has provided reassurance in the areas where we are excelling while highlighting the gaps where we still need to develop,” says Aimee. “This ensures that they are considered within the scope of our future strategic planning.”

Ed says, “Undertaking the Standard has catalysed the development of Wells & Co.'s new Food Standards Policy and Environmental Policy, two big steps forward for our family business. We're undertaken our first ever food waste audit this summer, a process that will improve both our carbon footprint and our profit margins.”

“The recommendations from the report have informed our sustainability strategy going forward, guiding us to make targeted improvements in both our operations and supply chain,” says Michal. “Taking the Standard has reinforced our commitment. We’re now focused on further integrating sustainability into our daily operations. While we are still in the early stages, the Food Made Good Standard has already led to the development of several key policies, including a comprehensive Sourcing Policy focused on sustainable, seasonal and plant-based ingredients, and a food waste reduction strategy aimed at minimising our environmental impact.”

3. THE STANDARD ENCOURAGES CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

No business is doing a perfect job; we simply need to work at being better today than we were yesterday, and to be better again tomorrow. That’s why the Food Made Good Standard is designed to celebrate your successes and to offer direction and support on where to go next, encouraging a culture of continuous improvement. “The FMG Standard provides an opportunity to take a deep dive into your business and celebrate what you are doing well, but also guides you in the areas where you can grow and take on new challenges,” says Aimee.

“Our first submission was in 2017, when we were awarded two stars as a group,” says Nicola Stuart from Brunning & Price. “We wanted to understand where we were performing well in the sustainability space, but also — more importantly — to see where we needed to improve. We are so pleased with the accreditation and would hate for our standards to drop, so it’s always a case of asking how we can improve.”

“Food Made Good has been important on our sustainability journey,” adds Michal. “In the past, the Standard helped us establish a solid foundation for sustainable practices within our operations. Now, we are reviving our efforts as part of our renewed commitment to sustainability. The decision to re-engage with the FMG Standard reflects our desire to push ourselves even further, ensuring we are continuously improving and aligning with the best practices in the industry.”

4. THE STANDARD LENDS CREDIBILITY

Credible third-party certifications can work to reassure customers, staff, suppliers and stakeholders that your business is operating in ethical and responsible ways. “The Food Made Good Standard signals to customers that our business is genuinely committed to sustainability,” says Michal. “With growing consumer demand for ethical and sustainable practices, a recognised certification can differentiate a pub or bar from its competitors and help build trust and loyalty.”

“Having the window stickers and the logo on our website is a reminder to our customers that this is something we are invested in,” adds Nicola. “Our customers sometimes ask us what we’re doing to play our part, and it’s nice to be able to refer them to the Standard.”

“Having a credible third-party accreditation shows both your internal and external stakeholders that you take sustainability seriously and that you’re continuously working hard to develop this within your business,” says Aimee. “It also provides recognition to your hard-working teams — the people who support and drive sustainability initiatives through their everyday roles.”

“A third-party accreditation like the FMG Standard ensures that those of us striving to do better are all being judged by the same yardstick,” says Ed. “It's not good enough for us to mark our own homework; assessment by a third party ensures that we're genuinely ‘walking the walk’ when it comes to sustainable development. When I see another pub company awarded three stars by The SRA, I can be sure that business is not merely paying lip service when it comes to sustainability.”

Indeed, knowing that your sustainability claims are backed by evidence and guaranteed by the experts provides great peace of mind, allowing pubs to celebrate the good work they’re doing and share their progress publicly without fear of greenwashing accusations — which all makes for fantastic marketing. At Young’s, the FMG logo is now displayed on all of their menus for this very reason. “We want to celebrate our hard work and dedication with our customers and teams,” Aimee says.

5. THE STANDARD HELPS YOUR BOTTOM LINE

In addition to boosting customer loyalty and offering marketing opportunities, sustainability can also save you money in the long term. The Standard encourages cost reductions through improving efficiencies, reducing energy and water use and carefully managing waste. “Since our submission in 2019, we have been working with the SRA to reduce our food waste, specifically plate waste,” Nicola shares. “We’ve just completed our second round of plate waste audits at Brunning & Price.”

Furthermore, with more people deliberately choosing employers who can demonstrate environmental and social responsibility, having the Food Made Good Standard can help ease your recruitment problems, reducing costs here, too.

6. THE STANDARD HELPS ENGAGE YOUR TEAM

Through increasing engagement and providing a sense of purpose, you’ll also see improvements in retention. “We’ve received positive feedback from staff who are excited about the opportunity to take on sustainability initiatives as part of their existing roles,” Michal says. “This extra responsibility is seen as an exciting opportunity to contribute to the company's sustainability journey, and many have expressed interest in becoming sustainability advocates within their teams.”

“We now include the FMG Standard in our sustainability induction for any new employee across the business as well as our Y-Factor training days,” says Aimee. “This has helped to drive behavioural change and build awareness in areas such as recycling, food waste and energy consumption.”

7. THE STANDARD PROVIDES SUPPORT

Our purpose is to help the industry on this journey, so we’re here to support you throughout your Standard evaluation and beyond. “The team at The SRA has been incredibly supportive,” says Michal. “They provided valuable insights, resources and feedback, which helped us understand how to best apply sustainable practices across various areas of our operations. Their support ensured we felt confident in our approach and encouraged us to set ambitious but achievable goals.” Aimee agrees. “The team is incredibly supportive if there are any areas where you get stuck and need extra guidance.”

Once a business has completed the Food Made Good Standard, they remain certified for two years before they need to resubmit. In the meantime, they have access to a wide range of support created and facilitated by the team at The SRA, including resources and toolkits developed specially for hospitality, guidance on upcoming legislation, exclusive interviews with industry leaders, insightful panel events, speaking and networking opportunities and help with marketing and communications.

Ed says, “The regular Working Groups hosted by The SRA have proved an excellent way to pick up on new ideas and initiatives, share best practice and network with other hospitality businesses who are motivated to create a sustainability legacy of which we can all be proud.”

What’s the process like for pubs?

You can read more about the full process of taking the Standard here, but here are three important points to note:

1. The Standard is tailored by size. We understand the industry and we know that small businesses don’t always have access to the same degree of documentation and resources as big hospitality groups. Not only is the pricing on a scale based on revenue — so that no business is priced out — but smaller businesses also receive a slightly different set of questions than bigger ones to account for these variations.

2. The platform is designed with you in mind. We updated the Food Made Good platform in 2023 and, as part of this project, worked hard to make it more user-friendly. As Aimee says, “The whole process has been well thought out, making it easy and efficient to complete.”

Wells and Co. undertook their first FMG assessment in 2022, catalysed by Ed’s appointment as the company’s first Sustainability Manager. Ed says, “The new-look FMG Standard has been a pleasure to work with. It’s not a small amount of work, but the online portal is intuitive to use and makes uploading evidence of our sustainability work nice and easy.”

“The process of taking the Food Made Good Standard was straightforward and insightful,” Michal says. “The platform itself is user-friendly, and it provided us with clear guidance.” Nicola agrees. “This has been the simplest submission we have had to date. The new platform allows you to assign questions to the relevant people, reducing email traffic, and makes it simple to collate the evidence needed for the submission.”

3. We are here to help! When you sign up to the Standard, you’ll receive all the information you need to help you complete the evaluation, including the documents you should have to hand and the best people on your team to tackle each section. “The SRA team has been a big help throughout,” says Ed. “We've received plenty of valuable help throughout the process. It's never felt like a case of 'sink or swim'.”

Interested in what the Standard can do for your pub? Learn more about the business benefits here, or reach out to Will at will@thesra.org with any questions.

Image courtesy of Young's Pubs
Image courtesy of Young's Pubs
Image courtesy of Wells & Co.
Image courtesy of Brunning & Price
Image courtesy of Brunning & Price

Marketing & Communications Lead

JOCELYN DOYLE

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Jocelyn leads our Marketing & Comms team and is responsible for managing our content strategy, growing our audience and building our global reputation. Jocelyn holds a BSc in Hospitality Management and an MSc in Food Culture & Communications, and is a member of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild. Her background includes on-the-ground F&B experience; a decade of food writing, editing and publishing; content creation for some of Ireland’s biggest food brands; and developing the content marketing strategy for a suite of menu management and carbon tracking software.