Wyboston Lakes Resort launches ‘People’s Pantry’ to tackle food waste

March 30, 2023

Wyboston Lakes Resort in Bedfordshire has introduced a new sustainability initiative to reduce food waste across the resort.

The People’s Pantry will ensure that unsold or unused food from the Resort’s hotel and two event venues will be made available for colleagues to take home to share with their families.

Chefs will package meals in a range of portion sizes, which will then be stored in fridges for employees. The People’s Pantry will be available at the Resort’s two conference, training, and events venues – The Woodlands Event Centre and The Willows Training Centre, which will help to minimise food waste from events. It will also operate from The Waterfront Hotel’s Brasserie, The Gravel Pit.

Glenn Corby, Resort Executive Head Chef, says: “We are delighted to be able to support our food waste reduction plan and at the same time help our team members with easy, healthy meals for all the family. It’s a real win – win!”

The scheme supports the Resort’s mission to ensure that no food waste goes off-site and is part of a long-term and comprehensive sustainability policy which recently won the Sustainability Award in the highly prestigious Meetings Industry Association’s miaList 2022.

The award follows a multitude of sustainability accreditations, including a Platinum accreditation from Greengage Eco-Smart, a Gold Award from Green Tourism and the IACC Gold Star.

These accolades have been earned through a wide range of energy and waste reduction initiatives.

These have been earned through a wide range of energy and waste reduction initiatives. Since June 2022, more than 11,000 eco-conscious guests staying at Wyboston Lakes Resort have chosen to have a tree planted on the resort instead of having their room cleaned under Room2Grow, the resort’s new initiative offered to those staying more than one night.

In September Wyboston Lakes Resort published a four-year Green Energy Roadmap as the foundation for its plan to become self-sufficient by producing its own green energy using the natural resources available at the Resort, which will help to achieve its Net Zero Carbon Emissions target. The total investment in the development is likely to be more than £5m.

In addition, the Resort has sent zero waste to landfill for seven consecutive years and all electricity used on the site is generated from renewable energy sources, saving more than 1,300 tonnes of Co2 emissions. The resort is working towards a 2040 Net Zero Carbon Emission Goal.