Resource Efficient Scotland Bakery Case Study - Beth Brownings Bakery

BETTER DATA MEANS MORE ‘DOUGH’ FOR BETH BROWNINGS BAKERY

Beth Brownings Bakery, a family run bakery based in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, wanted to modernise operations using tracking software to prevent avoidable food waste and save money. A free onsite audit and Scottish Government grant prevented food waste and saved the bakery over £2,000 a year.

Resource Efficient Scotland initially assisted the bakery by conducting a site visit and food waste audit; and then through the provision of a Scottish Government grant which funded waste management software, staff training and generated data to measure waste and target improvements.

Results include:

• Eliminating nearly a quarter of a tonne of food waste per year

• Reducing carbon emissions by over 840 kilograms per year

• Savings of £2,100, every year

Beth Brownings Bakery first heard about our food waste prevention programme through Scottish Bakers. It provided the ideal opportunity to reduce a key business concern - the quantity of food waste being generated in the bakery.

They contacted us and arranged for a free food and drink waste audit. One of our food waste specialists visited the site to speak with management and staff, tour the facility to understand the processes involved, and observe the where, when, why, and how of food waste generation at the bakery.

Following the fact-finding audit, we compiled a detailed report for Beth Brownings Bakery. We put a figure on their food waste which was approximately 2,300 kg per year. Further, we identified that almost 40% of this food waste was generated in the form of unsold goods, which were not fresh enough to be sold two days in a row. The report provided a range of practical recommendations on how to prevent this food waste from occurring.

One recommendation stood out as a starting point in the bakery’s food waste reduction challenge. This was to utilise the sales data to help the bakery better match production with expected sales. Unsold goods are a key food waste generator for all bakeries so it is important to reduce this waste stream because aside from the cost of waste uplift, it’s also a waste of all the additional resources used to make them, such as ingredients, labour, water and energy.