Dedicated sustainability strategies have helped LNER and its catering partner gategourmet reduce food waste to just 1.5% of the millions of items consumed onboard the rail operator’s trains each year.
Short-term changes to services can result in an excess of an item but to combat this, the rail operator and gategourmet have teamed up with suppliers, food redistribution organisations and local charities.
Sharing its strategies to coincide with Stop Food Waste Day on April 30, LNER said it works hard to find a use for its small number of returns.
Sara Jenson, Hospitality Manager at LNER, said: “We’re fortunate to work with some fantastic food charities such as FareShare, The People’s Kitchen and London to Slough Run so we can donate our surplus food to those who can use it.
“Over six months in 2024, LNER donated 4,500 hot meals, 4,000 baked goods, 11,000 sandwiches and nearly 17,500 desserts, ensuring our food was not wasted and went to people who needed it.”
Live order information is also collected from trains as items are requested onboard. Data is then combined with each train’s historical orders and waste information, plus expected passenger numbers. This enables the team to predict what food will be needed.
