FOOD + DRINK
THE RESCUE RANGE BY CURD & CURE
TACKLING FOOD WASTE AND PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF THE FOOD WHOLESALE INDUSTRY ON OUR SHARED ENVIRONMENT , FOR CURD & CURE TAKING ACCOUNTABILITY MEANS TAKING ACTION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE .
As a wholesaler who specialises in artisan and speciality cheeses and cooked and cured meats , stocking over 1,400 products including an extensive selection of chilled , frozen and ambient products , the prospect of food waste occurs daily . Balancing stock levels of fresh products to fulfil orders while ensuring they do not end up with surplus is tricky .
With fighting food waste as the main focus , implementing a food waste hierarchy has underpinned Curd & Cure ’ s sustainability strategy . With a sustainability lead and a stock control team that has tripled in size over the last year , focussing on efficient management has achieved a significant reduction in food waste .
Projects to redistribute products before they become waste has included building close relationships with their customers including chefs and restaurants to know where short-dated ingredients can be utilised best . Their partnership with Too Good To Go has seen over 2,000 bags of mixed surplus stock collected by members of the public ; with products past their best before dates , squashed packets and loose stock . Too Good to Go calculates that this has saved over five tonnes of CO2e or the equivalent of flying from
Paris to New York six times . Surplus food is also donated through collaborations with charities including UK Harvest and distributed throughout the South East .
Connecting artisanal producers with farm shops , chefs , delis and independents , Curd & Cure were shocked at the scale of food being wasted across all points of the supply chain during the lockdowns , which brought closures for many of their retail and foodservice customers . Launched onto shelf within six weeks , Curd & Cure developed The Rescue Range , founded due to the realisation that there will always be a surplus of product within the warehouse at Curd & Cure , to redirect edible surplus food from within the business into delicious new products ..
As one of Curd & Cure ’ s most popular cheeses , surplus Long Clawson stilton is used for the Broccoli & Stilton soup , the first in the range of soups . Made using wonky potatoes from local grower Provenance Potatoes , who work to reduce their impact on the environment and have a positive impact on the local community . These surplus potatoes are rejected due to appearance , including size and imperfections . Created with a purpose to upcycle ingredients and reduce food waste from within their own supply chain , each pot of The Rescue Range : Broccoli & Stilton Soup contains 38 % upcycled ingredients . When whole hams are cut down for retail packs in Curd & Cure ’ s production unit , the offcuts and ends are used for the chunks in the Pea & Honey Roast Ham soup . Surplus offcuts from other meats are packaged and distributed through Too Good To Go surprise bags . Another popular product is Farmhouse Cheddar , perfect for a rich and creamy Mac & Cheese soup , made with wonky potatoes .
The Rescue Range aims to shake up the wholesale sector to transform the way that surplus is viewed and challenge other businesses to be more innovative with reducing their food waste !
www . curdandcure . co . uk curdandcure
117