Caterers urged to participate in Gram green report

For the past 10 years Gram has been raising awareness of sustainability within the foodservice market. In particular it has published a series of ground-breaking, independent reports looking into the industry's attitudes and behaviour towards operating in a greener and more responsible way. The reports aim to help caterers reduce their carbon footprint and to see the benefits that being green will have on their business, both ethically and economically. Gram is hoping to continue this legacy in 2012 and is appealing to caterers to participate in this year's research. It is urging operators across all sectors to visit the Gram microsite to fill out an online questionnaire. Responses will be collated and analysed and will form part of the results and findings of the Gram Green Paper 2012. The refrigeration specialist has teamed up with the leading channel associations within the industry, including LACA (Local Authority Caterers Association), TUCO ltd (The University Caterers Organisation), SRA (Sustainable Restaurant Association), CHA (Considerate Hoteliers Association) and NACC (the National Association of Care Catering). In addition to the education, restaurant, hotel and care home sectors, Gram will also be seeking respondents from within the pub and contract catering channels. Lynda Mitchell, chair of LACA, said: "We are pleased to be working with Gram on the Green Paper 2012. The paper provides us with an invaluable insight into which foodservice sectors are successfully making progress when it comes to sustainability. "It's initiatives such as this, which enable us to evaluate the developments that have taken place over recent years and the ways in which key influencers attitudes are changing. "By embracing the concept of sustainability and incorporating it into the everyday environment of schools, it's becoming apparent that this area is fast becoming a way of life for everyone involved. It will be interesting to review the results of this year's report and seeing how steps taken have made an impact over the past year." Glenn Roberts, managing director of Gram, said: "We are grateful of the support it has received from the LACA for their involvement in this initiative - we hope that as many people as possible take part in this research project. "The foodservice industry is becoming increasingly conscious of the negative impact our lifestyle has on the environment and with green issues high on everyone's agenda, we believe it becomes the responsibility of manufacturers, like ourselves, to take the first step to leading the way and educating operators on ways they can reduce their impact, and contribute to a greener future." Operators are being urged to visit the web address www.gogreenwithgram.co.uk/gp2012 before June 4th and fill in the quick questionnaire. All completed responses will be entered into a prize draw and a winner will be picked at random to receive a free, iPad 3. The results of the questionnaire will be announced in September.