Do you lick your lips at the mention of street food, or have a go-to takeaway app at your fingertips? We’ve got a soft spot for tasty treats too. But the fat, oil and grease that makes them so tempting can also harm homes and the environment if it enters our sewers. In part of two of our three-part series, discover how we’re working with food outlets to keep food businesses going and our sewers flowing.
Food for thought
Fat, oil and grease (FOG) is used in nearly all types of cooking, then left over on plates and pans once everyone’s had their fill. If it’s washed down sinks or drains – during cooking or washing up – it can harden in the pipes and restrict the flow.
For food business, FOG can cause smelly and awkward blockages in kitchens and be off-putting for customers. Further along the system, FOG can collect to form fatbergs that block our sewers and force wastewater to back-up into homes and businesses or overflow into rivers and waterways. So, what happens in food outlets’ kitchens can affect everyone.
Making contact with food outlets
Here in the South East, you can pick from up to 28,000 food businesses. Where do you begin? We had the same question when we decided to approach them with advice about protecting our sewers from FOG. We knew we’d never get around them going door-to-door, so we found ways to talk to them in large numbers.
We started by visiting the headquarters of multi-premises food businesses and supermarket chains who could pass our tips and advice to their outlets. Yet 80% of the outlets we wanted to talk to are independent businesses. Were we back to square one? That’s when a bright idea struck. We contacted every food trade association in the UK. One-by-one, we asked them to share tips and advice with their members through their newsletters, magazines, conferences, websites and other channels. But what about street food traders, who are often on-the-go?
Word on the street (food)
Street food has surged in popularity. Now, mobile caterers flock to markets, festivals and local events. Yet preparing food on-the-go has fresh challenges – including what to do with the waste at the end of the day. Shockingly, some traders pour it into the nearest surface water gully, which flows directly into local rivers and seas, polluting the environment.
Because market traders are always on the move, they’re tricky to reach. That’s why we’ve partnered with their professional bodies to share our guidance. We’ve been working with the National Market Traders Federation to share ways for its 20,000 members to safely manage their waste through its printed and online magazine. Meanwhile, when the National Caterers Association was developing its own Street Food Standards, we advised on the correct and safe disposal of liquid waste for 6,000 mobile caterer members. Yet, when the pandemic struck, food businesses appreciated our advice more than ever.
A helping-hand in and out of lockdown
Many food businesses were impacted by the pandemic. When England went into lockdown, many had to close at short notice and several kitchens were left unused for months, which can cause drains to block, equipment to jam or hazardous bacteria (like legionella) to spread.
To support food outlets through this difficult time, we published guidance for food businesses on how to close a kitchen, maintain equipment during prolonged closure and re-open safely, so food outlets could avoid setbacks and return to business smoothly. Other public and trade bodies asked to share our guidance, which shows how welcome clear guidance is in a sector where advice can sometimes be conflicting or missing.
Putting our heads together with FOGwise
Few food businesses have proper FOG management, which is hardly a surprise when no legislation is in place to enforce the matter. Although blocking a public sewer is a criminal offence under Section 111 Water Industry Act 1991, guidance on grease management can be inconsistent. Plus, when blockages and flooding incidents do happen, pointing the blame on a specific property or business can be difficult to prove.
To agree a consistent set of principles and practices for effective FOG management in food service, we’ve joined the FOGwise working group. Organisations from the food service and equipment sectors have teamed up with representatives from the environmental health and water sectors. Together, the members have pooled their expertise to agree a consistent approach to FOG management in food service. This will soon be published as a guide on the importance of disposing of FOG responsibly, along with practical ways to do so. We can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on together.
A worthy cause – working with charities and the government
As you’ve heard, what happens in commercial kitchens can affect all of us – from putting people’s homes at risk of flooding to causing harm to the environment and wildlife. Is a cause so important winning the attention of government, charities and environmental organisations? Find out in part three, which explores how we’re joining forces for a cleaner world.
We’re pleased to partner with the European FOG Summit. This is Europe’s leading fat, oil and grease (FOG) summit, and it takes place on 18-19 October in Liverpool.
