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There has been an undeniable upswing in sustainability expectations in UK film and TV, with BAFTA’s ALBERT guidelines becoming the norm for HETV, film and even reality programming.

Catering is one of the quickest ways to reduce the environmental footprint of a production. Still, you need to make sure that you are choosing a film and TV catering company that understands (and can manage) the challenge of feeding crews well and reducing waste.

If you’re running a production, you know you’ll be under pressure to make more sustainable decisions, and this is why Rose Catering is the perfect location catering partner if you want to make practical, meaningful improvements.

Why Sustainable On-Set Catering Matters

BAFTA has set a standard that productions should be meeting, and that means production teams need to be able to trust their suppliers and partners to meet the same standards.

This can look like reducing waste, where meals are adjusted based on the number of people eating (and the food they want). Waste reduction also looks like using recycled materials where possible, and recycling where we can. Most importantly, it means ensuring nothing is taken to landfill. Here at Rose Catering, our production liaison team determines the number of cast and crew and their dietary requirements, which means we only cook food that will be eaten. We serve on crockery where possible, and where that isn’t feasible, we use compostable disposables so nothing goes to landfill.

It can also look like using local suppliers to reduce food miles, and creating menus that use seasonal produce. Our teams have a close working relationship with several national and local food suppliers, so you know that we are doing our best to reduce food miles—especially when it comes to creating seasonal menus that keep our cast and crew well-fed and happy.

As this year progresses and into the future, production teams are becoming more aware that catering for the film industry must be sustainable, and that it is no longer optional to make environmentally based decisions.

The Key Elements of Sustainable Location Catering – the ALBERT Way.

Sustainable Location Catering

1. According to ALBERT, producers are encouraged to offer more plant-based and vegetarian options and reduce the amount of red meat served. Here at Rose Catering, our chefs are creative and interested in making delicious, nutritious meals with menus that are more plant-forward for sustainability.
2. Reduce food miles: Our long-standing relationships with national and local suppliers mean we can always find a more sustainable way to source the ingredients we need for our delicious meals.
3. Minimise food waste: The best way to minimise food waste is to ensure that the meals created are delicious, so all plates are cleared. On a more practical note, we reduce food waste by cooking just enough to cover the number of people we are feeding. If there’s a last-minute change or something else comes up, we can also donate our surplus food and meals where appropriate.
4. Efficient transport and logistics. Our usual setup includes an HGV kitchen, a van, and a fridge trailer, making us the ultimate in on-set catering—and allowing us to offer hot box catering. However, it takes local knowledge and information to understand the most effective and efficient way to travel across the local area—and that is something that Rose Catering is an expert in, especially with our widespread local bases.
5. Lastly, but by no means least, is recycling. The obvious answer is to avoid single-use plastics, and here at Rose Catering, we have taken that one step further. Our disposables are actually compostable rather than just recyclable. Alongside this, we also offer a plated service with proper cutlery and crockery, which is even better.

So, What Does Sustainable Cast and Crew Catering Look Like in Practice?

Visiting a production that Rose Catering are supporting will show you exactly what sustainable catering for the film industry (and for TV) should look like in practice. Our procedures and policies are all ALBERT-aligned, and we work sustainably from the very first enquiry through to the final shoot day.

As standard, we include:

• Plant-first menus and meat-free days to suit production needs. Meals are planned based on the number of people who are eating.
• No single-use plastics. If disposables are required due to the nature of the shoot, then we lean on our relationship with Vegware to offer compostable disposables.
• Supplies from national and local food companies that travel the shortest distance to reach us, and mapped movements to ensure that, logistically, we are not driving our vehicles more than we have to.
• Our oil waste is collected and recycled by Olleco, which turns it into biodiesel.

Want to see what it looks like in reality? Come and have lunch with us.

Regional Expertise Across the UK

There is no denying that local knowledge matters. So if you are searching for film catering in London, location catering in Bristol, or film catering in Wales, you want to know you are choosing someone who knows the area well.

With nationwide coverage and local expertise, our teams have relationships with local suppliers and locations and know how to move around the area most efficiently. And by choosing an on-set catering team that is local, you are supporting a local business and boosting the economy locally, too.

What Productions Should Look For In A Sustainable Film Caterer

Ready to make a choice? The best film and TV catering teams should have:

• Proven experience in film and TV catering, especially location work
• The ability to scale and serve changing crew sizes
• Menus that can flex to include all dietary requirements and allergies, while reducing waste
• Systems created to reduce waste across the whole operation
• A head office team to offer a conduit of communication from the first enquiry right the way through to post-production (and onto the next production)
• Detailed sustainability documentation that can be shared
• Qualified, experienced, and creative chefs
• A fleet of well-managed vehicles, including both 7.5t trucks and support vehicles, so they can go where your production goes.
• A reputation for quality every single time.

Essentially, then, you should be looking for us here at Rose Catering.

Sustainable catering benefits productions financially, logistically, and environmentally – so make sure you are choosing a catering team for cast and crew who have sustainability at the heart of what they offer.

Here at Rose Catering, we are proud of what we offer and ready to work with you. Give us a call on tel:01869 345204 or email us at office@rosecatering.co.uk to see if we have a kitchen and a team of chefs available.