We aim to achieve this by:

• Liaising with suppliers and growers to ensure their practices comply with our aims.
• Running our warehouse in an energy-efficient way.
• Recycling of packaging materials.
• Keeping produce wastage to a minimum.
• Maintaining our vehicle fleet and training drivers well, paying particular attention to fuel economy.
• Encouraging our customers to order produce that is in season and actively discouraging the use of fuel-costly air-freighted items.

See more details below.

Corporate & Social Responsibility

We recognise that our social, environmental and ethical conduct has an impact on our reputation. We therefore take our corporate social responsibilities (CSR) seriously and are committed to advancing our policies and systems across the company to ensure we address and monitor all aspects of CSR that are relevant to our business. These include good ethical behaviour, concern for employee health and safety and care for the environment..

We strive to maintain a productive and open dialogue with all parties who may have an interest in our activities including, customers, suppliers and employees. We conduct regular customer satisfaction surveys, monitor supplier performance and actively encourage feedback from our employees.

The Directors take ultimate responsibility for CSR and are committed to developing and implementing appropriate policies while adhering to a fundamental commitment to create and sustain long-term value. As a company driven by the catering industry our main assets are our customers and the talents and skills of the people we employ. The Directors do not believe that, to date, the activities of our company cause any significant environmental risks.

Ethics

Entremettier expects that all of its business is conducted in compliance with high ethical standards of business practice. We apply these standards to all dealings with employees, customers and suppliers.

Our Ethics Policy has been developed to ensure that the company’s business is conducted in adherence to high ethical and legal principles and sets standards of professionalism and integrity for all employees.

Employees

The Company aims to attract, retain and motivate the highest calibre of employees within the context of an operating structure that encourages their development and initiative.

Employees are provided with a continuing learning and development opportunity to fulfill their potential and this process is managed to align development with the Company’s strategic and business units’ goals and objectives. Some formal performance management processes are now operating in the parts of the company, linked to the vision and values of the company. These processes are reinforced with appropriate remuneration and incentive systems.

Management development and succession planning are processes which are recognised as being critical to the future success of the business and are managed accordingly. The company is committed to providing equality of opportunity to all existing and prospective employees without unlawful or unfair discrimination.

Food Quality & Safety

We are fully committed to storing and supplying our customer’s quality foods that when cooked are safe to eat, free of physical contamination and comply with all current UK and EU legislation.

We will maintain clean and safe premises, clean work equipment and food safety systems. We will also provide such information, training and supervision needed for this purpose.

From time to time food safety allergens will appear in the media. We are proactive in keeping up to date with food safety issues and employ adequate resources to monitor our food safety management system.

As we store and distribute mainly raw fruit and vegetable produce it is important for our customers to be aware that all produce should be processed (washed, sanitised, peeled or cooked) before being fit for human consumption. In addition, they must follow good hygiene practices according to the catering industry guide.

This and all our policies are reviewed at least once a year.

Environmental & Sustainable

Suppliers & Growers

We try to liaise with all our suppliers and growers to make sure they produce the food using as little energy as possible.

We will continue to operate our no GMO policy until such time as these organisms are proven to be safe for both consumers and the environment.

We try to liaise with growers on the use of pesticides and herbicides, using the minimum possible for producing the desired crop quality.

We actively encourage our buyers to purchase from the most local viable source (subject to quality standards and price restrictions).

In the warehouse

Our new bespoke warehouse is modern, energy-efficient CFC-free units. Insulated doors and temperature conservation curtains have been fitted to all cold store entrances.

All staff have been instructed to help save energy by:

Turning off all appliances when not in use, particularly heaters, lights, computers cooking equipment etc.

Keeping cold store doors closed except when goods are being moved in and out of the cold store.

Keeping office doors closed in cold weather to cut down on energy used for heating.

Recycling

Direct re-use of packaging is actively encouraged and we send as much produce as possible out in its original packing.

Order-pickers are trained to pack boxes and bags efficiently in order to keep packaging material use to a minimum.

We use recyclable or recycled packaging wherever practical.

We operate with the market authority to maximise all package recycling wherever possible.

Produce Wastage

Through efficient cold storage, good stock rotation practices and sensible, efficient buying and ordering we aim to keep produce wastage to an absolute minimum. Our wastage is monitored closely and staff trained in best practices with regard to minimising produce wastage.

We also undertake to supply the customer in the units they specify, again minimising waste at end-user level.

Delivery & Vehicles

Our vehicles are regularly serviced and maintained in order to keep fuel consumption to a minimum.

When upgrading vehicles, fuel consumption and emission figures are taken into consideration when choosing which vehicle to buy. This applies to our commercial fleet and any company cars purchased.

Our delivery runs are continually re-organised to try to provide the most efficient routes.

All deliveries are carried out early in the day in order to avoid congestion, thereby reducing fuel consumption and pollution of urban areas.

All vehicles are fitted with efficient CFC-free thermostatically-controlled chiller units and full body insulation to reduce energy loss.

All drivers are instructed to turn off their refrigeration units when the vehicle is empty or carrying goods which do not require refrigeration

Reducing Food Miles

Our sales team actively try to encourage chefs to choose more seasonal products, which do not rely on inefficient freight to get them to Britain.

By ordering seasonally, caterers can make a huge difference to the amount of energy consumed, and pollution generated by moving food unnecessarily around the planet.

You can help too!

If we can help you reduce your carbon footprint in any way let us know.

Please order smart, and stay with the seasons. Try to cut down on second deliveries which would help keep our vehicles off the road. We are continually trying to reduce our impact on the environment, anything you could do would be beneficial.