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16th March 2007
Following the publication of the Government’s draft Climate Change bill, Aga has responded by publishing a draft Environmental Code for the foodservice industry which sets out how 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions could easily be saved each year in the UK’s 273 000 catering kitchens.
Aga is calling for industry-wide consultation on its draft Code which ultimately it wants to see adopted in the UK and incorporated in the new draft EU standard EN203. The proposed Environmental Code challenges equipment manufacturers, caterers, purchasers and Government to raise performance and illustrates what can be achieved by making simple changes.
The sector is know for its lavish use of energy with the iconic restaurant kitchen six burner range usually used with all the burners permanently on. Independent research conducted last week for Aga Foodservice shows that 65% of chefs interviewed said that they turn the burners on first thing and leave them on and 26% of chefs admitted to leaving the burners fully on all the time.
In the Code, the company highlights new data identifying that the UK’s 273 000 catering outlets could reduce energy usage from 250 billion kW to 125 billion kW, cutting sector energy bills in half and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 million tonnes by adopting simple measures and switching to newer, energy efficient equipment.
The Aga Environmental Code examines the most common items of equipment in the commercial kitchen such as ranges, fryers, ovens and fridges/freezers and clearly illustrates current guidelines, new standards proposed by EN203 and shows how this new draft proposed legislation must be tightened in order for it to make a meaningful difference. The Aga Foodservice Group believes that, without proper, meaningful regulatory guidelines, the industry will continue to ignore energy issues.
Vic Cocker, Chairman of Aga Foodservice Group says: “The foodservice sector is responsible for producing over 48 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year; it should not wait to be told to take action to reduce this figure significantly. By publishing this Environmental Code, we want to encourage debate within our sector and make energy efficiency a key operating consideration. I know from my work at WRAP that improving efficiency and raising environmental standards on a sector by sector basis can make a remarkable impact. Operators, large or small, can make simple changes now and factor in energy efficiency to their future purchasing choices. We have the opportunity to make a real difference and set an example to all industries through leading by example.”
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