Our Food

Healthy eating

Food represents a significant area of growth for Marston’s, particularly in Marston’s Inns and Taverns. A core part of our strategy is offering healthier and more sustainable food choices without compromising quality or value for the customer.

Within Marston’s Inns and Taverns, we promote food sustainability in a number of different ways:

• We have recently reduced the quantity of haddock and cod we use by 45% to allow these endangered stocks to replenish. The remaining haddock and cod used on our menus is sourced only from sustainable fisheries.
• We use Prep High Performance cooking oil which supports the production of sustainable palm oil via the Green Palm trading programme.
• We source 4,000 tonnes of chips from a responsible supplier who uses the potato remnants for animal feed, fertiliser and renewable energy. Similarly, we are committed to offering customers healthier meals and in Marston’s Inns and Taverns, for example:
• 74% of new products launched in 2009 met the Food Standards Agency’s 2010 salt targets.
• Battered fish now meet Department of Health 2012 targets for sodium content, and saturated fat content has been reduced by 36%.
• All beefburgers now meet the 2012 sodium target.
• Hydrogenated vegetable oils have been removed from all products.
• Where vegetables are an accompaniment to a main meal they provide two portions of an adult’s ‘5-a-day’ requirement.
• We do not add salt to chips and we grill rather than fry our sausages.
• All of our meals are free from genetically modified ingredients and monosodium glutamate.

Food safety and supply

Annually we spent approximately £45 million on purchasing food, sourcing over 1,200 lines from more than 70 suppliers. We are determined to ensure that the goods we buy are produced ethically, and are socially and environmentally sustainable. All of our purchasing professionals abide by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply’s Professional Code of Ethics Statement. To maintain consistently high standards of food quality and hygiene, all of our suppliers are either British Retail Consortium approved, complete a self audit or are audited by an independent food hygiene company. As part of this process, suppliers must be able to demonstrate full traceability of all products supplied to all Marston’s managed pubs.

One of the advantages of retaining local breweries within the Group is that it minimises the carbon footprint we generate in producing and distributing our beers. Similarly, by sourcing locally wherever possible and keeping our external suppliers under review we are able to minimise food and delivery miles.