Gail’s bakery launches new products made from food waste including hot cross bun bacon buttie

The bakery has promised at least 25 new products over the coming year as part of its drive to become a zero-waste business

Artisan bakery chain Gail’s is expanding its product range made from food waste in a bid to recycle surplus ingredients from its supply chain.

Gail’s has promised at least 25 new products over the coming year as part of its eco-conscious baking line as it hopes to become a zero-waste business. A hot cross bun bacon buttie is among the new additions.

The bakery, which currently trades from 53 locations across London, Oxford, Brighton, Farnham and Wokingham, launched the UK’s first loaf made from leftover bread in 2018, in a bid to cut down on food waste.

Named “Waste Bread”, the sourdough is made by turning day-old unsold loaves into breadcrumbs, before making them into a porridge-type mix. This is then added to a fresh white sourdough dough, resulting in a fresh loaf with the recycled bread making up a third of its ingredients. The 750g loaves cost £4.20 each.

Since launching the recycled loaf at select London bakeries, the company has expanded its waste-reducing range to feature other products, including baguettes turned into croutons and savoury crackers made with leftover cheese rinds.

This move comes at a time when other food companies are launching eco initiatives in a drive to be more sustainable.

Last week, Marks & Spencer announced it will be extending its “bring your own container” scheme which allows shoppers to refill their own food containers to avoid plastic waste.

The trial took place in a Southampton store and was met positively by shoppers. The retailer said that 25 of its 44 “fill your own” products were outselling the packaged alternatives.

In the UK, we throw away 10.2m tonnes of food waste each year, creating more than 20m tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

The circular economy model, which Gail’s waste-reducing range practices, is increasingly being used in the food industry, as well as in fashion.

It hopes to keep resources – whether that be clothing material or food ingredients – in the supply chain for as long as possible in order to avoid waste.