Co-founded by Unilever Food Solutions in 2018 to improve the wellbeing of hospitality and foodservice workers, #FairKitchens now has more than 20,000 community members.
Resources and success stories are shared to help operators improve working environments, with the focus on fair pay, fair treatment and fair hours.
The long-term ambition is to create a point of preference, with ‘Fair Kitchens’ recognised by potential team members as good places to work and by diners as assurance of a quality dining experience that doesn’t compromise staff wellbeing.
Brakes and Sysco Speciality Group say that, like #FairKitchens, wellbeing is at the forefront of their values and is a key part of supporting their colleagues.
Both companies, which are owned by multinational foodservice business, Sysco, have a focus on supporting financial, physical and mental health, and are ‘committed to raising awareness and educating colleagues; as well as delivering practical, accessible wellbeing tools for everyone’.
“We believe in acting today to protect tomorrow. Sysco aims to support every community it engages with and with kitchen staff a vital part of our and our customers’ businesses, joining forces with #FairKitchens was an obvious decision,” Sysco International’s vice president of HR Kate Woodhouse.
Announcing the partnership, #FairKitchens ambassador and executive chef of Unilever Away From Home UK & Ireland Alex Hall says that sharing positive success stories and peer-to-peer endorsement will help to drive change.
"Brakes and Sysco Speciality Group have an incredible network and we’re grateful for their commitment to help spread the word," he continues. "They join our ever-growing ranks of partners working together to help create more positive working cultures, which is more important than ever in retaining talent and recruiting for the future.”
Brakes and Sysco Speciality Group join existing #FairKitchens partners in the UK including Hospitality Action, Hawksmoor, The Burnt Chef Project, Craft Guild of Chefs, CH&CO, Healthy Hospo, Care UK and So Let’s Talk. Started in the US, #FairKitchens has now launched in Europe, Africa, Australasia and the Middle East.
To join the #FairKitchens movement and learn from chefs and operators committed to prioritising their people follow the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.