Care UK announced as #FairKitchens partner

Care UK has become the first care sector organisation in the world to join the global #FairKitchens movement, which is aiming to make the happiness of catering teams as important as diner satisfaction.

Co-founded by Unilever Food Solutions in 2018, #FairKitchens now has more than 20,000 community members. The long-term ambition is to make ‘fair kitchens’ a point of preference, recognised by potential team members as positive places to work and potential diners as a sign of a high quality dining experience.

Hotel services manager James Clear will lead Care UK’s contribution to #FairKitchens by sharing lessons and success stories from his colleagues in the care sector about how to build a respectful culture in which employees are valued and treated fairly.

Care UK will also join discussions on wider issues affecting the industry’s future, such as attracting talent.

Those already involved in #FairKitchens in the UK include Hospitality Action, Hawksmoor, The Pilot Light Campaign, The Burnt Chef Project, Hospro and the Craft Guild of Chefs. The movement is also active in the US, Africa, Australasia, the Middle East and elsewhere in Europe.

Alex Hall, executive chef at Unilever Food Solutions and a #FairKitchens ambassador, said: “I am very excited to have Care UK as a partner of the movement. There is a lot the catering industry can learn from the people-centric way it runs its operation. I also think it is a brilliant opportunity to showcase the care sector as a place to work, especially in light of the pandemic.”

Clear added: “I am very much looking forward to working with a movement which focuses on ‘people first’, which is something Care UK truly believes in. When I joined Care UK I was inspired by food and services director Jon Bicknell’s vision of ‘dining with dignity’, which ensures the dining experience for our residents is the best it can be. I have learnt that to deliver this you need an engaged, motivated team. I am looking forward to sharing how we do this with others across the globe so it can benefit their businesses too.”