Former Whitbread boss Alan Parker joins board of food waste technology company

Alan Parker, chief executive of Whitbread for six years, has joined the board of directors of Winnow, a technology company which helps chefs reduce food waste.

He joins the company having worked in the hospitality sector for more than 30 years, 18 of which he was at the forefront of restructuring Whitbread, owner of the Premier Inn and Costa Coffee brands.

The Winnow smart meter helps chefs cut food waste in half by automatically measuring what gets thrown away. It is said to help kitchens achieve a 2% to 6% improvement in gross margins.

Parker said: "Food waste costs the hospitality sector over £2.5b per year, I believe that the Winnow System is a perfect solution to this problem, helping operators dramatically reduce costs whilst at the same time progressing the sustainability agenda."

Marc Zornes, co-founder of Winnow, added that he was "thrilled" by Parker's appointment. "Our smart meter has been deployed in over 100 sites in the UK and having reached £1m in annualised savings from reduced food purchasing costs, we have proven that the Winnow system can be implemented at scale to deliver significant savings across the hospitality sector."

Ex-Whitbread boss Alan Parker to be hospitality champion on red tape >>

EasyJet boss Andy Harrison to succeed Alan Parker at Whitbread >>

Alan Parker to receive Lifetime Achievement award in Berlin >>