Expert Guides
WELL & BREEAM aligned catering
Helping clients create healthier, high-performing workplaces
Our expert catering teams work alongside clients to deliver WELL & BREEAM aligned catering that supports two of the UK’s most important workplace standards. Whether you’re targeting Bronze or Platinum, or simply want to align your food offer with best practice, this guide shares key insights and practical steps.
WELL certification: what you need to know
WELL Certification is a global standard for buildings that support health and wellbeing. It includes Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum levels, and its food and beverage requirements are some of the most rigorous in workplace dining. Even meeting the baseline ‘pre-conditions’ can be challenging without specialist support.
Key food and beverage criteria To align with WELL, workplace catering must meet strict requirements, including:
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- Reducing fizzy drinks (under 25g sugar/serving), crisps, chocolate and deep-fried items like chips.
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- Ensuring at least 50% of bread and rice options are wholegrain, promoted first and priced the same as refined.
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- Understanding that menu appearance counts as promotion (removing items doesn’t bypass requirements).
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- Providing nutritional information at the point of sale, either via screens or QR codes.
“Example: A compliant chicken katsu dish must be oven-baked, made with wholegrain brown rice, a low-sugar sauce, and wholegrain or sourdough breadcrumbs.”
BM supports clients navigate the WELL journey by:
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- Mapping favourite dishes against WELL criteria.
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- Adapting menus and developing compliant recipes.
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- Offering dual-menu formats where eating disorder policies apply.
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- Running on-site education and engagement campaigns.
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- Advising on vending, tea points, meeting hospitality and more.
Investment & ongoing support
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- Initial nutritionist-led setup
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- In-house or recruited WELL nutrition/compliance lead
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- Nutritics licence; API/tablet display
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- Optional education events on site
BREEAM: what you need to know
BREEAM is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for buildings. Catering can contribute to multiple BREEAM credits by improving health, reducing waste, cutting energy use and demonstrating social value.
Where catering supports BREEAM
1. Health & Wellbeing (Hea)
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- Wholefood-based menus, healthy cooking methods (e.g. steaming, grilling).
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- Nutritional labelling via QR codes or point-of-sale.
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- Plant-based and culturally inclusive choices.
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- Customer education campaigns and chef-led demos.
2. Waste (Wst)
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- Food waste tracking and redistribution strategies.
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- Returnable packaging (e.g. CauliBox), reusable serviceware.
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- Clear segregation of waste streams front and back-of-house.
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- Supplier partnerships to reduce packaging.
3. Energy (Ene)
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- Use of energy-efficient kitchen equipment (e.g. induction hobs, eco combi-ovens).
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- Smart kitchen practices: batch cooking, fridge discipline.
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- Sub-metering or integration with building energy monitoring.
4. Materials (Mat)
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- Sustainable fit-out materials: FSC wood, low-VOC finishes.
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- Compostable or reusable serviceware.
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- Local and low-impact sourcing for refurbishments.
5. Management & Innovation (Man + Inn)
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- Team training on ESG best practice.
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- Reporting dashboards for client sustainability KPIs.
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- Innovation credits: e.g. AI-driven waste reduction or biodiversity-led sourcing.
