Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has pledged to reduce the amount of water claimed to be wasted in its stores across the UK.
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The company, launched in the 1970s by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield and now owned by food giant Unilever, has faced allegations of water wastage and its use of dipping wells.
Such well are used extensively in the US but are not typical in Europe as companies follow different procedures to reduce water wastage.
The wells involve the use of water taps that are left running to hygienically rinse the scoops with a constant flow of water.
A Ben & Jerry’s spokesman said: “This has been consistent with our global standards of operations, which are based on the United States Food and Drug Administration regulations on food hygiene.”
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By GlobalDataHowever, over the past year, the company has been trialled using a water spout to hygienically clean the scoops. It claims it has cut water use “by up to 78%” while still maintaining safety levels and customer service.
The technology is intended to be included in all future stores across Europe and a spokesman for Ben & Jerry’s stated that they are “committed” to install the new system in all existing UK stores by 30 November.
