This is part of their long-term plastic waste reduction initiative.

Burger King UK announced a series of new commitments to reduce plastic waste by the end of the year, in line with the brand’s vision for all packaging used in its 500 stores nationwide to be recyclable, biodegradable or compostable by 2025.

Key projects include the introduction of a smaller, lighter-weight and compostable drinking straw, in restaurants nationwide in September 2018, which will reportedly reduce the fast food brand’s total plastic output by 36% a year or approximately 29 metric tonnes.

They are also working with suppliers to find a completely biodegradable straw replacement that still works for customers, in line with their goal of completely eliminating plastic straws from all restaurants.

A pilot test will also take place from 1st July 2018 in 70 restaurants, where straws and cup lids will only be given to customers when requested. Burger King says a nationwide, permanent roll out before the end of the year might be implemented if this shows positive results.

“Packaging helps us to provide guests with the same great tasting, quality food that they expect from us, however we are aware of the negative impact that plastics in particular can have. We are firmly committed to making a real difference and increasing the recyclability of the materials we use, as well as helping our customers to dispose of packaging more responsibly,” Burger King UK chief financial officer Tim Doubleday.

This is one of the brand’s three openings scheduled for this year.

Rosa’s Thai Café is now set to open one of its newest sites in Bluewater later this year, after signing an agreement with commercial property company Landsec to acquire 2,500 sq ft in the area.

“London was a great starting point for us to offer our authentic and sustainably sourced dishes, but we wanted to reach out to an even wider market. We’re delighted to be bringing an entirely new type of cuisine to Bluewater, which we view as one of the UK’s leading retail and leisure destinations,” Rosa’s Thai Café managing director Gavin Adair said.

The brand, who was recently acquired by private equity firm TriSpan, is noted for their signature Thai food with seasonal ingredients and sustainability credentials.

(Also read: Rosa's Thai Café acquired by private equity firm TriSpan)

“Guests at Bluewater have told us for some time that they would like to see Thai cuisine offered as part of our dining options. We have seen strong demand for space in the plaza and we know Rosa’s Thai Cafe will be a popular addition,” Robert Hardie, Portfolio Director at Landsec, co-owner and asset manager of Bluewater, added.

The ice cream equipment company was previously lauded by the global food giant in 2015.

McDonald’s has given its Global Reliability Award to the Carpigiani Group for efforts in maintaining reliability of equipment components and manufacturing capabilities as one of their suppliers.

“This company has a reputation for strongly recognizing the importance of reliability to McDonald’s and their customers. They have maintained their reliability scores under McDonald’s required threshold consistently for more than 7 years. Among all the complex pieces of equipment in the McDonald’s system, they are the only supplier to achieve such results,” McDonald’s Corporate Vice President of Restaurant Solutions Jim Fox said.

Founded in 1946, Carpigiani was previously given McDonald’s Innovation Award in 2015 and is known for their artisan gelato programme.

“We are absolutely delighted to have won McDonald’s Global Reliability Award, which is a fantastic acknowledgement of the quality of our products and our commitment to the highest standards of service. Industry recognition, such as this high profile award, is a great reward for the expertise, passion and commitment of the Carpigiani team worldwide,” Carpigiani UK Managing Director Paul Ingram said.