January has been a busy one behind the scenes for the Greetwell team. We’ve spent much of the month in the office benchmarking costs, reviewing 2025 spend and helping care homes steady budgets after the Christmas period!

It’s been a quiet month for events but take a look at what we’ve been up to in January.

We were delighted to be part of this month’s Care Home Magazine through our sponsorship of Care Home of the Month. A huge congratulations to Copperfield Court, part of the Crystal Care Collection. The home is committed to reducing environmental impact through solar panels and sustainable, energy-efficient living,  something we love to see as a B Corp. It’s always a pleasure to support care homes doing such inspiring work.

We officially started our 1% for the Planet donations! As always we pick three charities between the team to support. First up is Paws on Plastic SC051306 an incredible idea which started with picking up litter on a dog walk. Now the eco-friendly, dog loving community removes over 39 million pieces of litter every year!

While January doesn’t bring any exciting events, it’s a critical month to reset ready for 2026! In the office we’ve been reviewing 2025 spend trends, benchmarking food and consumable costs and preparing insights and guidance for the year ahead.

Taking The Pea is a Challenger Startup that is on a mission to shake up snacking in the UK.

As consumers become more conscious about what they’re eating, demand continues to grow for snacks that are healthy, nutritious, and mindful of sugar, allergens and nut allergies.

Taking The Pea does exactly that, transforming the humble British marrowfat pea (one of the most nutritious vegetables out there) into a delicious, flavour-packed snack using natural seasonings inspired by the nation’s favourite crisps.

Why we love them (their USP-eas):

• Four irresistible flavours: Cheese & Onion, Sweet Chilli, Wasabi, Smoked Ham (yes — it’s vegan!)
• A great source of protein (15g per 100g), high in fibre, vitamins and minerals
• Only ~90 calories per serving (varies slightly by flavour)
• Plant-based, palm oil free, nut-free and 75% soy-free
• Grown and made in the UK by an inclusive, sustainability-led team
• Free samples, activation days (pea suits included!), POS and marketing support available

Bidfood Codes:

Sweet Chilli – 24971

Smoked Ham – 24973

Cheese & Onion – 24977

Wacky Wasabi – 24972

To find out more (or grab your first pack), visit: 👉 www.takingthepea.co.uk For enquiries, contact: will@ttpsnacks.com

Beans, beans good for your heart… We’ve all heard it! And it turns out there’s a lot of truth behind it. Beans are a real superfood when it comes to our diets, not just during Veganuary but all year round. Affordable, versatile and packed with nutrition, they’re a great addition to care home menus.

Read more about them here

Key Dates for February:

Key Dates for February

The frost is starting to lift and the days are slowly getting longer which means February is just around the corner.

6th February: Time to Talk Day – A great opportunity to focus on staff and resident wellbeing.

9th February: National Pizza Day – Get residents involved and have an active pizza making dinner!

14th February: Valentine’s Day – Perfect for themed menus, activities and celebrations.

15th–23rd February: Real Bread Week – A chance to celebrate traditional baking and quality ingredients.

Some good news stories!

New figures show the murder rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level since 1977, with overall violent crime declining. While some offences like shoplifting have risen, the data challenges claims that Britain is becoming more lawless.

Scotland has approved a new law requiring swift bricks in all new homes to help reverse the sharp decline in swift populations. Championed by the Scottish Greens, the measure is a low-cost way to support wildlife with minimal impact on building design.

That’s all for now!