Page 34 - April 2020

RLI LEISURE INSIGHT

Trends Transforming the

Foodservice Industry

Ben Gardner, CEO of Navitas takes some time out from his
regular schedule to pen this month’s leisure insight, which
highlights the five key trends that are transforming the foodservice
industry – and what that means for safety in the food industry.

1. Veganism becomes mainstream can prepare meals for delivery. The fact that McDonald’s has
According to the Vegan Society in 2018 the UK launched recently opened its first delivery kitchen in west London tells
more vegan products than any other nation. Between 2014 you all you need to know about our appetite for delivered
and 2019 the number of vegans in Great Britain quadrupled food and the vibrancy of this sector of the industry.
to more than 600,000, or 1.16 per cent of the population. Dark kitchens are, of course, still subject to all the usual
Preparing vegan dishes clearly requires the strict separation of Food Standards Agency regulations and Food Hygiene Rating
utensils and preparation areas - between vegetarian and vegan checks from local authorities. However, the fact that they are
as well as meat and meat-free - and also being clear about the not public-facing takeaways or restaurants risks a potential
definition of what constitutes a vegan ingredient and what might lack of everyday scrutiny from customers. With that in mind,
not. Honey is an obvious one here - it is not considered vegan. there needs to be greater transparency around Food Hygiene
However, there are also ingredients like beeswax on citrus fruits Ratings making it mandatory for brands operating from dark
to be aware of and an ingredient called Shellac or E904 widely kitchens to display their rating online or at the point of
used in the food industry to give a gloss to fruit and vegetables. ordering. This is the only way consumers can make informed
decisions and reassure themselves that the food they are
2. street food is big business ordering has been produced to the highest standards.
Street food has been one of the major food trends of
the last couple of years with dedicated festivals, markets and 4. the ‘allergen emergency’
individual street food trading units - a world away from those It’s now less than two years from the mandatory
greasy burger vans - popping up all over the country. introduction of new rules around full ingredients labelling for
It’s a trend that has inspired a new generation of would-be foods made on site and pre-packed for direct sale, designed
chefs and foodpreneurs, as well as more established restaurant to ensure consistency in how allergens are labelled. The
businesses. But whether this is part of a festival or on the high 72 per cent increase in children admitted to hospital with
street, and however basic they might be, remember that these severe allergic reactions in a five-year period reported by
food stalls are still subject to inspection by local authority the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation recently, has been
environmental health officers and need a Food Hygiene Rating. dubbed an ‘allergy emergency’ and while the causes are
As street food’s popularity grows and more people get unclear, food businesses need to step up to the plate here.
involved there will inevitably be some who succumb to the In 2020 businesses need to double down on allergen
temptation to cut corners. But, while street food might be management, allergen labelling and ensuring all staff is allergen
produced in cramped conditions in all manner of locations, there aware and trained. Our own research found that some 83 per
can be no excuses for not storing, preparing and cooking it safely. cent of those who look out for allergen information expect
kitchens to have up-to-date technology and systems in place
3. the rise of dark kitchens to minimise the risk posed from allergens. This is so important
Dark kitchens - commercial kitchens that make food purely because it only takes a single slip-up to potentially put customers
for the home delivery market - have really taken off since in danger, with potentially life-threatening consequences.
Deliveroo and Uber Eats expanded their focus from delivering
food for takeaways, to also creating kitchens where food brands 5. a bad taste from food waste
Food waste is going to become increasingly unacceptable. It’s
not just a growing ‘waste not, want not’ mind-set; food waste is also
viewed as morally wrong given the imbalance of food availability
across the globe and environmentally irresponsible in terms of the
resources squandered in getting food from farm to fork.
An up-to-date approach to food safety can help reduce the
staggering 920,000 tonnes of food thrown away by the hospitality
sector every year. Checking temperatures during cooking and
service prevents food being thrown away because kitchen staff
cannot be certain that it has been cooked and stored safely.
Food spoilage and waste can also be minimised by using devices
to constantly monitor the temperatures in a kitchen’s appliances.
In the event of a fridge or freezer failure this technology can help
avoid hundreds and even thousands of pounds worth of food
waste. As with allergen management, the signs are that consumers
(and also the Government) are going to expect food businesses
to do more to reduce the amount of food they waste.

34 retail & leisure international APRIL 2020