Arena Round Table - July 2022

in partnership with Nutritics

15 July 2022

Participants

Ellie Besley-Gould

Head of Purpose, Hawksmoor

Juliane Cailouette-Noble

CEO, Sustainable Restaurant Association (Chair)

Clare Clark

Head of Sustainability, CH&CO

Mel Marriott

MD, Darwin & Wallace

David Mulcahy

Food Innovation & Sustainability Director, Sodexo UK&I

Laura Kirwan

Sustainability Lead, Nutritics

Stephen Nolan

MD, Nutritics

Oliver Rosevear

Director of Sustainability, Fuller Smith & Turner PLC

Anne Simonnet

Head of Sustainability, Foodbuy

Charlotte Wright

Head of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability, Elior UK

Event Review

People challenges in our sector are making it more difficult to focus on sustainability 

The widespread labour challenges impacting the hospitality sector have made it more difficult to focus on sustainability, according to a panel of experts at our last roundtable discussion, held at Rosewood London. 

Sponsored by hospitality software provider Nutritics, the panel discussed how the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit have meant that fewer companies are able to release staff to focus on developing sustainability initiatives.  

The panel, made up of sustainability experts, came from businesses operating in the contract catering, pub and restaurant sectors.  

The conversation soon turned to people and resourcing, with several panellists agreeing that, while teams buy into sustainability, chefs are so focused on ensuring their core responsibilities in the kitchen are covered amidst the staffing shortage, as well as ensuring they are compliant with new legislation such as Natasha’s Law, that they are struggling to find the time to attend training sessions or visit suppliers, learn about sustainability, and develop initiatives to address it. 

Panellists suggested that sustainability will continue to be difficult to prioritise until it is simplified and automated to make it easy for teams to be sustainable. Attendees said the data gap needs to be addressed so that sustainability can be measured in a way that isn’t complex or tedious and that staff stress levels and mental health must also be considered on this journey to ensure the sustainability of the business.  

Senior management buy-in was emphasised as key to ensure sustainable initiatives can be delivered at pace. Engaged Boards will invest in projects and initiatives so that teams are given the time to pursue education and incentivised for changing their behaviour.

Attendees said that some finance teams already recognise that we are approaching the point where the cost of not tackling sustainability will be more than actually doing something about it. 

It was suggested that the pandemic has given the sector the opportunity to do things differently, as the barriers to change that once existed may have been lifted by the unprecedented developments of the last few years. For instance, QR codes were resurrected during the pandemic whereas previous uptake was slow. 

Consumers are also more aware of the challenging landscape operators are facing and may be therefore more forgiving of shorter menus or certain items being removed, particularly if it is with sustainability in mind. Although, the challenge remains that the market has for years been geared towards variety and wider choice. 

Plate waste was highlighted as a particular issue that businesses in the sector are monitoring and addressing, down to details such as which garnishes to use – and it was highlighted that food waste, efficiency and profitability go hand in hand.  

However, consumers also need to be taken on this journey to ensure reduced portion sizes aren’t perceived as offering reduced value for money, particularly in the climate of a cost-of-living crisis, with transparent communication being critical. Some establishments, for example, have tackled this by offering guests smaller portions with the opportunity to have more food if they are still hungry.  

Panellists also pointed out that customers will not necessarily understand why certain foods cost more and how much work goes into sourcing from reputable, sustainable and ethical sources. It was emphasised that the stories being told around cost and sustainability are speaking to chefs and not consumers, and that the sector needs to be better at communicating the right messages to the latter. These messages also need to encompass the full sustainability picture and not just focus on carbon, for instance, or shout loudly about sustainability initiatives that don’t have much impact and risk businesses being accused of ‘greenwashing’.  

Ultimately, despite the challenges facing teams, it was agreed that customers, investors and teams expect sustainability to be a top priority for companies, and one that must be tackled if they are to remain employers and service providers of choice. 

If you’re interested in hosting or participating in a future round table event, please contact Lorraine.

Event Sponsor

Nutritics helps businesses unlock the hidden value of food data in real time, to manage recipes, create labels, plan meals, publish menus and measure your environmental impact. We are focused on making food information more reliable, more accessible and more valuable for our customers. By connecting our clients and their customers to food information they can rely on, we can deliver our vision to be the world’s most trusted food data management software, delivering valuable insights to enable anyone to make better informed food choices.
 
Foodprint from Nutritics is a fully automated and transparent carbon footprint scoring system for foodservice and hospitality businesses. It provides a reliable Scope 3 ESG reporting and carbon labelling system that will enable food businesses to measure, manage and report on the carbon footprint of the food they purchase alongside helping to meet their carbon goals.