Arena Round Table - June 2024
In partnership with Biotiful
6 June 2024
Participants
Natasha Bowes
Founder, Biotiful Gut Health (Chair of Round Table)
Marc Burns
Out of Home Controller, Biotiful Gut Health
Lizzie Hennig
Head of Nutrition, BaxterStorey
Richard Hall
Buying Director, Elior UK
Harinder Singh
Head of Sustainability, Foodbuy UK & Ireland
Adam Thomason
Culinary Director, Restaurant Associates
Charles Abraham
Director – Food Platform, Sodexo UK & Ireland
Gina Camfield
ESG Manager, Aramark UK and Global Offshore
Robbie Laidlaw
Business Development Director, Genuine Dining Company
Jeni Edwards
Strategic Projects Director, Restaurant Associates
Event Review
Defining health and its key factors was the first step, followed by unveiling - in practical terms - what is actually deliverable from our industry. Challenges were also highlighted, whilst also looking at ways we can overcome these together as an industry.
Chair Natasha Bowes kicked off the session by identifying both health and sustainability as the two biggest themes currently evolving and developing with food. Without getting too philosophical, she outlined the importance of food, explaining how we “are what we eat” and how food is “part and parcel of everybody’s life - it’s what builds our bodies and fuels our energy”. She highlighted the importance of our role, as caterers, to help the nation eat better and make healthier choices. She also explained that the onus is on us, as an industry, to set the standards. Although this puts a lot of responsibility on our shoulders, she said, at the same time it creates plentiful opportunities to create a healthier, happier population.
Nutritional value
The focus then moved onto health and food from a chef’s point of view and the challenges that kitchens are faced with. One attendee explained that there are two sides of it from a kitchen’s perspective - you have the bought in food products and the raw food products. The difficulty for chefs is how they adapt these products without killing its nutritional value - whilst at the same time making them truly delicious and appealing to eat. It was agreed by many that it’s a tough balancing act and that it’s no longer just about the taste of a product, it’s as much about what is good for you, too.
The balancing act for chefs was identified by many as the most challenging, as they are being asked to build a menu based on calories, sugar levels, protein, fibre and so forth - whilst also considering cost which ultimately becomes the deciding factor. It was also explained by one attendee that there’s also a slight paradox when it comes to what the client asks for and what the consumer actually wants on a menu. One participant explained how flavour and nutritional value are becoming aligned on day to day eating now and advised that if you have dishes that can connect from a nutritional value as well as flavour, you are on the right path.
However, it was agreed by some that this is not an easy task and that we should see it as a “journey”. It’s not about teaching chefs in one sitting on how to create the perfect healthy menu. It’s about evolving. One panellist felt that it’s an “ethos thing” and it’s more about getting chefs to think about what is on trend whilst also doing the right thing and thinking about the actual process in preparation of the food. The majority of panellists were in agreement that the less medalling you do with food, the better the product is in terms of nutrients.
Education is key
Education was also identified as a key player in health and food. However, it was advised by one attendee that we don’t overload consumers with too much information. For instance, nowadays consumers are being told about the carbon impact of what they are about to eat, the animal welfare impact, whether it’s been procured with any human rights abuse and so forth, followed by the nutritional aspect to a dish, not to mention the price point factor. It was suggested that we keep it simple, topical and relevant to the consumer. Before we even get to the consumer, there’s a whole supply chain that needs educating on product choices and better product selection. One participant suggested, as an industry, we get so absorbed in the end consumer, and maybe it should be the supply chain that we need to address, also.
It was also suggested that in terms of education, we need to work our way up from the bottom. We must nurture our children, “our future consumers” as what we offer them as an industry at that early age is crucial to shaping them, and our wider industry. However, in order to do that we need to make it affordable - that’s the task our industry is faced with.
It was agreed, in some ways, that consumers are in fact making it easier for us as they want that level of transparency and honesty when it comes to food. However, it’s about creating an awareness of what products the industry offers and offering “the whole package”, not just in terms of nutrition and food, but also when it comes to mindfulness. It was advised that offering nutritional advice, lunchtime seminars, one to one sessions - are all good talking points for the consumer.
There was also an interesting discussion around education in terms of the way we treat disease and illnesses and its relation to food. The point was raised that rather than the default being medicine, it should be food, lifestyle and diet. Food is medicine. One attendee suggested that if we start creating this momentum, the Government might start to see that food is a better way of treating the population and that it is a more sustainable approach than importing chemical medicines. This, attendees believed, would result in a healthier population that can contribute to the economy better.
Gut health is here to stay
Shifting the discussion to gut health, it was agreed by the majority of participants that this is definitely not a fad and is a term that is here to stay. Breaking gut health down to the most basic principles, Natasha explained that it is fundamentally the foundation of our overall well being. She offered up some interesting facts during the discussion - 70/80% of our immunity is based on our gut health. It is also the centre point of our immune system. But it goes even wider than that as there’s the link it has to mental health and our nervous system. The positives of gut health are endless. However, the challenge we, as caterers are faced with, is to ensure that it’s the natural gut health that we are delivering to our consumers - without compromising on quality.
There was a question raised around measuring gut health and whether an app on our phones/watches could be created to read our gut health going forward. Although it was welcomed by some in the room, it was also suggested that this wasn’t something we would see happening anytime soon, due to the difficulties in measuring aspects including levels of pollution, sleep activity, stress levels and alcohol intake - all factors impacting gut health.
The importance of data
Although there are challenges, there was a feeling of excitement in the room when the discussion shifted to data. Many agreed that as an industry, we now have more access to data to allow us to make more informed food decisions. The quality of data has made a step up over the years and can now provide us valuable information on so much, including carbon analysis, for instance, as well as nutritional value. One attendee advised the panel that for those who can afford to do so, sending dishes away for sampling to receive nutritional data is where you can make a huge difference to your recipes. Accessibility of data, though, was highlighted as a key challenge and is an area that needs to be focused on. The general consensus around the table was that as a sector, we are finally getting to grips with how data driven insights can help businesses and that is one of the fundamental things that we need to take on. As one participant put it, “We have all of these tools at our disposal, it’s what we do with that information now”.
Summary
To conclude the morning’s session, participants summarised their key focuses for the future. One participant said that her key takeout from this discussion is that there’s a lot of convergence in the foodservice industry. Another member pointed out that the more we collaborate and open our doors to each other to support health messages, the better. However if healthier choices are still too expensive, then we are fighting a losing battle. The biggest challenge our industry faces is making healthy food or choices accessible to the whole population, not just to the converted. Asking how we can hit the masses effectively when it comes to health and nutrition, it was agreed that a lot of it comes down to marketing and how we sell our products and recipes into our spaces. This is key, along with being transparent when it comes to food.
What’s clear is that there are significant steps already being made in the industry which is a real positive. Overall, every participant around the table expressed enthusiasm and desire to make a difference when it comes to health and nutrition. Encouragingly there was a desire to keep talking. The next step now is to become aligned, as an industry, with one goal, one policy and one platform - all to achieve a healthier, brighter future.
If you’re interested in hosting or participating in a future round table event, please contact Lorraine.
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