Members’ News
July 2024
FareShare Yorkshire collaborates with Authenticate in new charity partnership #
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After much deliberation, Authenticate, a leading supply chain transparency software provider, has selected food redistribution charity, FareShare Yorkshire, as its charity partner of choice. With shared synergies and values, and experience in the food industry, the Authenticate team is committed to helping FareShare Yorkshire tackle food insecurity and prevent food waste across the region.
About FareShare Yorkshire
FareShare Yorkshire has been serving people for 25 years and is part of the UK’s largest network of food redistribution charities.
Supporting over 400 charities, community groups and schools across the region, FareShare Yorkshire redistributes 2,000 tonnes of surplus food each year via 11 refrigerated vehicles. That is enough for over 4 million meals.
With 3 sites across Barnsley and Leeds, FareShare Yorkshire is on a mission to work in partnership with businesses in the food industry, including some Authenticate clients (The Co-op and ASDA) to utilise surplus food and turn it into meals for people. Each week this food feeds an average of 36,000 people who face crisis, isolation, insecurity or hardship.
How will Authenticate be supporting FareShare Yorkshire?
As a corporate partner, the Authenticate team will be volunteering for two full days later on this year and hosting multiple fundraising events to raise vital funds for the award-winning organisation.
The team will also be exploring opportunities to optimise processes for FareShare by gifting access to the Authenticate platform to conduct audits, manage incidents and integrate with other systems where relevant.
Speaking of the new corporate partnership, Alex Walters, CEO at Authenticate explained:
“We’ve been searching for the right charity partner for a while now, and FareShare Yorkshire is the perfect fit! Headquartered in the region, and leveraging our knowledge of the food industry working with many of the leading retailers to reduce food waste already, the team is excited to lend a helping hand to get surplus food to those in need over the coming months.”
Gareth Batty MBE, CEO at FareShare Yorkshire also added:
“We’re delighted to welcome Authenticate as a new partner and look forward to spending time with the team during the volunteering sessions, in addition to their valuable pro bono support.”
To find out more about FareShare Yorkshire or to donate, visit https://www.fareshareyorkshire.org/.
Want to see how Authenticate’s supply chain software can improve assurance processes and accelerate sustainability initiatives? Visit https://www.authenticateis.com/
Restaurant Associates Celebrates Contract Wins Following Prestigious Catey Award Victory #
Restaurant Associates is thrilled to announce a series of impressive new contract wins, following their recent triumph at the prestigious Cateys, where CEO Matt Thomas was honoured with the Foodservice Caterer Award. The premium hospitality brand has secured new clients, including the Design Museum, a group of premium high street brasseries, and a leading business advisory firm based in London.
Reflecting on the Catey Award win and new contracts, Matt Thomas said, "I am delighted that the team has been recognised for all of their hard work and expertise. Their commitment to delivering on our clients' promises has been recognised with a 100 percent retention rate over the last 18 months. We have seen significant growth and could not be more thrilled to welcome our new clients to the family.”
Matt continues “Whilst there are many reasons that we should feel proud, it is the brilliant food that we produce, the service that we provide through our dedicated teams, the culture that we look to foster and the support that we receive from our loyal customers that is the truest of testimonies, that makes a great business.”
The Catey judges remarked on the win “Restaurant Associates has created a culture where its customers and clients inform every decision. This ensures the business consistently delivers outstanding food, service and customer relations in a crowded market.”
The brand has also expanded its culinary offerings, introducing its own British rapeseed oil in partnership with Capability Graham and an exclusive English sparkling cuvée in collaboration with Bolney Wine Estate.
Matt finishes by saying, "It is an honour for Restaurant Associates to be recognised with this prestigious award, and the brand is going from strength to strength. We are currently exploring new culinary partnerships and enhancing our sustainable food offerings in line with our net zero commitments to add further value to our clients and guests”.
Sodexo expands Full Circle Farm partnership with new collaboration with The Good Eating Company #
Sodexo’s The Good Eating Company (GEC) is following in the sustainable farming practices footsteps of Sodexo Live! with a new partnership with Full Circle Farms. GEC now has its own one acre plot at the unique farm in West Sussex which contributes to a more sustainable and resilient food system.
Full Circle Farms offers foodservice providers like GEC and urban restaurants an opportunity to own and grow on their own plot of farmed land. Each plot is allocated a full farming team who work with the chefs to assess the restaurants' requirements and grow and deliver the best produce for them.
A huge variety of vegetables and herbs including unusual varieties such as rainbow chard, golden beetroot, pak choi, kale, swede, rocket, lemon balm, will be grown on GEC’s plot. The produce will then be used throughout its menus whether as a soup, main course, side dish and even a dessert.
Farmer Tom Morphew's farm isn't just about growing crops – it's about nurturing the land. Established nearly ten years ago, the farm prioritises soil health and biodiversity. This means a different way of farming including minimal reliance on external inputs. Instead of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides, Farmer Tom relies on the power of organic compost and manure to build soil fertility.
Animals play a crucial role in managing the land. For instance, pigs act as natural tillers, turning the soil and incorporating composted organic material.
This focus on soil health and natural processes benefits more than just crop yields. It strengthens the entire ecosystem, supporting the water cycle and ensuring the availability of essential minerals for healthy plant growth.
Defined frameworks for regenerative agriculture are still evolving, the sustainable farming practices Farmer Tom is undertaking reflects the latest research.
Alex Kristall, managing director, The Good Eating Company, UK said: “This is a fantastic initiative and builds on our commitment to source fresh, locally grown ingredients and reduce food waste. Working with Farmer Tom and his team we can influence what is grown and adapt our menus to ensure they are sustainable, seasonal and great tasting for our customers.
“An added benefit is the learning we can offer our teams and our clients with visits to the farm to understand more about what regenerative farming practices could look like and how important it is for soil health and biodiversity.”
Full Circle Farms also has The Garden Army, a not-for-profit social enterprise for volunteers and those with physical or mental health issues. The Garden Army, CIC registered, is partnered with Sussex Oakleaf, the leading mental health support provider, and is prescribed by local GPs as an alternative to chemical medicine.
Tom Morphew, founder of Full Circle Farms and the Garden Army said: “We are delighted to extend our work with Sodexo with The Good Eating Company. Alex and her team have already spent time with us down on the farm learning all about regenerative farming practices and the benefits the numerous advantages it provides, including educating people about where their favourite ingredients come from and how being part of nature benefits people’s health and wellbeing.”
GEC, like its parent company Sodexo, is a purpose-led business with sustainability at its core. It is committed to fostering a culture of environmental responsibility and to positively impact the communities in which it operates, initiatives include:
helping refugees through the Bread Winners bakery
reducing food waste through Sodexo’s WasteWatch programme
offering its Goodness range of recipes, developed based on the Planetary Health Diet and using the latest research from the World Resource Institute to making healthy and sustainable diets tangible.
GEC was founded in 1999 and over the last two decades has established itself as a distinctive, meaningful and memorable food service organisation with good food, good people and good service at its heart. Delivering great experiences for leading organisations in the creative, media and arts, investment and financial management and pharmaceutical industries.
In 2017 GEC joined Sodexo and has continued to deliver high end quality sustainable food services to clients. Visit the Good Eating Company website: https://sodexouki.info/3LhHHDq.
Northumbria University appoints Sodexo for another decade #
Northumbria University in Newcastle has chosen to retain Sodexo for its soft and hard FM services and residential living management contract for a further ten years in a new contract with the addition of a new food offer for the University’s largest Trinity Square student accommodation.
Sodexo has been managing student accommodation services at Northumbria University since 2014. Initially covering just Trinity Square, a contemporary accommodation block housing up to 1,000 students in double en-suites or shared flats for groups of three-five students. Over the course of the contract the University has added all its four City residences, housing nearly 2,500 students every year.
Sodexo is focused on ensuring the student living experience is second-to-none and is committed to ensuring its presence has a positive social impact for the residents, the University, and the local community in which it operates. Services managed by Sodexo in the University’s student accommodation include reception, helpdesk, security, mechanical and electrical maintenance, and cleaning.
Sodexo employs 58 people at Northumbria University and uses digital platforms for students to report maintenance issues, recently mobilising a mobile-enabled maintenance system to ensure timely servicing of request within the residences to reduce unexpected breakdowns and inconveniences, minimise costs and extend equipment life.
The new contract will see Sodexo introduce a brand-new catering offer at Trinity Square student accommodation serving hot drinks and a grab and go food solution such as paninis and pastries. The team will transform the currently under-utilised space at the accommodation to further enhance the student experience creating a fantastic live learning experience that creates a true home from home atmosphere.
Sodexo’s commitment to social impact underpins the strategic business ambitions at Northumbria University and is engrained into every floor cleaned, every maintenance job resolved, and every conversation had with students.
Sodexo has built strong relationships with the local community and works with local charities and social enterprises such as Northern Rights and the DFN project, which are focused on helping the long term unemployed and people with learning difficulties get in to work.
The Sodexo team at Northumbria has:
hosted two 10-week work placements for young people with autism
welcomed a student intern as part of Sodexo’s involvement in the 10k black interns programme, who has subsequently found employment with the team
spoken at events about career opportunities within the FM industry
introduced a T-level placement
supported the University with its fund to provide financial initiatives to open up higher education to academically talented students regardless of their social or economic circumstances
continued to support the University’s NUIdeas fund for students to support their start-up ambitions
Supporting students from applicant to alumni is a crucial part of Sodexo’s focus at the University, the team provides vital support to residents at a time which can be quite difficult as they adjust to life away from home where they need to balance studying with financial independence, making new friends and settling into a new setting and city. To provide further support in this area Sodexo has committed to train five mental health first responders across the contract.
In 2022 Sodexo introduced Residency Advisors, students who live within the residences join the Sodexo team on a part-time basis to work with the accommodation team to manage any issues that arise quickly and efficiently and offer proactive peer to peer support. Through this programme Sodexo provides employment opportunities for 15 students which helps the long-term employability of the students as a valuable addition to their CVs.
Sian Thompson, national operations director, Universities & PFIs, Sodexo UK & Ireland, Sodexo said: “We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Northumbria University. There is a strong cultural fit between our organisations, and we are committed to continually delivering a leading facilities management service alongside the award-winning residency living model, with aligned goals and strategic objectives. This next contractual period brings with it some exciting service developments and we expect to achieve great things by continuing to work in a strategic and trusted partnership.”
Erin Peart, executive director of campus services, Northumbria University said: “Sodexo continues to be one of the University’s valuable partners – not only because of the services it delivers and the commitment it has to enhancing the student experience, but in helping us to deliver social impact. We look forward to continuing this partnership with students at the heart of our shared ambitions.”
Sodexo’s team at Northumbria University has received numerous awards including the 2023 IWFM award for Excellence in Customer Experience, Contract Manager Tom Martin received the 2022 title of Young Leader of the Year at the PFM Partnership awards and the contact was highly commended in the 2022 Student Accommodation awards for Collaboration. The team was also shortlisted at the 2024 Property Week awards for excellence in social impact.
Bidfood highlights the importance of responsible and sustainable choices through menu reinvention and carbon management #
Prior to the recent election, the government’s commitment to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 has put a lot of pressure on the food and drink industry. Bidfood, one of the UK’s leading wholesalers, has called upon the industry to work in collaboration towards a more sustainable future, in an event showcasing how foodservice can reinvent its menus.
Research has shown that 78% of consumers find the following three factors ‘most important’ when buying food and drink products - natural ingredients (37%) environmental impact (22%) and how ethical a product is (19%) highlighting the importance of getting these points across on menus.
Bidfood’s sustainability event, Plateful Pursuits for Positive Change, focused on low impact ingredients, food surplus and how caterers can reinvent their menus with seasonal produce, healthier and more inclusive dishes, while also taking into account animal welfare and carbon data.
Under the theme ‘pay attention to reinvention’, the day consisted of insightful talks from some of the key players within the industry that promote sustainability, including the Sustainable Restaurant Association, Allmanhall, Upfield, Earthshot prize winners - Notpla and pioneers in climate intelligence technology - CarbonCloud.
Bidfood has taken great strides towards its sustainability strategy, especially in more recent years, with a goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2045 across Scope 1, 2 and 3. Just recently, the wholesaler added its name to the ‘Lobbying for Good’ open letter to mandate food waste reporting, became a member of the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya, removed all EPS from their disposables range and partnered with CarbonCloud to footprint its products.
Julie Owst, Head of Sustainability at Bidfood said: “There’s a lot of work to be done to make food more sustainable and a key part of this is education and awareness, which this event has successfully achieved.
“The food we’re all eating, and unfortunately wasting, is a massive contributor to carbon emissions, so the food industry has a great role to play in influencing consumer behaviour about the food they eat. Carbon data will help, but we mustn’t forget other factors such as adopting regenerative farming methods and prioritising products with accreditations and certifications.
“It’s our mission to be a positive force for change at Bidfood, however, we can’t do it alone. Collaboration across the industry will be key to making that change. My team and I are very excited to be working on a solution to help the industry make more responsible choices and create that crucial educational piece so consumers can eat more sustainably.”
To read more about Bidfood’s ESG strategy, please visit: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/sustainability/
Compass and Foodbuy Driving Social Procurement With The Buy Social Corporate Challenge #
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Compass and Foodbuy drive significant impact through social enterprise partnershipsCompass Group UK & Ireland and Foodbuy, as key partners of the Buy Social Corporate Challenge, are proud to work with social enterprises to create jobs, change lives and protect the environment. The businesses actively support social enterprises across their supply chain, working with organisations, which reinvest at least 50% of their profits into a social or environmental mission.
In 2019, Compass’ procurement business Foodbuy joined the Buy Social Corporate Challenge, followed by the wider Compass Group UK & I business in 2020. The initiative supports a group of high-profile businesses to collectively spend £1 billion with social enterprises through their procurement.
Since joining the Challenge, Compass Group UK&I and Foodbuy have spent £12.8 million with UK social enterprise suppliers. Highlights include:
Toast Brewing: Saved over 200,000 slices of surplus bread with Toast Brewing, a business turning unwanted bread into a ‘planet-saving beer’.
WildHearts Office: Transformed 5,130 lives with WildHearts Office by funding gender equality and social projects through stationery purchases.
Rubies in the Rubble: Saved 9,413 kg of fruit with Rubies in the Rubble, which saves surplus food and vegetable produce by turning it into jam and other condiments.
Life Water: Supported the Drop4Drop charity to fund 350 clean drinking water projects through sales of Life Water products.
To further promote supplier diversity and support Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises (VCSEs), Foodbuy has undertaken the following initiatives:
Pitch Social events: Introducing multiple social enterprises, minority-owned suppliers, and other SMEs into Foodbuy’s supply chain.
Increasing spend with VCSEs: Achieving a 50% increase in spend between 2022 and 2023.
Expanding VCSEs partnerships: Incorporating 47 VCSEs into supply chain and spending £4.4 million with VCSEs in 2023.
As the pioneering programme marks its eighth year, the Buy Social Corporate Challenge Year 8 Report was released recently, showing that 2023 had the highest trading levels to date. Since its launch, £477 million has been spent by partners with social enterprises, helping create over 4,500 jobs.
Karl Atkins, CEO of Foodbuy UK&I said: “We are proud to be a partner in the Buy Social Corporate Challenge, reinforcing our commitment to leveraging our procurement to drive positive social change. Supporting social enterprises through our supply chain aligns closely with our values - so it’s important for us to support like-minded organisations to make a meaningful impact on society.”
Charlie Wigglesworth, Deputy Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “These latest results show that our Buy Social Corporate Challenge is not some well-meaning experiment for businesses willing to try something different – it’s a powerful force for change in corporate supply chains. We’re proud to see social enterprise at the forefront of this transformation.
“With millions being reinvested in people and planet through our Challenge and the wider social procurement movement, we hope our vital work continues to inspire the public and private sectors to take action for the future of business.”
To read the full report, visit www.socialenterprise.org.uk/seuk-report/buy-social-corporate-challenge-year-8-report
FEA runs warewasher service technician training day #
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Event will cover the latest updates and regulations plus manufacturer-specific training
FEA will run a warewasher service technician training day on 8th August at the Parts Town training facility in Cannock. The event is open to service engineers and technicians of all levels and will cover a wide range of subjects, including regulation updates, as well as sessions with leading manufacturers. Running from 9am to 5pm, the day gives attendees the opportunity to get the latest information and insights covering the warewasher equipment category. It also provides excellent value at a cost of just £65pp.
The day is split between expert speaker presentations and manufacturer sessions. The presentations will include an electrical, installation and servicing update; the latest news on the ETL (Energy Technology List); regulatory changes to wastewater and food waste; and water treatment.
The manufacturer-led sessions will be conducted in small groups, with attendees moving from one to the next and having the opportunity to get hands-on experience of the equipment. They’ll be able to engage directly with manufacturers, pose questions and get the most up-to-date product information. Key features and diagnostics will be explained in detail, and sessions will cover installation techniques, service and maintenance guidance, diagnostics issues, and common faults that occur through lack of maintenance.
The manufacturers taking part are BRITA Group, Maidaid Halcyon, MEIKO Group, Nordisk Clean Solutions, Smeg UK Ltd., and Wexiödisk AB.
“Previous FEA service training days have been sell-outs and feedback has been very positive,” says Andy Threlfall, FEA’s technical and policy director. “They’re an efficient use of time and the mix of speaker presentations and manufacturer group session has proven to be effective and popular.”
Places are limited so anyone interested in attending should book as soon as possible. For more information and to book tickets visit the event page on Eventbrite (https://tinyurl.com/bdvafu28).
The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) is the independent, authoritative voice of the foodservice equipment industry, representing nearly 200 companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering equipment - from utensils to full kitchen schemes. For more information on FEA visit www.fea.org.uk
Restaurant Associates announces new partnership with Riverstone to manage Maria G’s neighbourhood brasseries & bars #
Premium hospitality brand, Restaurant Associates are thrilled to announce a new catering partnership with Riverstone, a pioneering concept in luxury later living for the over 65s, to manage their two beautiful brasseries and bars in West London.
The first two Maria G’s restaurants are located in Kensington and Fulham with plans to expand in the future. The new culinary offer has been overseen by MasterChef the Professionals winner, Steve Groves and includes an array of classic brasserie dishes from breakfast to dinner that use only the finest seasonal and ethical ingredients.
Menu highlights include Isle of Wight tomato tabbouleh, roasted feta & maple seeds; Cornish crab on sourdough toast, chilli & lime mayo; Lake District Farmers ribeye steak & fries, peppercorn sauce or bearnaise and lightly battered haddock fillet, crushed peas, chunky chips & tartar sauce.
The new menu will also feature weekly specials such as Butter poached Isle of Gigha halibut, samphire, Jersey Royals and roasted Herdwick lamb, confit belly, Jersey Royals & melted leek.
Classic pizza dishes such as Egg Florentine and The Parma will change on a frequent basis, alongside soup of the day like Chilled cucumber soup with summer herb creme fraiche.
On Sundays, the brasseries will serve a range of traditional roasts including chicken, beef sirloin and lamb, all featuring Yorkshire pudding, wine jus and seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes plus cauliflower gratin.
In the coming months, Restaurant Associates will be introducing a series of culinary pop-ups with the likes of award-winning Ivan Tisdall-Downes from Native, and celebrity chef Dipna Anand who will take over the kitchen for special events.
Matt Thomas, CEO of Restaurant Associates Group, expressed his delight about the new partnership, saying, “We are incredibly excited to work with Riverstone to relaunch the Maria G’s Brasseries & Bars. This collaboration is built on our shared values of quality, first-class service, exceptional experiences, and fabulous food. Maria G's will embody the essence of a neighbourhood favourite, featuring a regularly changing, produce-led menu. We are thrilled to introduce this new chapter for Maria G's and look forward to welcoming our guests to experience our unparalleled dining offerings”
Greg Mace, Chief Experience Officer, Riverstone said “Community is at the heart of Riverstone, and there is no better way to bring people together than over delicious food and drink. This collaboration with Restaurant Associates marks exciting times ahead as we continue to expand and elevate our culinary offerings in West London for the whole neighbourhood to enjoy as well as our residents. We encourage the local community to drop in to Riverstone Kensington and Fulham to experience the fantastic menu for themselves.”
Artificial intelligence and the cyber security risks of connected catering equipment #
FEA warns that new AI enhanced hacking tools underline importance of cybersecurity
The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) is urging companies to be vigilant and take actions to reduce the increased threat to cybersecurity caused by AI.
There’s been a big push for kitchen connectivity in recent years, with manufacturers, dealers and, increasingly, foodservice operators understanding the enormous benefits it can bring, for example in terms of improved performance and reliability of equipment.
However, AI has become one of the hot topics in recent years with the emergence of tools like ChatGPT and systems that can generate audio and video. With indications that these are being used by criminals to hack networks and systems, FEA is urging companies to be vigilant and take actions to ensure any equipment using network connectivity remains secure.
This issue is something many companies have been engaging with following the introduction of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act in April this year. This requires connectable products to comply with baseline security requirements, including banning universal default and easily guessable passwords, publishing information on how to report security issues and minimising security update periods. Many countries around the world have legislation requiring companies and organisations to report security breaches within a required timescale. In the UK significant data breaches have to be reported within certain periods of time depending on the type of data breach. Companies who operate internationally should be aware that the time period may be different for different countries, and need to be aware of country specific legislative requirements.
While these measures will undoubtedly help to improve information security the emergence of AI tools could give hackers potential advantages as they continue to try and find ways to compromise computer systems.
Figures show that cyberattacks have increased dramatically over the past year, and the availability of AI tools is likely to be one of the causes behind this. The ability to automate scanning networks for vulnerabilities in the code as well as identifying staff accounts to target for attempts at compromising passwords makes it far easier to cast a wider net.
Despite these new methods, the main vector for gaining access to secure networks is still down to users interacting with phishing emails and text messages or malicious links in websites. Regular staff training and frequent reminders about best practice should form a key part of your company’s cybersecurity policy alongside ensuring adequate security systems are in place. This is particularly important considering the difficulty of tracing and identifying anyone compromising your systems, let alone prosecuting them. The priority for cybersecurity procedures should remain focused on maintaining the integrity of your networks, as well as ensuring you are able to trace where and how any breaches occur in order to fix them as quickly as possible.
“Hackers have always been very good at locating and exploiting vulnerabilities in computer systems,” says Andy Threlfall, Technical and Policy Director of FEA. “The emergence of AI technology in recent years can allow them to discover weaknesses far more quickly, underlining the importance of keeping systems updated and patched as well as providing staff with regular training to make sure they are aware of and working to best practice when using networked systems.”
The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) is the independent, authoritative voice of the foodservice equipment industry, representing nearly 200 companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering equipment - from utensils to full kitchen schemes. For more information on FEA visit www.fea.org.uk
Plenish launches biggest ever shots campaign to bridge vitamin knowledge gap between adults and children #
Plenish, the fastest growing shots brand in the UK, has launched its biggest campaign to date across its shots portfolio. The social and PR led activation will see boosted posts across Instagram and TikTok channels, with Sunday Times best-selling author and qualified nutritionist Emily English advocating for the brand. This campaign will help keep Plenish front of mind with existing customers, and targeting new audiences, supporting operators to drive sales within the health shots category while brand awareness is at an all-time high.
It comes well timed as the brand has conducted nationwide research in a poll of over 2,000 adults and 1,000 school children (aged 6-16) to reveal the significant nutritional knowledge gap between adults and their kids. The research revealed one in five (20%) British school children were able to correctly identify that there are 13 essential vitamins, compared with only 5% of adults. In fact, 38% of children know the body can naturally produce Vitamin D, compared with only 31% of adults. Only 12% of adults believe they consume their essential vitamins daily, with 22% not knowing a good source of vitamins, and 13% believing too much meal preparation is required.
The Plenish range is designed to help people drink their way to wellness through potent superfoods, the products are easily accessible to health-conscious consumers making it the perfect product for adults and kids to get their daily vitamin intake. The range is packed with cold-pressed, plant-based ingredients to meet a range of functional benefits, containing no added sugar, preservatives or flavourings while also delivering on great taste.
Russell Goldman, Managing Director at Plenish, comments “The research revealed some shocking results on nutritional and vitamin knowledge in adults versus children. The purpose of our campaign is to highlight this gap and drive awareness of the importance and ease of getting the correct vitamin intake and consumption of fruit and vegetables each day, particularly via our Plenish range.”
The campaign, which began its rollout this June, has seen a London pop-up on Portobello Road – Little Shot Shop - staffed exclusively by kids, it featured a market stall owner, reporter and nutritionist. The stand sampled Plenish Turmeric Recovery, Ginger Immunity and our new Mango Sunshine shots while quizzing adults passing by on their vitamin knowledge.
The Plenish range of juices and shots is available at CN Foods, CLF, JJ Foodservice, Fodabox and more.
Restaurant Associates announces new consultant chef partnership with Clare Gray #
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Premium hospitality experts, Restaurant Associates, has announced its latest culinary partnership with dietician and chef Clare Gray. Clare joins the likes of Michel Roux, Sabrina Ghayour and Native amongst the ranks of expert associates, enabling the brand to continue to deliver exceptional culinary experiences across its estate of restaurants and venues.
The health and wellbeing of their guests remains at the forefront of Restaurant Associates’ ambition and deliverables, and so the company is delighted to be partnering with like-minded individuals such as Clare Gray. With over 15 years of experience as a registered dietitian and professional chef, Clare has made her mark in renowned restaurants worldwide and as a nutrition consultant for bestselling books and global brands. Her unique blend of skills supports her belief that enjoying what we eat can go together with optimal nutrition.
Luxey Dayanandan, Head of Nutrition and Sustainability at Restaurant Associates says “Clare crafts meals that are not only delicious but also designed for wellness. Her passion for more sustainable food choices aligns perfectly with our Net Zero journey, highlighting the importance of locally grown and seasonal produce for both our health and the planet. All the dishes are carbon rated as low and not only taste fabulous but also support our guest’s wellbeing journeys.”
Menu highlights include a tasty array of dishes from breakfast to lunch, such as:
Asparagus, broad bean & ricotta frittata
Cobnut, tahini & dukkah breakfast bar
Spring pea, herb & white bean broth with buckwheat dumplings & sorrel
Carrot, red lentil & coconut curry with crispy trout & coriander, curry leaf salsa
Elderflower frozen kefir with roasted blackcurrants
Clare Gray says about the new partnership, "I am absolutely thrilled to be working with the talented and dedicated team at Restaurant Associates, their values around healthy food, seasonality, sustainability and delicious tasting food are perfectly aligned with me and I'm very excited to be collaborating with them."
Footprint and Nestlé Professional Unveil 2024 Footprint Sustainability Index #
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Footprint, the UK’s leading sustainability and ESG expert in the food and drink industry, in collaboration with Nestlé Professional, proudly announces the release of their annual report, The Sustainability Index 2024. This comprehensive report showcases the resilience and unwavering commitment of the foodservice industry in its quest to achieve net-zero, emphasising the need for innovative and sustainable practices.
In a year characterised by economic pressures, supply chain disruptions and environmental concerns, the 2024 Footprint Sustainability Index emerges as a testament to progress. The report highlights how businesses are continuously innovating and adapting to overcome sustainability challenges while maintaining operational efficiency. Beyond carbon reduction, this year’s index emphasises the significance of a holistic approach to sustainability. It delves into critical areas, such as biodiversity conservation, soil health, and water management, illustrating their vital role in comprehensive environmental stewardship. Packed with fresh, actionable insights, the index offers recommendations to empower foodservice leaders to enhance sustainability across their operations.
Consumer behaviour remains a powerful driver of industry transformation. The report reveals that 59% of consumers attempted to reduce their meat consumption in 2023. This growing preference for sustainable dining options is influencing businesses to adopt practices, such as menu streamlining and the use of reusable materials. The Index details how these consumer trends are shaping the future of the foodservice sector. For example, in 2023, there was a 23% increase in individuals choosing dining locations based on the establishment's sustainability ethics.
The 2024 Index equips industry leaders with strategic insights and best practices to foster meaningful change. It underscores the importance of building a resilient workforce and nurturing a culture of sustainability within the foodservice sector.
Katya Simmons, Managing Director of Nestlé Professional said: “At Nestlé Professional, we are deeply committed to leading the way in sustainability. The 2024 Footprint Sustainability Index is not just a report; it is a vital resource that empowers us and our industry peers with the insights and strategies needed to tackle today's complex challenges.
“We are on a dedicated path toward sustainability, with clear goals to reduce our carbon footprint, enhance resource efficiency, and promote responsible sourcing. This Index underscores our commitment to innovation and resilience, helping us to build a more sustainable future. Together, we can create a lasting impact, driving positive change across the foodservice industry.”
To view and download the 2024 Footprint Sustainability Index please click here: Footprint Sustainability Index 2024: Driving Sustainable Change | Nestle Professional