CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF EMERGING THEMES AND TRENDS
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CAT ERI N G & H OS P ITA L I T Y
Catering sector planning on ‘doing more with less’ as it heads into 2022 by Herpreet Kaur Grewal
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ndustries such as hospitality and catering have particularly suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, a trends analysis from food consulting firm Coverpoint showed the food services industry in France, Germany and the UK had lost £69 billion in revenues over 2020. Just as matters might have been getting back on track, data from jobs search engine Adzuna showed that job adverts in the hospitality and catering sector fell by 25 per cent the week after the Omicron variant was identified in the UK, and many companies and consumers cancelled Christmas events, marking another blow for the industry. The number of job adverts over time is an indicator of the demand for labour. “Omicron has slammed the brakes on early for hospitality,” said Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna. One of the initiatives launched to help employees in the sector was the Foodservice Circle – a platform offering support to those affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic. More than 20 companies and individuals from the food service sector joined forces to launch the project, which provided “a one-stop shop for all former team members, offering free training, counsel, advice and job opportunities”. Wendy Bartlett, founder of Bartlett Mitchell and co-founder of the Foodservice Circle, said there was even more need for such an initiative. “As we move into 2022,
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the FSC will continue to maintain that role, as well as become a vehicle to promote the contract catering sector to the wider world.” Chris Stern, a consultant in the sector and managing director of the Stern Consultancy, thinks that in terms of staff, the industry is at a similar place as it heads into 2022. He said: “It remains a bit of a nightmare but people are coping. Everyone is kind of holding their breath to see
The pandemic has impacted health in a multitude of ways. Obesity levels among primary school children, in particular, have significantly increased what happens in the new year, especially as staff taken on for the Christmas rush are released. Salaries are increasing fast, especially at the top end, though some people are being unrealistic.” Stern added that “despite all the drama and pain around the pandemic, we seem to have returned to the key trends we were seeing before”.
Stern names these as sustainability, social enterprise collaboration, more local and seasonal sourcing, introducing street food into the workplace alongside a focus on the recognition of allergens and dining preferences and wellness of consumers. “Wellness remains an important driver and ensuring people have the option to eat healthily is massive in all sectors. The days of factory workers wanting stodge are over, though the choice still needs to be there.” Chris Ince, chef director at caterer Atalian Servest, agrees. “Health and wellbeing are the primary areas of focus for 2022. The pandemic has impacted health in a multitude of ways. Obesity levels among primary school children, in particular, have significantly increased from the 2019-20 to 2020-21 school year. Twenty-eight per cent of children in reception are now overweight.” Ince said this did not only affect the education sector. “In all sectors there is a need for healthy, nutrient-dense food with fresh ingredients with salt, sugar and fat intakes reduced. In response to this, we will be relaunching our health and wellbeing brand, Goodness.” Ince added that “the rise in plant-based alternatives cannot be underestimated” and his company is “committing to providing 50 per cent plantbased dishes across all sectors”. Ian Thomas, CEO of Bartlett Mitchell (BM), does not think that 2022 will see pre-
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