REVIEW (operations director at Pizza Pilgrims) chef and consultant Jay Morjaria, Kate Eastwood (sales & marketing director at Revolution Bars Group), Megan Lewis-Thomas (head of food development & marketing concessions, franchising & new concepts at Casual Dining Group) and Simon Woplin (head of innovation at Ambassador Theatre Group). Big Drop Brewing Co was also celebrating, having won the King of Craft crown at this year’s show. It took the top spot ahead of 11 other Craft Beer & Cider Zone exhibitors and rising stars of the brewing world with its Citra Four Hop (0.5%) Pale Ale. “Following a busy two days at Casual Dining meeting new customers and taking them through our range of award-winning beers, we were thrilled to win the King of
Meat free category development Quorn®, the fastest-growing food brand in the UK’s top 50 according to the Grocer’s Britain’s Biggest Brands 2018 report, announced major brand investment for 2019 at the show, and which it feels will drive growth and penetration of the meat free category and enable foodservice customers to tailor their menus to meet demand for meat free alternatives. The brand is investing £12m this year and launching its “Healthy Protein. Healthy Planet” messaging, highlighting how its range of meat free products can help consumers reduce their meat consumption and in so doing, the environmental impact of their diet. This launch also coincided with data that shows that for the first time ever, the majority of the UK are now reducing their meat consumption, as they recognise the impact their food has on the planet. “We are seeing a seismic shift in consumer attitudes towards meat reduction and with the majority of the UK now meat reducing in some way (YouGov December 2018 Data. % of population actively reducing their meat intake), we have reached a tipping point,” said Phil Thornborrow, head of foodservice at Quorn (www. quornfoodservice.co.uk). “We’re committed to driving this change and working with foodservice customers to develop their menus, whilst promoting the message of Healthy Protein. Healthy Planet, with a range of great-tasting options that offer something for everyone.”
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Casual Dining will return to ExCeL London on 25-26 March 2020 (for further information, visit www.casualdiningshow.co.uk).
Craft Award against strong – full-strength – competition! We’re really looking forward to being back next year!” said James Kindred, co-founder of Big Drop Brewing Co. 2020 Other exhibitors planning to return to Casual Dining in 2020 include Reynolds, Nestle, Lamb Weston Meijer, McCain Foodservice, Ascentia FSE, Panasonic UK Ltd, Yumpingo, Yapster, Moving Mountains Foods, Vivera, Cawston Press, Heineken UK, Molson Coors Brewing Company, Diageo, Monin and Sea Products International. “Casual Dining is unquestionably our most important trade show in the UK, as it is the most directly-focused show in our sector. We look forward to continue exhibiting for many years to come,” said Ian R. Ronan, senior business development manager from Sea Products International. “It is a fantastic two days that really helps us engage with our customers in a lively and creative space. The new venue really worked for us and we will be back next year,” said Matthew Kelly, national account manager at Carlsberg UK.
Sustainable solution Highlighting the challenges disposing of old kit, only one in 10 catering industry professionals is aware of the existence of a disposal service for second-hand catering equipment according to a new survey undertaken and launched by Ramco Foodservice at the show. Ramco ((www.ramcofoodservices.co.uk) works with operators to remove unwanted catering equipment and provides a number of disposal options such as reselling or buying the equipment outright. Its survey revealed over 70% of respondents said they would be motivated to raise money by selling catering equipment they no longer needed, whilst almost 30% said the environmental benefits of recycling equipment would influence their decisions. 6% were unsure how they would dispose of old equipment. Almost a third of respondents, 29%, said they had bought second hand catering equipment, demonstrating that there is demand for used appliances. Ramco itself, reports that it has seen sales of surplus equipment increase by 50% last year and is confident there is growing interest in reusing surplus catering equipment. “Our survey highlights a big issue for the hospitality and catering industry. We estimate the second-hand catering equipment market to be worth £250m, but the industry is missing an opportunity to realise its value by throwing away millions worth of working appliances every year,” said Paul Fieldhouse, business development manager for Ramco. “We believe many in the industry are keen to find a
financially beneficial and sustainable route for unwanted equipment, but clearly there is very low awareness that a service such as Ramco exists.” At the Casual Dining Show, Ramco exhibited its fully compliant, flexible and bespoke catering equipment disposal service for the casual dining and eating out sector, and how it can benefit businesses. “From conversations at Casual Dining with everyone from pub and bar groups to contract caterers, we learnt that there are many operators around the country sitting on equipment they don’t use because they are not aware of their options. One major casual dining operator said it’s spending a fortune on storage costs for a warehouse full of redundant equipment. Costs that could be reduced with better disposal options,” Paul Fieldhouse added. “At a time when there is a growing focus on food waste and sustainability, the industry is missing a big opportunity to build its environmental credentials.” May 2019