S&FTG News - Issue 192 - March 2021

Sandwich food to go news INTERNATIONAL

www.sandwich.org.uk

ISSUE 192 MARCH 2021

SOLUTIONS FOR HOT CABINETS

SUSTAINABLE HOT FOOD TO GO PACKAGING

Simple hot food to go packs, that consider all points in the supply chain.

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SOLUTIONS FOR DELIVERED FOOD

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SOLUTIONS FOR TAKEAWAY & FOOD ON THE GO

THE PACKAGING SOLUTION FOR HOT-HOLD OR GRAB & GO HOT FOOD

Shortlisted for The New Product Award & The New Food To Go Award

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CONTENTS EDITOR CLARE BENFIELD t: 01291 636336 e: clare@jandmgroup.co.uk

ADVERTISING PAUL STEER t: 01291 636342 e: paul@jandmgroup.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS t: 01291 636335 membership@sandwich.org.uk

NEWS

Page 22. Association update.

Page 42. Lessons learned – an

Page 04. New Hospitality at Home Tracker reveals tripling of delivery and takeaway.

Page 48. New members.

operator’s pandemic insight.

Page 05. Three quarters of hospitality businesses plan recruitment drive as operators look to bounce back.

Page 06. Greencore unveils a range of sustainability pledges.

Page 08. UK small business owners gave up £7,000 of own savings on average during pandemic to keep staff employed.

REGULARS

FEATURES Page 24. Leaner times? – changes in meat consumption.

Page 34. Packaging developments – new products and views.

Page 44. Snacks to go – new launches and new trends.

Page 49. New products.

Page 50. Listing index.

In association with The British Sandwich & Food To Go Association.

PHONE +44 (0) 1291 636338

Page 11. New project to improve the microbiological safety of bread.

ARTICLES

FAX +44 (0) 1291 630402 WEB www.sandwich.org.uk

Page 30. What’s in my sandwich? Food

EMAIL info@sandwich.org.uk

THE BRITISH SANDWICH & FOOD TO GO ASSOCIATION

testing insight from ALS Laboratories.

Page 14. The Sammies Awards 2021.

explained.

Page 32. The digital sandwich

Paper used in the production of this publication is sourced from sustainable managed forests.

FRESH FLAVOURS, HOMEMADE TASTE & AWARD WINNING PRODUCTS We make our handmade products fresh everyday using the finest ingredients from trusted local suppliers

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www.sandwichandfoodtogonews.co.uk March 2021 3

NEWS

New Hospitality at Home Tracker reveals tripling of delivery and takeaway sales Sales of deliveries and takeaways from the UK’s leading hospitality groups have more than tripled over the last 12 months, an exclusive new Tracker service from CGA reveals.

The Hospitality at Home Tracker indicates that the combined value of delivery and takeaway in February 2021 was 317% more than in the same month in 2020. The volume of orders was 19.6 million—well over double the total of 9.1 million in February 2020. With the value of sales growing significantly faster than volume, it demonstrates a big uplift in average spend.

CGA’s Tracker is an important new source of data and insight for the sector, providing monthly reports on the value and volume of sales with year-on-year comparisons. It will also set out splits between delivery and takeaway sales, and between food and drink revenue.

Once the current lockdown is lifted, the Tracker aims to reveal the balance between eat-in, delivery and takeaway sales. It complements CGA’s Coffer Peach Business Tracker, which has monitored total sales across more than 10,000 sites

of leading restaurant and pub groups since 2009.

For operators, the Hospitality at Home Tracker creates a valuable benchmarking tool to monitor the success of at-home offers against the market, and participants receive additional, in-depth data in return for their contributions. More than 20 of the UK’s best known managed restaurant, pub and bar groups have become founding partners on the Tracker (see below).

Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “Deliveries, takeaways and at-home meal kits have been a lifeline for hospitality in an immensely challenging market, and our new Hospitality at Home Tracker will provide the best insights yet into their sales. Delivery and takeaway was already a fast-growing trend before 2020, but we are seeing more and more consumers embracing it and the movement is very likely to continue, albeit without the ferocity of the past 12 months.

“The tracker will offer crucial analysis of consumers’ spending patterns and

help businesses spot new opportunities, areas for improvement and action points. We’re grateful to the partners who have helped to establish the Tracker, and warmly welcome anyone who would like to join them.”

CGA’s partners on the Hospitality at Home Tracker are Azzurri Group, BrewDog, Burger King UK, Byron, Drake & Morgan, Gaucho Grill, Giggling Squid, Honest Burgers, Nando’s, Peach Pub Company, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut UK, Prezzo, Rosa’s Thai, TGI Fridays UK, The Restaurant Group, Tortilla, Upham Pub Company, Wagamama and YO! Sushi.

Samworth Brothers apprentice shortlisted for award Matty Desforges, a Samworth Brothers apprentice, has been shortlisted for the Apprentice of the Year award at the Food and Drink Federation Awards.

Matty Desforges is in his third year of a Technical Higher Level Apprenticeship scheme run by Samworth Brothers in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University, Samworth Brothers having launched a new Higher-Level Apprenticeship (HLA) programme in 2018 and seen participants thrive, making a strong start to their career by combining degree study with 4 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

valuable experience gained in a professional job role.

The programme offers two routes, either operations or food technical, with a commercial route also planned for the 2021 intake. The Higher-Level Apprentices work across different businesses over three one-year ‘real role’ placements whilst studying for either a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship or a Food Industry Technical Professional Degree Apprenticeship.

So far, Matty Desforges has undertaken a series of placements through his apprenticeship to date including working with the Group Technical Team, Food-to-Go and Meats Businesses with Peter Dawson, head of Integrity in the Samworth Brothers Group Technical team saying: “He proactively seeks every opportunity to learn about the food industry and improve his knowledge and skills.”

NEWS

Three quarters of hospitality businesses plan recruitment drive as operators look to bounce back As hospitality businesses prepare for the easing of lockdown, insight from CGA’s Business Leaders Survey reveals that three quarters of business leaders will be looking to recruit new staff members and grow their teams in 2021.

The survey, which was sponsored by Fourth and pooled responses from 726 operators across the restaurant, bar and casual dining industries, revealed that just under half (44%) will be recruiting to the same, or a greater extent, than in previous years. Furthermore, they predict that their workforces will return to 79% of their previous scale by July 2021, and 90% by December 2021, the survey found.

These figures will no doubt be buoyed by the Budget, feel the researchers, announced recently by the Chancellor, and which brought some positive news for the industry in the form of an extension to the VAT cut, business rates relief, a freeze on beer, spirits and wine duty for another year, and the extension of the furlough scheme to September.

The need for a recruitment drive is clearly evidenced

by Fourth’s own data, aggregated from the analysis of over 700 companies across the restaurant, pub, bar and QSR sectors, which revealed that the hospitality workforce shrunk by 28% over the course of 2020. As businesses embark to rapidly re-grow across their teams, maintaining engagement and reinforcing a positive culture will be a key challenge, with 71% of business leaders stating employee engagement will be a key focus, while a further 29% listed it as a moderate focus, the survey found.

As operators look to drive efficiencies, the Business Leaders Survey also revealed that one in three business leaders stated that the use of technology will be fundamental in helping operations, with a further 39% suggesting it will be important. The challenge most leaders predict turning to technology for is managing the cost of labour (49%), which will be partly driven by the uncertainty within the market, as 71% expect fragile consumer confidence to negatively impact business.

Sebastien Sepierre, managing director – EMEA, Fourth, said: “There is cautious optimism returning to the industry, thanks to a clear timeline for re-opening the industry and a new round of support measures

announced in the Budget. This shot in the arm will act as the starting gun for many businesses, as they seek to drive employment and establish systems ahead of reopening. Make no mistake, this is still a precarious time for operators, with fluctuating consumer demand and fierce competition all contributing to an uncertain and fast-changing operating climate.

“In the face of these immense pressures, we have started to see more operators turn to technology to adopt a flexible approach to scheduling and driving efficiencies. What’s more, one key takeout from lockdown was the prevalence and importance of digital platforms in maintaining engagement and culture across businesses. In fact, data from our own platform revealed that engagement platform usage during November’s lockdown was the same as pre-Covid levels, despite 60% of the workforce being on furlough. The widespread adoption of technology, from both consumers and team members, truly marks a step change in the digital acceleration of the hospitality industry, and we anticipate businesses deploying it to drive all aspects of their business.”

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 5

NEWS

Greencore unveils a range of sustainability pledges Greencore has outlined a new sustainability strategy which includes a range of pledges across the areas of sourcing, manufacturing, and community engagement.

The pledges, presented at a seminar for investors and analysts in late February, include commitments that all of the Group’s packaging will be recyclable or reusable by 2025, that food waste will be reduced by 50% by 2030, and that Greencore will operate with net zero emissions by 2040.

Other notable commitments include a fully recyclable sandwich skillet will be developed and brought to market in 2021 and a deforestation-free supply chain by 2025. All raw materials will be sustainably sourced by 2030, they have pledged, and all surplus product will be donated to local communities by 2022 with product development to be equally split between animal protein versus plant-rich alternatives by 2030.

Greencore’s sustainability credentials are already well established, and the pledges build on the strong progress that the Group has made in this area in recent years, point out the company. For example, since 2018, Greencore has reduced its energy consumption by 10%, reduced its water usage by 9%, and cut its total net Scope 1 & 2 carbon emissions by 39%, they claim, and in the areas of community engagement and social responsibility, in 2020 alone the Group donated over 1.5 million meals to people in need, and also created over 1,300 new permanent roles for people that were previously on agency contracts.

Further details on Greencore’s sustainability strategy and commitments can be found at www.greencore.com/ sustainability/.

Commenting on the new sustainability strategy, Patrick Coveney, chief executive officer of Greencore, said: “At Greencore, we are passionate about playing our part in building a fairer and more resilient food system for generations to come. We want to ensure that our actions and products make a real difference in improving people’s lives – whether it’s through the provision of tasty, healthier, affordable food, gainful employment or social development. The pledges that we have made reflect our long-term ambitions for sustainability, as well as our confidence that we can realise them.”

Perfect storm creating foodservice equipment delays, warns FEA The combination of Covid-19 and Brexit is already causing delays in the supply of foodservice equipment, and the situation is likely to get worse once lockdown starts being eased.

That’s the warning from FEA, the association that represents nearly 200 equipment supply, service and installation companies.

“Covid-19 has limited the production capacity of manufacturers both in the UK and overseas,” said Steve Hobbs, chair of FEA. “Plus, there has been little stock holding going on. When the hospitality industry starts picking up, equipment suppliers won’t be able to respond instantaneously to a rapid increase in 6 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

demand – there’s no magic tap they can turn on. Customers are going to have to wait.”

The problems will also be exacerbated by the changes in April that will mean import controls come into stricter force in the UK, as part of

the Brexit deal, warn the FEA. At the moment, there are no controls on the UK side of the border; this was part of the government’s ‘soft landing’ approach. From April, however, things harden up – for example, import paperwork will need to be 100% correct, otherwise there will be hold ups and delays getting product into the UK, feel the FEA. “The pandemic and Brexit are creating a perfect storm in terms of foodservice equipment supply,” added Steve Hobbs. “For any operator looking to buy equipment the solution is clear: get your order in quick if you want to avoid potentially extensive delays.”

NEWS

UK small business owners gave up £7,000 of own savings on average during pandemic to keep staff employed Small business owners have been tested to the limit over the past year, thanks to the pandemic putting intense pressure on cashflow and jobs, with research from QuickBooks – part of intuit, a global technology platform that helps organisations overcome their most important financial challenges - revealing the range of personal sacrifices small business owners have taken just to keep their businesses afloat and employees in roles, including digging deep into their own savings.

The independent research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Intuit QuickBooks with a sample of 500 18+ UK micro-businesses (businesses with 1-10 employees) business decision makers (excluding sole traders) in February 2021.

With over half (58%) of the small businesses (1-10 employees) surveyed unable to trade at some point in the past year, small business owners spent an average of £7,000 out of their personal savings to keep their staff on payroll and their business going.

The new study highlights that a third (33%) of small business owners gave up their own salaries to keep employees on during the pandemic, while nearly half (46%) gave up holidays, 41% gave up bonuses, and 30% gave up their dividends.

The personal burden on these small business owners has not just been restricted to financial sacrifice. Owners have had to take action to retain their staff, with 57% having to work extra hours or on the weekend to keep on top of changes to payroll regulations, such as the furlough scheme. Of these, 50% have spent more than eight working days in the past year, learning about the changing regulations to be able to put them into practice, the research found.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, 67% of small business owners have been forced to make challenging business decisions that could never have been anticipated, in order to avoid serious cash flow issues and even business failure.

Over a third (35%) have had to furlough staff, 24% have had to freeze recruitment, and 21% have had to freeze pay for staff to stay afloat.

To help navigate the changing business climate and make these difficult decisions, small business 8 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

owners have turned to support networks for advice. Accountants have taken on an increasingly important role for small businesses, with a third (33%) of owners turning to their accountants for support on changing regulations and processes such as payroll. Other leading sources of support were family members and government websites, the research found. However, despite all the challenges of the past year, it was found that small business owners are feeling more optimistic with half (50%) saying they now feel more positive about the year ahead than they did at the start of the pandemic restrictions in March 2020.

Carina Lepore, winner of The Apprentice 2019, and owner of South London bakery, Dough Bakehouse, said: “I know first-hand the human impact of payroll – not being able to pay my staff could affect someone’s ability to pay their rent or mortgage. The sense of responsibility is huge.

“Through lockdown we managed to pivot quickly through digital to takeaway which allowed us to stay open and trading, but like most other small businesses we were hit by the pandemic. To keep all my staff on I had to make a number of personal sacrifices, but I wanted to do this as my staff are my priority.”

Pauline Green, head of product compliance at QuickBooks, said: “Payroll took on a new emotional significance in 2020 as small business owners were forced to weigh up challenging decisions such as putting staff on furlough or making pay cuts, and the resulting impact on employees and their families.

Despite facing intense pressure for a long time, small business owners showed remarkable resilience and determination to keep their businesses going and their employees in jobs, with huge numbers making unforgettable personal sacrifices.

“Our recent data found that two thirds of small businesses now plan to keep all of their furloughed staff and one in three are even planning on expanding their workforce in 2021. It is brilliant to see small business owners’ commitment to keeping their company going and staff on their payroll now starting to pay off, as we look forward to the end of lockdown.”

NEWS

Research reveals attitudes towards futuristic foods Futuristic foods are becoming increasingly popular with everything from crickets to algae, and with mealworms recently becoming the first insect-based food to be approved by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA), alternative snacks are on the rise, it is being claimed (reference, EFSA, Safety of dried yellow mealworm www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/ pub/6343).

A recent YouGov survey carried out by digital magazine and newspaper subscription app - Readly – has also demonstrated how adventurous we are when it comes to our food and how far we’d go for something different in the picnic hamper this spring, with almost nine in ten (83%) of those surveyed by Readly digital magazine and newspaper app saying they were open to new food experiences (edible water bottles, lab grown meat or fish and algae topped the list of the most likely to be eaten by those looking for something alternative or environmentally conscious).

Readly is a digital subscription service that lets customers have unlimited access to nearly 5,000 national and international magazine titles across a range of topics - all in one app. The survey they commissioned was conducted by YouGov, and polled a total of 7433 people in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Italy and Australia between the 22 and 30 June 2020.

The top list of what Brits are willing to consider eating and drinking, the survey found, included edible water bottles (27%), lab-grown meat and fish (24%), Algae (20%), insects (17%), DNA-based diet (16%) and D-printed food (14%). The research also showed that sustainability continues to be an important theme with almost half of us choosing foods that are locally produced and one in ten rating eco labelling as key to their food decisions.

Taste (78%), dietary requirements (15%) and low meat consumption (13%) continue to rate highly, they found.

“We have noted that our readers

mainly save and share classic recipes of chocolate cakes and traditional stews, so insect related recipes have not made the top searches just yet. We are following the trend and will see if there is a shift in habits this year as regulation changes and we see more people making sustainable choices,” said Ranj Begley, UK managing director and chief content officer at Readly.

The low-carbon emissions of insectbased foods has made them a hot topic which could soon become a major ingredient in smoothies, snacks and other foods, many propose.

Readly (www.readly.com) also reports that it saw a 31% increased interest in the food and drink magazines on its platform in the last year, and aside from the thousands of every day recipes on Readly, a number of insect-related recipes have shown up on the platform, including recipes for the popular banana bread and chocolate muffins, including cricket powder, for example.

Chapati Man launches ghost kitchen site in Camden Chapati Man, the spicy Indian wrap festival, event and street food business, created in London by husband and wife team Chris and Andrea Rai in 2007, has launched a ghost kitchen site in Camden, North London.

The first of many new sites launching in London and the UK, and working in partnership with Jacuna kitchens, this is another new segment of the Chapati Man business aimed at the thriving eat at home market, say the company.

Ghost kitchens (also known as dark kitchens, cloud kitchens, virtual kitchens or delivery only kitchens) are commercial kitchens that focus on take-out and delivery. People may be reluctant to rub shoulders in restaurants, but the demand is stronger than ever for affordable, tasty

food they don’t have to cook, report Chapati Man. These delivery kitchens operate entirely on-line, allowing customers to order through thirdparty delivery partners and via the Chapati Man website and bespoke customer ordering app.

To drive forward this expansion, Chapati Man is bringing on board Brett Larrabee, a successful figure in the food franchising industry with a 35 year track record working with a number of leading food brands, including Five Guys and more recently (and still), Little Caesars Pizza, to assist with the development of the Chapati Man brand and franchise model.

Chapati Man’s partners helping to bring about this exciting development are Flipdish – for on-line ordering and managed marketing, Otter – the integrated hub for on-line orders, PKL (a UK supplier of kitchen equipment) and Wrap N Pac (an eco-friendly packaging company that is 100% natural and compostable).

Chris Rai, the owner and cofounder of Chapati Man, said: “This is another huge step forward for the Chapati Man brand and concept.

We’ve had an incredible year with lots of franchise interest from all over the world! With Brett’s help, we hope to push to the next level with a streamlined and very attractive franchise offer.”

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 9

NEWS

It’s Lolly launches Lolly SnapServe It’s Lolly, a digital EPOS and commerce specialist, has launched SnapServe – a cashierless, fully-automated checkout solution, say the company.

The vision-based, automated system creates a swift and completely contactless walk-through experience for the customer and is a highly efficient new use of AI technology in the UK hospitality sector, they propose.

Perfect for the large corporate canteen or a busy grab and go hospitality environment, they suggest, Lolly SnapServe has been designed to eliminate queues and improve efficiency. Time per transaction can be reduced to just three seconds, they point out, with customers simply placing their tray under the visionbased kiosk, which uploads a photo to the SnapServe system. To pay, the customer scans the unique QR code on

their Lolly app to identify themselves, and checks out. The customer’s order confirmation and receipt are then sent through within a few minutes of their check-out showing the list of items purchased and a digital receipt that they can review in the App. By removing the touchscreen and human contact elements at the checkout, Lolly SnapServe also helps support social distancing, and other Covid-19 safety protocols, the company add.

Peter Moore, CEO of It’s Lolly said: “We are very excited to be launching Lolly SnapServe to market and using AI to improve efficiency for both providers and customers. Hospitality providers now have the opportunity to utilise this advanced technology and offer next level seamless service. Lolly SnapServe is part of Lolly’s integrated

product range, thus creating a fully closed-loop ordering and payment environment.

“From a commercial point of view, Lolly SnapServe makes real business sense. This is not technology for technology’s sake. The product’s commercials work. SnapServe uses computer vision and AI to speed up transactions, reduce queuing times (which aids social distancing) and improve hygiene, as touch screens and human contact are removed from the checkout process.”

Missions Foods’ new handheld, meal solution Mission Foods UK (www. missionfoodservice.co.uk) has added a new innovative handheld meal solution to its industry-leading speciality breads portfolio - the Mission Naan Wrap.

This latest Mission sandwich carrier has been created to be a versatile menu edition and provides a perfectly adaptable foundation for a range of global cuisines, claim the company. Not only are they soft and flexible, some of the well known characteristics of Mission tortillas, but they have are also been specifically designed for handheld and on the go menus.

The versatility of this newest edition to the Mission product range encourages creativity and dish innovation, feel the company, whether you’re using the Naan Wrap as the main dish foundation stuffed with chargrilled meats and vegetables, or as part of a small plate

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and dipping selection with pickles and chutneys. Specifically created to meet consumer needs of new flavour and cuisine explorations (Indian food being the third most popular world cuisine in the UK, according to YouGov Survey 2019 data), the new Naan Wrap gives a nod to informal “handheld eating” styles reflecting both authentic Indian and traditional Mexican tortilla wrap eating styles, they add.

With the grab and go market also on the rise - set to reach £23.4bn by 2024 according to IGD Research 2019 data - operators need to have reliable and flexible handheld options available to support this consumer demand, advise the company.

Available in a frozen format, Mission’s Naan Wrap is also useful for those with little counter storage space but who still want to deliver fresh and authentic meals, time and time again, they propose.

Kim Hartley, executive business development chef, Mission Foods, said: “As consumers become ever more informal in their dining demands, the new Mission Naan Wrap is perfect to help diners enjoy dishes they wouldn’t have seen on menus just a few years ago.

Authentically baked, and designed to be both soft and strong, our new Naan wrap can set your creativity free!”

British free range liquid egg

Range Farm Liquid Egg products are produced from fresh free range, British eggs. Available as Whole Egg, Egg Whites and Yolk supplied in pallecons, BIB and cartons. To start cooking with ease, call 01249 732221 or email Adrian.Blyth@stonegate.co.uk

NEWS

New project to improve the microbiological safety of bread Campden BRI is looking for partners to join a new research project that aims to help manufacturers and retailers understand and control the potential risks posed by Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) in bread products.

Proteolytic C. botulinum is a pathogenic bacterium that theoretically has the potential to grow in association with long shelf-life breads and similar products, particularly if they are Modified Atmosphere Packaged (MAP). The project will identify the factors that prevent the growth of C. botulinum on breads to ensure safe products for consumers.

Campden BRI microbiologist Phil Voysey, who is leading the project, said: “When it comes to microbiological safety, many consider baked and partbaked goods generally safe, largely because of the positive experiences they’ve had with these products.

However, in theory, these goods can support the growth of pathogenic microorganisms such as proteolytic Clostridium botulinum, which has been linked to human illness.

“Further still, there have been cases where the flour used to make these products has been contaminated with pathogens such as Salmonella and Shiga toxinproducing E. coli. This is a particular concern when you consider that baking processes are generally not

designed to achieve spore-forming pathogen elimination.

To top it off, these products are then stored at ambient temperatures which are ideal for microbial growth.”

The scientists are looking for retailers and bread producers to work with them on the project so that they can identify the most likely factors contributing to microbiological safety. They’ll then use a range of comprehensive analysis to determine the effectiveness of these factors which will help determine the risk of new and existing bread products. Part of the project will be focused on contamination levels of ingredients used to make breads.

Phil Voysey added: “We’re currently living through a time when food safety is at the forefront of the consumer’s mind, and this is changing their buying habits. Demand for bread exceeded 50% at one point during the current health crisis, proving it as one of the UK’s favourite staple foods. It also tells us that ensuring the safety of bread has never been more important. So, when considering its microbiological safety, no stone must be left unturned.”

The research begins on 1 April 2021 and will run for 18 months and involve suppliers and retailers from across the bread sector (any companies wanting to take part in the research should call Greg Jones on +44(0)1386 842143, or email him at greg.jones@campdenbri.co.uk).

Embargo signs up more than 200 new venues since pandemic began More than 200 hospitality venues have signed up to use Embargo’s loyalty solution since the end of the first lockdown in July 2020.

Embargo is a loyalty platform that allows restaurants, bars, and coffee shops to recognise and reward their customers through the use of pioneering technology. Beta launched in 2017, Embargo is helping hospitality businesses embrace digital transformation by connecting them directly with their customers, delivering bespoke loyalty rewards and enabling communication.

Well known brands such as Notes Coffee, Bird Restaurants, the Gentlemen Baristas, Chucs Restaurants, Queens of Mayfair, Floozie Cookies, Crosstown Doughnuts and Thunderbird Friend Chicken are now using Embargo, and the company says that it has

12 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

experienced significant growth during the pandemic as coffee shops, cafés and restaurants have sought out its plug-and-play loyalty solution.

Serial entrepreneur and angel investor, Loui Blake, has also become the latest big name to invest in and join the advisory board of Embargo, having worked with numerous hospitality and alternative protein investments throughout his career, and now joining other high profile names to back the start-up, including Nick Telson, founder of DesignMyNight.

Loui Blake (pictured) said: “After using Embargo across our sites and speaking to fellow operators about the impact on their businesses, it was a no-brainer to back this start-up. When I spoke to the team, I was incredibly impressed by their vision – the demand for systems like Embargo is only going

to increase as we enter a new age for hospitality and I’m excited to be part of the business.”

Embargo, founded by Tsewang Wangkang and Frederick Szydlowski, recently became the first loyalty app to also offer users an on-demand delivery, click and collect and nationwide shipping service.

Frederick Szydlowski, Embargo’s CMO and co-founder, added: “We are excited to see the growing demand for our product across the UK. Throughout the pandemic we have already managed to launch several cities and towns in the UK as well as in other countries based on reverse enquiries.

It’s key for us to add the right investors who can help us grow and support our vision – we’re delighted to have Loui join us on this journey and can’t wait to work closely with him.”

PROMOTIONAL

Natasha’s Law is coming

- are you ready?

Natasha’s Law is the UK Government’s response to the heartbreaking and avoidable death of Natasha Ednan-Laparouse in 2016. The law aims to protect the UK’s estimated 2 million allergen sufferers and prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

From October 2021, food businesses need to ensure all PrePacked food for Direct Sale to the public (PPDS) has: n A full Quantitative Ingredient Declaration (QUID Declaration). n All allergens within the ingredients are highlighted for the consumer.

If your business makes and packages food products for presentation and sale directly to the public (PPDS) you need to take action now.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: Gather all the ingredient information for your products. n Prepare recipes so the ingredients can be presented in QUID order. n Highlight the allergens. n Design labels for your products. n Print the labels and apply at the time of production. n

Positive ID Labels recommend Label Direct software to design your label. You prepare a template in the software which then imports the data from your Nutridata export to create all of your label files in seconds.

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GATHERING THE DATA: Positive ID Labels have developed Nutridata , a web-based software solution to prepare all your ingredient data. n Nutridata lets you list all the pantry ingredients you use in your products in a database. n You then prepare recipes using the ingredients in your pantry. n Nutridata will put the ingredient declaration in QUID order for you automatically, based on the recipe you specify. n If you include nutrition data in your ingredients, Nutridata calculates all the nutrition information declarations for your product. n Nutridata reviews your ingredient compositions and highlights all the allergens in UPPERCASE for you, automatically. n You can then export the data as an Excel spreadsheet to use with your labelling software.

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DESIGNING YOUR LABELS: The first step is to determine how big your ingredient declaration is going to be. This determines how big your label needs to be. The text size is specified in law - most typefaces will need a 7 point font to be legal.

PRINTING YOUR LABELS: Positive ID Labels can supply a small footprint thermal label printer and your branded label stock. You then print the labels on-demand as you need them, keeping waste to a minimum and reducing stock. You can use a computer or a stand-alone keyboard to print your labels.

MULTI-OUTLET BUSINESSES? Positive ID Labels have foreseen the challenges faced by multi-outlet operators and developed a solution specifically to meet these challenges. LabelData has been developed to overcome the issues faced by such businesses. To print identical labels at multiple sites, you simply upload your label design and database to labeldata.uk ready for use at each outlet. At the outlet, any Android device or Windows PC can be used to print the labels.

LabelData will apply a site identifier for public health traceabilty and apply the use by date based on the information you provided in your Nutridata product specification.

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Tel: 01332 864895 Email: enquiries@natashas-law.co.uk Web: www.natashas-law.co.uk www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 13

BRITISH SANDWICH

DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2021 It’s that time of the year again! Time for the Sandwich and Food to Go Designer 2021 which will once again be hotly contested by chefs throughout the industry. Whether from large sandwich manufacturers or small independent sandwich bars, each will have the chance to be crowned Sandwich and Food to Go Designer 2021.

THE COMPETITION

2020 WINNER KIM HARTLEY

The sandwich and food to go market is primed to take advantage of the moment when the demand for sandwiches explodes as people return to the high street following the difficult 12 months we have all experienced.

Sandwich and food to go chefs will be on hand with their creativity and flair to make sandwiches the top lunchtime snack once again. As well as sandwiches, breakfast and lunchtime pots will also be available in ever-increasing quantity and quality.

The British Sandwich and Food to Go Designer 2021 has five categories and, once again, we are working with some exciting and diverse sponsors.

After registering for the competition, the chefs were sent samples of the sponsors’ ingredients to use in creating their recipes. As well as the sponsors’ nominated ingredient, the chefs were free to use any other ingredients they chose.

2020 WINNER GABRIEL PARUMA

The competition was really well supported this year despite the challenging times the industry is experiencing, and the sponsors received a fantastic range of innovative and creative recipes to choose from.

The recipes and images were sent anonymously to the sponsors who made their selection to advance to the semifinal stage. The judges considered presentation, taste and texture, commercial viability and innovative use of their products in making their selection.

PRIZES

The winner of each category will win £250.

The overall winner will receive a fantastic £2,000

SEMI-FINALISTS The judging has now taken place and the semi-finalists are:

MISSION FOODS. CHOCOLATE FLAVOUR VEGAN TORTILLA CATEGORY Mia Wright-Thompson Tourvest Retail Services

Peking through the Tiers and Strawberry & Pink Pepper Grand Slam

Zoe Gill Brakes

Bean & Chocolate Houmous Brownie & Berrie Tosdada

Emma Taylor Greencore Holey Mole and Over it

Barny Luxmoore Jabberwocky Catering

Pandan-mic Hack

Chloe Somerville Real Wrap Co

Chilli Berry Burrito

Lady Marmalade

The Mac’Beef Burrito

Kieran McGivern Around Noon

Edvinas Smigelskis Bradgate Bakery

Elvis has left the Burrito

Chocolate Breakfast Berry Tacos

Sarah Bailey FSC

Catherine Farrell Greencore

It’s a Sweet Taco Life

Laura Slaughter Greencore

Sue Price Whittle Well Good Kitchen Tony Bishop-Weston Foods for Life

Chilli con Chocolate Bolsillo & Chocolate Sushi

The Poacher’s Pocket

H. SMITH FOOD GROUP SHREDDED CHICKEN BREAST CATEGORY Sarah Bailey FSC

No Carb Shawarma Wrap

Gary McDowell Deli Lites Katsu Babe

Megan Fallows Greencore Chicken Tikka

Eleny Minto Greencore

Chicken & Mushroom Piewich

Emma Taylor Greencore The Street Greek

Kate Coss Driftwood Coffee House

Barny Luxmoore Jabberwocky Catering

Scott Joynston Greencore

Frances Cope Greencore

Chloe Orwin Greencore

Adrian Barbieri Figaro Catering Ltd

Miguel’s Chicken Snack Pot Loco Pollo from Maracaibo Chicken Fusion Wrap

Zoe Gill Brakes

Greek Style Chicken & Halloumi Wrap

Dave Wortington FSC

Intercontinental Chicken Naan Chicken Tikka Taco

Frango Max

Mel Walmsley Lakes Sandwiches Chicken and Spicy Slaw

Nathan Taylor TapHouse Cleethorpes

Zhoug n Spice & All Things Nice

Ruth Fingleton FSC

David MacKintosh Sandwich Larder

Jerk BBQ Chicken Wrap

Thai pulled Chicken Soya slaw

Haeju Oh Time for Kimchi

Doreen Allen Jamrock Catering

Edd Melloy Chandos Deli

Seoul Tower

KETO Chicken Salad w/Kimchi Mayo

Jerk Chicken and Prawn Burrito

Coronation Chicken

DANISH CROWN - PRE-COOKED BACON CATEGORY Millie Clark Greencore Breakfast McButty

Edvinas Smigelskis Bradgate Bakery

Simon Broadribb Uptons of Bassett

Kate Duncan KD Marketing

Sue Price-Whittle Well Good Kitchen

The Ultimate BLT

The BBM

Edd Melloy Chandos Deli ‘Crispy Eggs & Bacon’

James Simcox Greencore

Gary McDonell Deli Lites

Brie & Sprouts under Blankets Toastie

Megan Grove Greencore

Bacon, Goats Cheese and Jalapeno Chilli Jam

Chloe Somerville Real Wrap Co Bacon-Berry & Brie Brioche

Megan Fallows Greencore

You’ve got Bacon in my Choux!

Simon Whitby English Provender Hole in One!

Bad Ass BLT

Mel Walmsley Lakes Sandwiches Cubano Club Sandwich

Katarina Broadribb Lemon & Soul Cookery School

Inside out Bacon and Mushroom Sarnie The Swiss Pig

Eleny Minto Greencore Curried Roots Naan

Frances Cope Greencore

Bacon, Gouda & Chilli Chutney French Toast Toastie

Open Breakfast Sandwich

Emily Boskett Soho Coffee

Barny Luxmoore Jabberwocky Catering

Billy Eatenton Flexeserve

Hello Bacon!

Anna Brown Greencore

Croque alla Carbonara

Bacon, Poached Egg & Avocado Brioche

Punchy Pork Sub

LA BOULANGÈRE - BRIOCHE BAGUETTE CATEGORY Millie Clarke Greencore

Simon Whitby English Provender

Emma Taylor Greencore

Katherine McCloy Greencore

Go on, be Shellfish

Salt Beef Brioche Baguette

Barny Luxmoore Jabberwocky Catering

Elizabeth Goodman Greencore Meatball Explosion

The S’more the Merrier and BBQ Mushroom Brioche

Joanne Dooley Royal Northern College of Music

Matthew Devlin Greencore

Fish me Timbers

Banging Finger Sandwich

Mia Wright-Thompson Tourvest Retail Services The Cinna Beer-oche

Sue Price-Whittle Well Good Kitchen The BBMB

Dawn Roe Saints & Sinners The Toasted Package

The Coffee & Baguette

B Bee P

Emily Boskett Soho Coffee The Berlin Brioche

Darren Fenner Pumphouse Café Bacon & Goats Cheese Baguette

Kieran McGivern Around Noon Paris to Dakar

James Simcox Greencore

Cheat’s Summer Cheesecake Baguette

Gary McDowell Deli Lites

Brioche Brekkie

Scott Joynston Greencore The Drunken French Dip

Eleny Minto Greencore Squash & Stuffing

Anna Brown Greencore

Rose Harissa Halloumi Brioche

ROYAL GREENLAND MSC COOKED AND PEELED XL COLD WATER PRAWNS CATEGORY Aisling Lavery Greencore

David MacKintosh Sandwich Larder

The Grand Middle Eastern Duchess

Chloe Somerville Real Wrap Co

Edvinas Smigelskis Bradgate Bakery

Emma Taylor Greencore

Edd Melloy Chandos Deli

Oana Cunningham The Little Kitchen

Prawns Rosti

Prawn & Rose

Mel Walmsley Lakes Sandwiches

Chloe Orwin Greencore

Beth Hill Greencore

Sweet & Sour Prawn Toastie

Bangin’ Buffalo Prawns

Megan Fallows Greencore

Millie Clark Greencore

Lynne Need Kits Kitchen Ltd

Shrimp Roll-y-Poly

Prawn Shy

Dave Dooley Open Crumb

Simon Whitby English Provender

Doreen Allen Jamrock Catering

Spiced Prawn Flat Bread Non-Traditional Prawn Cocktail Prawn to be Wild

Shrimp Taco Wrap

Gochujang & Sesame Prawn Roll Seafood de Mayo

Simon Wilkes Planters Garden Centre Piri Piri Prawn Club

Mediterranean Lemon Prawns

Brand(y) Spankin’ Prawns

Stephen Dey Steve’s at the Mill

Zoe Gill Brakes

Dysphasia IDDSI Level 4 Prawn & Marie Rose Baguette

Surf and Turf

Eleny Minto Greencore

Massaman Prawn Stack

Kickin’ Cajun Tempura King Prawn Wrap!

JOIN US FOR THE FINAL ONLINE JUDGING Once our judges have deliberated, cogitated, digested all the semi-finalists’ creations, please join us for the final online judging, when you can hear from our sponsors and their chosen finalists. They take place as follows: Tuesday 20 April 2021 10.30am - H. Smith Food Group – Shredded Chicken Breast 2.30pm - Mission Foods – Chocolate Wrap Wednesday 21 April 2021 10.30am - La Boulangère – Brioche Baguette 2.30pm - Danish Crown – Pre-Cooked Bacon Thursday 22 April 2021 10.30am - Royal Greenland - MSC Cooked and Peeled XL Cold Water Prawns SPONSORED BY

ABOUT THE SPONSORS AND THEIR INGREDIENTS box. H. Smith Food Group Plc is one of the UK’s leading independent wholesalers and distributors of frozen food products to the wholesale, catering and retail markets. We specialise in quality frozen meat, poultry, seafood and further processed products for the fusion/ethnic and catering sectors.

Mission Foods – Chocolate Flavour Vegan Tortilla Missions new first to market Chocolate Flavour Vegan Tortilla has been designed as a dual application product with a unique flavour profile that works in both sweet & savoury dishes. Baked with the finest cocoa powder giving a rich dark colour and indulgent flavour; our new vegan tortilla can add depth and interest to South American inspired plates or replace pastry to create rich, multi-textured desserts. It’s an amazing taste sensation where the only boundary is your imagination!

“At Mission Foodservice, we are passionate about producing the finest quality tortillas, flatbreads and tortilla chips to add true value to every menu, providing industry expertise for chefs and operators looking to create authentic, exciting meal solutions. The biggest tortilla manufacturer in the world and branded manufacturer in the UK, Mission serves consumers and foodservice operators in more than 100 countries.

Our experts inspire operators to create authentic, stand out meals, every time.”

H. Smith Food Group – Shredded Chicken Breast H. Smith’s shredded chicken is produced from boneless and skinless whole breasts using just chicken, water and salt. The product is ready to eat from thaw or can be reheated, leaving you with an extremely versatile, succulent product. They developed this product specifically for the sandwich and food to go market which can be used for many catering applications – including wraps, salads and ready meals.

It is available in a 10kg case, (4 x 2.5kg bags), IQF, is steam cooked breast meat only and ready to eat. It has full traceability from a BRC fully integrated poultry site and ticks every technical

“We are one of the UK’s leading independent wholesalers and distributors of frozen food products to the wholesale, catering and retail markets. H. Smith specialise in quality frozen meat, poultry, seafood and further processed products for the fusion/ethnic and catering sectors.”

la Boulangere – Brioche Baguette Each of our baguettes are soft and pre-sliced to help make every eating occasion an easy fix. We have baked the traditions of Vienne into our soft French baguettes. Melting in the mouth and just slightly sweet, they remind us of brioche whilst delivering a satisfying bready texture. They are ideal for any time of the day but mostly for mouthwatering sandwiches, let this traditional taste spark your culinary imagination.

“We are the UK subsidiary of familyowned Norac Foods Group – young, dynamic, culturally attuned and actively adapting to these hectic times we live in.

We believe that what and how we eat is an ‘art of living’, being one of the most important ways to enjoy life. We invite our consumers to experience the traditional goodness of our French style baking that is designed to suit a modern lifestyle.

“Norac Foods UK was created because we knew it was time for our two cultures to meet, and now we have positioned ourselves as a respectable French baker and a wholesale supplier in the UK market. Having been around since 2015, Norac Foods UK has become a major player in the UK food market. Thanks to the great efforts of our team, the support of our French Norac Foods group and our sister manufacturing companies, our organic growth has positioned us as a key partner in the baked continental morning goods sector, which also make for perfect snacks.”

Royal Greenland MSC – Cooked and Peeled XL Cold Water Prawns Royal Greenland Cold Water Prawns are a delicacy, with their pink colour and firm, juicy texture. From their origin in the ice-cold and clear waters the delicious prawns are high in protein and low in fat, making them a healthy and nutritious choice.

“Royal Greenland brings wild-caught, high-quality seafood from the Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean to consumers around the globe. With our own fleet of large ocean-going trawlers fishing in the rich fishing grounds between Greenland and Eastern Canada, Royal Greenland catches, packs and distributes a variety of delicious fresh seafood to customers around the world.”

Danish Crown – Pre-Cooked Bacon Danish Crown Pre-Cooked Bacon: Our bacon has been dried, beechwood smoked and then cooked so it is ready for every busy chef. It can be used on sandwiches, perfect to add to your Mac and Cheese, spruce up your burger or fill a great pancake filling. It is slightly crispy yet still tender. If used for warm dishes, this bacon can simply be quickly reheated for any hot meal. Our cooked bacon saves you time so you can let your imagination run wild!

“We, the ‘Bacon Specialists since 1912’, have been making bacon for as long as we can remember. Our premium bacon is produced using prime pork belly which is carefully cured, dried and matured allowing the flavour to develop before being traditionally smoked over beechwood. It can be supplied raw or cooked in various fresh and frozen formats (including sliced, diced, lardons and flakes) making bacon the perfect ingredient! Chicken bacon and plantbased slices are also available from our wider range of sandwich ingredients that includes cooked meats.”

INTRODUCING A NEW RANGE OF ITALIAN FILLED DOUGH BALL SNACKS, AVAILABLE AS SOFT OR CRUNCHY

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This year we celebrate the 26th year of the Sammies Awards.

The Awards are always a highlight in the sandwich industry’s calendar, and once again we will recognise the hard work, dedication and achievements of all those involved in the British Sandwich and Food To Go industry.

The Award Winners will be announced on 6 May, and we will bring everyone together when we hold the BSA Industry Dinner at the Royal Lancaster London on Thursday, 21 October 2021.

For further information please contact Caron Parry caron@jandmgroup.co.uk Tel. 01291 636346.

This year’s award recognises those retailers who have gone out of their way to support their local communities through the pandemic.

This award recognises development and innovation by suppliers within the industry and looks at both ingredients (not sandwiches and food to go products) and packaging/equipment.

This award recognises development and innovation for the food to go market by manufacturers and foodservice businesses within the industry.

Recognising the importance of marketing, this award is presented to a sandwich/ FTG retailer, manufacturer or supplier who has initiated a successful and innovative campaign to achieve specific strategic goals.

This award recognises the overall contribution made by manufacturers to elevate and grow the industry including what they have been doing during the pandemic.

Open to any sandwich (not a range) this award recognises and encourages good innovation within the sandwich market in both the hot and cold sectors.

This award will recognise the work being done by the convenience retailers to develop the sandwich/FTG market in the high street and in particular how they have managed their business during the pandemic.

This award will recognise the work being done by the café retailers to develop the market in the high street and in particular how they have managed their business during the pandemic.

This award recognises business developments that have helped progress the industry.

This award recognises the work being done by the chains to develop the market in the high street and in particular how they have managed their business during the pandemic.

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This award is designed to recognise the work being done at all levels to reduce the sector’s impact on the environment.

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This award recognises the work being done to provide consumers with new interesting and innovative healthy eating products.

This award recognises those retailers who have done the most to develop their business over the last year and in particular during the pandemic.

This award is in the gift of the BSA Management Committee and is presented to an individual or organisation for outstanding contribution to the industry.

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Focusing on travel, from forecourts and service stations to airports and trains. This award recognises the work these businesses are doing to develop and drive this sector.

Judging of the awards took place throughout March with many being held on-line and those shortlisted were invited to present to the judging panel and invited BSA members.

All retailer awards are considered by the judging panel including data sourced from Kantar, HIM, NPSD and Mealtrak.

ASSOCIATION U P DAT E

LINKS TO RECENT BSA MEETINGS Coronavirus - https://www.sandwich.org.uk/index.php/newsfeatures/809-coronavirus-latest-5th-march-2020 Committee Minutes - https://www.sandwich.org.uk/index. php/members-hub/advice/management-committee-minutes Technical Group - https://www.sandwich.org.uk/index.php/ members-hub/advice/webinars/808-bsa-papa-technicalgroup-meeting-march-2021 ELLIS WHITTAM LIVE Q&A The BSA’s legal partner is hosting a Live Q&A with the subject ‘What Vaccination Means for Manufacturers’. It is on 18 March 2021 at 2.00pm and will answer questions such as: Can I ask new starters to evidence that they have had the vaccine if they are eligible? What about my existing staff?

Can I introduce regular on-site testing, and what can I do if employees refuse?

If an employee has received a shielding letter but wants to come to work and is happy to sign to confirm this, can I let them?

Members can register for the session at: https://elliswhittam. com/training/vaccine_manufacturing/?v=BSA FREE LATERAL FLOW TESTS FOR EMPLOYEES Businesses of all sizes, including those with fewer than 50 employees, can now register to order free lateral flow tests for their employees (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ free-rapid-tests-for-all-businesses-for-regular-workplacetesting?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuknotifications&utm_source=135195f0-f461-46f3-968f6ff88f466765&utm_content=immediately). The lateral flow tests will remain free until the end of June and registration closes on March 31 2021.

More information on rapid workplace testing is available on an online portal for businesses (https://www.gov.uk/getworkplace-coronavirus-tests) as well as information to plan and deliver a testing programme.

If small businesses cannot offer rapid workplace testing, all local authorities in England are now offering rapid lateral flow testing and businesses can find their local test site online (https://www.gov.uk/find-covid-19-lateral-flow-test-site).

22 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

GRANT UPDATE The government says it wants to ensure businesses get the support they need through the pandemic and ministers have agreed to increase direct support for businesses through existing grants schemes to £10.9 million. The guidance on the support available can be found (https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/local-restrictions-support-grantslrsg-and-additional-restrictions-grant-arg-guidance-for-localauthorities).

BUSINESS RATES RELIEF IN WALES The Welsh government has announced that their business rates holiday has been extended for 12 months. This applies to the retail, leisure and hospitality businesses with rateable values up to £500k and also applies to charities. More information at https://gov.wales/business-rates-holidayextended-12-months.

ADDITIONAL £30M FOR WELSH BUSINESSES The latest round of the Welsh government’s Economic Resilience Fund will see £30m of targeted support being made available to support small, medium and large businesses in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors as well as related supply chain businesses. The funding is targeted to businesses employing ten or more staff in recognition of the relatively higher level of operating costs that these businesses face. More information https://gov. wales/additional-funding-hospitality-leisure-and-tourismbusinesses.

THE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) extension The CJRS will be extended across the UK for five months until 30 September 2021. Employees will continue to receive 80% of their current salary for hours not worked. There will be no employer contributions beyond National Insurance contributions and pensions required in April, May and June.

From July, the government will introduce an employer contribution towards the cost of unworked hours of 10% in July, 20% in August and 20% in September, as the economy reopens.

Restart grants The government will provide ‘restart grants’ in England of up to £6,000 per premises for non-essential retail businesses and up to £18,000 per premises for hospitality, accommodation, leisure, personal care and gym businesses. The government is also providing all local authorities in England with an additional £425 million of discretionary business grant funding, on top of the £1.6 billion already allocated.

VAT reduction for the UK’s tourism and hospitality sector The temporary reduced rate of 5% VAT for goods and services supplied by the UK tourism and hospitality sector will be extended until 30 September 2021. A 12.5% rate will apply for the subsequent six months until 31 March 2022.

Business rates reliefs Eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties in England will be receive 100% business rates relief from 1 April 2021 to 30 June 2021. This will be followed by 66% business rates relief for the period from 1 July 2021 to 31 March 2022, capped at £2 million per business for properties that were required to be closed on 5 January 2021, or £105,000 per business for other eligible properties.

New recovery loan scheme for UK businesses From 6 April 2021 a new Recovery Loan Scheme has been announced to enable businesses of any size to access loans

and other kinds of finance up to £10 million per business once the existing COVID-19 loan schemes close. Launching on 6 April 2021 and open until 31 December 2021, subject to review, the government will guarantee 80% of the finance to the lender. Loans will be available through a network of accredited lenders, whose names will be made public in due course. Term loans and overdrafts will be available between £25,001 and £10 million per business. Invoice finance and asset finance will be available between £1,000 and £10 million per business. Finance terms are up to six years for term loans and asset finance facilities. For overdrafts and invoice finance facilities, terms will be up to three years.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) Rebate Scheme Small and medium-sized employers across the UK will continue to be able to reclaim up to two weeks of eligible SSP costs per employee. This scheme is a temporary COVID-19 measure intended to support employers while levels of sickness absence are high.

VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme Any business that took advantage of the original VAT deferral on VAT returns from 20 March 2020 through to the end of June 2020 can now opt to use the VAT Deferral New Payment Scheme to pay that deferred VAT in up to eleven equal payments from March 2021, rather than one larger payment due by 31 March 2021, as originally announced.

Food labelling solutions We are on a roll and colour matters

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www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 23

MEAT

Leaner times?

The nature, and frequency, of meat consumption in the UK is changing as consumers increasingly adopt flexitarian and vegan diets that are viewed as being more balanced and healthier for them, and the planet. Extra challenges having impact on traditional meat consumption right now include the effects of Brexit and the passage of the food retailing sector out of ‘lockdown’.

IN BALANCE “We do see that the ‘association’ with the vegan lifestyle has increased, but the proportion adhering to the lifestyle continues to be low at 2% (Bord Bia, Dietary Lifestyles, 2021),” says Dawn Farms’ John McGrath.

“A significant proportion of UK households - 70% - still eat meat on a weekly or more often basis. In our view, the trend to really monitor is the flexitarian lifestyle trend. This diet incorporates a healthy balance between meat and plantbased foods. Adherence to this diet is high at 16% and is expected to grow significantly in next five years. Dawn Farms’ strategy is to be in a position to provide solutions in plant and meat products to our customers with the recent launch of the Plant Deli and Batch 85 range of products specifically developed for the pizza and sandwich sectors. “ Has Brexit presented any challenges when it comes to supply?

“The next Brexit milestone is 1 April 2021, when authorities in the UK will require pre-notification of agri-food products via their IPAFFS system,” explains John McGrath. “It is likely that a number of suppliers will stock build in advance of that 24 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

Part of the Dawn Farm Foods’ range.

deadline to avoid potential delays. Ireland is embedded in the UK food supply chain and Dawn Farms has invested in our own systems and training to ensure that our 100% supply chain security is maintained. We will continue to deliver via our own company - Dawn Farms Distribution.

“QSRs/restaurants are currently still benefiting from delivery services, while retailers gain with online. Growth should bounce back in the summer months as vaccines and better weather provide a route out of the crisis, according to Deloitte UK. This is further backed by the fact by four in five consumers are saying they hope to return to hospitality venues within a few weeks of them re-opening, according to CGA data. In our view, QSR (quick service restaurants) have been the most resilient during the pandemic. They have very much weathered the challenges better by pivoting their business models and structures.”

MEAT GLORIOUS MEAT

READY-T0-EAT COOKED MEATS Famous for superior craft and quality since 1985, Dawn Farms brings you Batch 85, a carefully chosen

FEATURES Developed and cooked to perform in QSR/Fast Casual sectors

selection of signature products made from authentic,

All products are fully cooked and for hot/cold applications

simple and responsibly sourced ingredients. Choose

Pizza toppings, sandwich fillings, Tex Mex

Batch 85 for culinary craftsmanship, passion and knowledge in ready-to-eat cooked meats since 1985.

Innovative and on trend selection serving the world’s most loved food brands

BENEFITS Produced under the Dawn Farms Food Plus+ brand protection programme IQF frozen to seal in freshness and reduce food waste Ready to Order, Ready To Eat

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Local distribution network in place

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Visit www.Batch85.ie

MEAT

LOCALLY SOURCED Potentially offering a new opportunity for innovative food to go operators, wild game specialist, Wild and Game (www. wildandgame.co.uk), say that they are on a mission to put game more fully on the British menu. It could even be the next food to go phenomenon, they suggest, having already become a mainstay of its increasingly popular range of sausage rolls, pasties and pork pies, and a tempting, ‘home grown’ option for many consumers during ‘lockdown’.

“Since it began in 2017, Wild and Game has made it its mission to get more people in the UK enjoying British game,” says co-founder, Steven Frampton. “Not only is game a refreshing alternative to the meats more commonly eaten in the UK, it’s also wild and therefore free-range, hormone free and better for the environment. On top of that, it’s higher in protein and lower in fat than most supermarket meats, making it a great choice for health-conscious consumers.”

Wild and Game’s founders recognised, however, that many people lacked confidence when it came to trying game, so they set about showcasing it as a key ingredient in a host of some of Britain’s favourite, and highly portable, dishes.

“We started out with products such as sausage rolls, pies and pasties, adapting recipes people were already familiar with, but with a game twist,” explains Steven Frampton. “Our sausage rolls were an instant bestseller, and people were also quick to embrace our game pies - which are based on a traditional pork pie recipe – as well as our Cornish-style game pasties. These products have really helped demonstrate how accessible game is, and how wonderful it is as an ingredient.”

Since then, the company’s range has grown exponentially, they report, with new products being launched every month, and including everything from ready meals to ready to cook meat, sausages and burgers, but its food to go offering, which is available wholesale, remains focused on its core bestsellers, they emphasise.

These include jumbo sized sausage rolls in two varieties – venison and pheasant or venison, pheasant and sweet chilli - and handmade game versions of pork pies, including their award-winning pork, pheasant and caramelised onion variety.

There are also traditional beef and pheasant pasties cased in crisp pastry and portable snack boxes, each containing a mini sausage roll and a mini pie. These go perfectly with the mini jars of chutney that are also available from Wild and Game, they point out.

All of their pies, sausage rolls and pasties are available wholesale, either freshly baked or frozen unbaked, and, as they come from Wild and Game’s Bristol base, there are no post-Brexit import complications, they add.

26 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

“These products have proven perfect for the food to go market, offering something high quality and a bit different,” says Steven Frampton. “They’re also a sound choice when it comes to keeping food miles low due to that fact that all the game comes from the UK.” In the four years since the company was founded, Wild and Game has celebrated many milestones, including winning awards for its products, growing its wholesale business and also – during lockdown – seeing a surge in customers buying directly from its website. Its keenly priced lockdown boxes, for instance, appealed to the nation’s increased appetite for interesting food to try at home, with Steven Frampton feeling that this has also helped to speed the growth of the market for game in the UK. “Many of the customers who came to us during lockdown were trying game for the first time, and the great thing is, they’ve stayed with us, coming back to try more and getting more adventurous in terms of what they will try,” he reveals.

“We recently secured a supply of wild rabbits, and they have been hugely popular, as has our new game mix, which is perfect for pies. It shows that many of the people who first come to us for our pies and ready meals go on to cook with game and enjoy it as a regular part of their diet.”

Steven Frampton also feels that with the UK’s appetite for game growing, now would be good time for the food to go sector to start offering more game products too. “We’re delighted with how rapidly our customer base has grown,” he reports. “For a long time, game was a neglected source of meat in the UK. Now it’s something people are excited to be trying. It has the appeal of being wild, natural and local - and our food to go products really do showcase it at its best. Our ultimate aim is to make game as popular as meats such as beef or chicken – and it’s clear that things are heading in the right direction.”

FOUNDING VALUES REMAIN Founded in 2000, as a small family run production unit based in Tunari, Romania, meat product supplier, Gierlinger, started out by producing small volumes of high quality, cooked skewers for the catering industry. Due to their popularity, they were soon working with some of Europe’s biggest, brightest and best customers, they report, having gone on to develop a full range of value-added meat products to suit their individual requirements.

Just like homemade…

CRISPY STREAKY BACON STEAM COOKED & ROASTED CHICKEN BREAST FILLET • • • • •

Succulent Ready to eat No additives EU-27 origin Diced / strips / slice / whole fillet

Contact us for more Information: Harry Prutton | +44 7747621586 hp@gierlinger-holding.com

• • • • •

Natural beechwood smoke Authentic flavour Ready to eat Convenient Thinner rasher for optimum yield, maximum taste

Gierlinger Holding GmbH Weingartenstrasse 14 | A-4100 Ottensheim | Austria www.gierlinger-holding.com

MEAT New design builds on decades of trusted performance Grote Company (www.grotecompany.com), an industrial food slicing and assembly equipment manufacturer, has announced the release of a new version of its slicer/ applicator, expanding on its 30-plus years as a staple to many in the food industry. Their new design emphasises sanitary design, easier and repeatable set-up, and a reduced total cost of ownership, they point out.

The slicer/applicator slices and applies a wide range of food products directly onto processing lines with precise targeting and is used in the production of well-known products around the world such as jerky, sandwiches, bread snacks, and frozen and to-go meals such as cordon bleu and lasagna.

Featuring an open channel frame with no hollow tubing, a watershed electrical enclosure, IP69K motors, there is easy access for maintenance and set-up via telescopic guarding. An updated blade guide mounting system allows for quick changeouts and sanitation, resulting in consistent performance and less downtime and its AccuBand® Blade System has been completely redesigned to improve blade and blade guide life to help with reduced cost of ownership, say Grote.

“The slicer/applicator was our second slice-and-apply machine over 30 years ago, after the Pep-a-matic, and we are proud to continue its tradition with this new, superior design,” said CEO, Bob Grote. “We optimised and improved several components of the slicer, all to increase performance and sanitation, while decreasing downtime and total cost of ownership over the many years it will run.”

“Due to the continued growth and development of our business, today Gierlinger is a very different place - the company operates in five locations across Europe, employs 1200 people in production, technical, NPD and management all dealing with food production and complex supply-chain solutions that cover the continent. We have market specialists stationed in key regions across Europe that feedback the latest regional customer requirements, market data and trends,” says Harry Prutton, senior national accounts manager UK & Ireland, Gierlinger Holding GmbH. “All that said, our family values still hold true today. Despite the size of our business, we are very much a family business, and extremely customer focused. Continued product innovation, employing the latest production technologies and techniques, using the best raw materials, and utilising the best supply-chain services enable us to continue to deliver real solutions to all sectors across the market with a personal service.

28 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

Particularly popular with customers, report Gierlinger, is their premium cooked bacon due to its tasty, thin and crispy nature.

“Our production, NPD and technical teams have looked to continuously perfect our bacon flavour, quality and yield over the past 20 years. Our continued pursuit of the perfect bacon rasher is our passion and as a result, our clients benefit.”

Utilising the freshest raw materials from accredited EU suppliers also helps to ensure that their steam-cooked and roasted chicken breast fillet products can be the best they can be, they feel, with some of the latest production techniques and technologies being used to help produce some of the very best, premium chicken products that the EU has to offer, be it off-shelf or in a bespoke format.

Other meat products from Gierlinger with ‘food on the go’ potential include authentic schnitzel, goujons, popcorn, Kiev and skewers, they suggest, as well as pork rib packs; all supplied cooked and conveniently packaged. Their traditional recipes of ham, cold cuts, air-dried sausage, fermented salami, and pepperoni products have all become Gierlinger specialities, they point out, produced in collaboration with their NPD teams across Europe and helping to cater for a range of markets and tastes.

“We don’t use flavour enhancers or additives, so our products have an authentic taste and look fantastic; this all comes from the cooking. All our food production operations have the strictest internally developed safety and production guidelines, with all EU regulations and requirements being fully integrated into our processes. All our production units are IFS and BRC certified,” Harry Prutton adds.

“High capacity and sustainability are not a contradiction of terms. Not only do we strive to produce sustainably, we are environmentally conscious and employ economical energy solutions across our group. These key aspects are at the forefront of our business. Strict animal husbandry policies are also a driving factor at Gierlinger. We value stress-free, speciesappropriate husbandry and with processes such as nitritefree crispy bacon, strict allergen, and microbiology controls throughout our business, our group strives for the preservation of the purity of food throughout the supply chain.”

NITRATE-FREE 100% natural, with no nitrites, nitrates or additives, Parma ham is good for a balanced diet, the use of nitrates, nitrites, and other preservatives in food products (particularly in charcuterie) having been at the centre of a heated debate following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) claims towards the end of last year that they can be carcinogenic to humans.

MEAT Creating a rosy appearance for products that would otherwise be naturally grey in colour, nitrites are thought to lure consumers in with their aesthetics, therefore remaining a popular tool for some food brands, despite increasing evidence of their harmful effects.

Parma ham is 100% natural, made with only two ingredients - pork and sea salt. During the production process, the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma does not allow any colouring agents or preservatives such as nitrites or nitrates to be added, unlike many other meat-based products, and due to Parma ham’s naturalness, and its high nutritional value, it is an excellent choice for children, athletes, and the elderly, as well as those who find it difficult to digest proteins.

A distinctive characteristic of Parma ham is its high protein content. After the protein is broken down by the digestive system into amino acids, they are reassembled to form muscles, connective tissues, and other essential components such as enzymes and antibodies. More than 20% of the total amount of protein in Parma ham consists of free amino acids, giving it a very high overall digestibility.

Parma ham’s total lipid component is also of good quality, claim the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, thanks to the high content of unsaturated fatty acids (64.9%) – the good fats that are good for health (one of these, oleic acid, at 45.8%, is a mono-unsaturated fat that protects from cardiovascular pathologies).

Eating Parma ham has also been shown to help achieve the recommended daily amounts of group B vitamins and provides a good amount of precious minerals that are highly bioavailable, meaning they are easy for the body to absorb, such as iron.

In addition, Parma ham would appear to be an excellent food that helps to combat and inhibit the action of free radicals – felt to be the main cause of ageing and degenerative diseases – helping to restore the physiological balance of the body, thanks to the presence of natural antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium.

For some Parma Ham recipes and food pairings, visit https://www.prosciuttodiparma.com/en/parma-ham-recipes/).

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www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 29

FOOD TESTING

What’s in my

?

sandwich

Food fraud is a hot topic at the moment as between Brexit and Covid we are seeing significant disruption to supply chains. Many experts expect that this disruption will lead to an increase in “economically motivated adulteration” of food, commonly referred to as food fraud. Here, in the second of a series of advisory articles, Tim Lumb (pictured), ALS Laboratories (UK) Ltd’s chemistry technical manager, discusses food fraud and authenticity testing.

BACKGROUND ALS Laboratories (UK) Ltd (www.als-testing. co.uk) is one of the UK’s leading providers of food and drink testing services. With six accredited laboratories located across the country, they offer a comprehensive range of high quality, analytical testing services, including microbiological, nutritional, vitamins and minerals, pesticides and contaminants, allergens and speciation. They also provide clients with a wide range of consultancy services and technical support on food safety, labelling requirements, allergens management and sensory testing.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Whilst it is the responsibility of all food ingredient suppliers to ensure that the products they sell are of the standard that they are described as, it is also the responsibility of anyone buying ingredients to have an understanding of the risk associated with that product.

This risk assessment is commonly referred to as TACCP (Threat Assessment and Critical Control Points) and is described in the BRC 30 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

(British Retail Consortium) standard.

There are no rules about how an assessment is made, but it is essential that the assessment is kept up to date and changes to supply can affect the risks associated with a product.

Typical factors incorporated into an assessment are • historic trends • emerging issues • value of the product • ease of adulteration, substitution or dilution • ease of detection Where a product is considered to be of higher risk, then a plan to control the risk and detect any fraud is needed. When it comes to detection it can quickly become confusing, knowing what to test for and when is not always clear.

Laboratories now need to step up and support on this but unfortunately it is very difficult for a laboratory to advise without a complete understanding of exactly what is needed. Contract laboratories work best when you are able to say to them – “please tell me how much of material X is in my product” whether that is a nutrient like protein, a microbe like listeria or a chemical contaminant such as a specific pesticide. When the question posed is “can you tell me if something is

there that shouldn’t be?” it is a much more challenging proposition, but this question is being asked on an increasingly regular basis.

WHAT CAN LAB’S DO? Broadly speaking, with the technology available today, any authenticity related issue could be detected through analysis. However, this may require a long-term partnership to achieve.

The first question to consider is “do you know the probable adulterant?”

For a large range of commonly adulterated products the answer is “yes”. In this case an ‘off the shelf’ method may be available to you.

These range from looking at added sugars in honey, to horsemeat added to beef, artificial vanillin added to vanilla essence, or even as simple as water added to bacon. Many of these problems don’t even get classed as “authenticity testing” because they are so common to the analyst’s handbook. Fish speciation, pesticide contamination, meat content – these are all tests which are performed routinely in almost all labs and all manufacturers have absorbed them into their due diligence protocols.

But more often now, the answer to the question is “I don’t know”.

The reason for this becoming more

FOOD TESTING common is down to a couple of factors. One is that as methods for authenticity become routine, those looking to benefit from counterfeiting and adulterating have learnt how methods work and how to evade notice. The other is simply that a greater range of products are being treated as ‘at risk’ due to globalisation making supply chains longer and more complex, global warming changing where and when products are available, or simply down to a greater understanding of and attention to the possible risks.

In these cases, laboratories are more and more looking to the future with non-targeted testing.

WHAT IS NON-TARGETED TESTING? In its most basic form, it is screening for the ‘unknown unknowns’.

Using as small amount of sample preparation as possible, a wide range of parameters can be screened, rather than looking for something specific, rather the method is looking for something that is different.

The beauty of doing this is that any small changes to a product can be detected. Whilst it may not be possible to say what that change signifies, it does very rapidly show that something is wrong. In addition to this, because the sample preparation is kept to a minimum, the cost per sample can be relatively low.

The difficulty in the approach though, is the set up. In order to detect a change in a product, that product needs to be very well classified through the technique used. This means testing a large number of samples to build up an image of what is ‘normal’. Those normal changes in the product need to be incorporated into the dataset, so any sort of seasonality, changes to growing conditions or feedstuffs (dependant on whether it is plant or animal material) need to be considered. But if sufficient authentic material can be obtained and tested, any product could be authenticated.

•

WHAT TECHNIQUE SHOULD BE USED? There is no right technique for this. A brief time spent reading research on authenticity methods will show the same problem being resolved using different techniques. Each laboratory will recommend the technique that they have already established.

However, this does seem to be slowly coalescing around a few common platforms. These are: • SIRMS – stable isotopic ratio analysis This technique looks at the ratios of isotopes of specific elements (isotopes of an element have a different number of neutrons so have a very slightly different mass).

This technique is very useful for establishing where something is from. It can also be used for establishing the source of sugars or distinguishing between organic and non-organic fertilisers.

• DNA testing Either using PCR for specific species or NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) for a broad spectrum of species. These techniques are great for looking at the species involved in unprocessed or lightly processed products, whether they are animal, fish or plant material.

• NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) This is possibly the most powerful tool available to chemists. New instruments operating with low frequency magnets are becoming the method of choice for many applications. Methods for coffee authentication are currently available, oil classification is simple and quick, research is underway and looking very promising for herbs and spices and it looks likely that expensive methods for

•

authenticating honeys and juices could soon be replicated on these new NMR’s.

NIR and FT-IR These Infrared spectroscopy techniques have been in use in food manufacturing facilities for a long time and a huge amount of information can be obtained from them. This technique is therefore something which shows huge promise due to the ease in which data can be built up.

Mass spectroscopy This could be an entire article in itself. MS is one of the chemists go to techniques due to its versatility.

MS exists with a whole multitude of different uses and set ups, from the highly sensitive and specific triple Q which is used for highly targeted analysis of contamination (acrylamide, toxins, cleaning chemicals, pesticides) through to MALDI-TOF which is being used routinely to classify microbes in clinical, environmental and food settings.

WHAT NEXT? If your TACCP is indicating that analytical controls may be needed, but an ‘off the shelf’ method is not available, don’t despair. Use of these techniques with robust statistical models means that any authenticity issue can now be overcome. However, you will need to partner with someone who has the tools and the knowledge and you will need to have access to adequate material of known origin to help build the data set. Once the data set is established, the cost/ benefit ratio will be apparent and you can relax knowing that strong controls are in place to highlight any possible problem with your supply. www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 31

TECHNOLOGY

The

‘digital sandwich’ explained Global IoT (internet of things) solutions provider, IMS Evolve, is part of the Digital Sandwich - a consortium of companies, that includes sandwich sector supplier, Raynor Foods – which has recently announced £4 million in funding from the UKRI Manufacturing Made Smarter scheme to enhance the level of traceability of ingredients in the production of commercial, pre-packaged sandwiches.

How did the initiative come about?

The idea for this project developed from a conversation between Frank Jones (CEO, IMS Evolve) and Simon Pearson (professor of Agri-Food Technology, Lincoln University). Effective traceability across the supply chain, from farm to fork, is an area of considerable industry and consumer interest, with inadequate service levels across the chain destroying trust in practices and food safety issues accumulating. Frank and Simon recognised the challenges the food supply chains faced alongside this growing demand for greater traceability and assurance regarding the provenance and safety of products and began developing this concept.

What’s its purpose and eventual aims?

The Digital Sandwich Project will be developed and delivered by a crossindustry consortium that includes food manufacturers, digital technology providers, financial institutions and equipment providers. It will serve as a cross-platform, cross-supply chain 32 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

exemplar, that will connect primary production and supply chains to retail to increase productivity and flexibility within the supply chain for suppliers and producers, with a dedicated focus on increasing food safety and provenance.

The consortium’s vision and priority is to share best practices, technology and learning across multiple industrial domains that have complex, fastmoving and high-trust supple chains, such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace and automotive.

The project will demonstrate • end-to-end traceability of ingredients in the supply chain to increase public health and safety.

• fully standardised commercial engagements, improving payment speed.

• the benefit of connected, digital supply chains in managing inventories and reducing waste.

• the use of real-time data to optimise operational efficiency More details can be found at www. digitalsandwich.co.uk/about

How far along has the project got and how long until completion, and what is the current stage of the project that is being worked on right now?

The project is in design phase currently and will soon be progressing to start development. The consortium is currently planning the first sprint which will deliver the initial product traceability components. The team at IMS have designed some really exciting concepts which will provide a high level of sophistication, while enabling the smallest suppliers to participate in the Digital Sandwich eco system with minimal infrastructure overheads.

TECHNOLOGY IMS will also collaborate and work closely with other consortium members to support cross functional connectivity and interoperability of the technology stack and will leverage their significant in-depth knowledge and experience of managing and delivering large scale projects, including for some of the world’s largest retailers, to enable development of a robust, reliable and future-proof platform.

As with many projects initiated within the past year, challenges have been experienced due to the COVID-19 restrictions. This has naturally caused some delay, although we have made tremendous progress as a result of the consortium’s combined determination and are currently planning for completion by the end of 2022.

What is IMS Evolve’s particular role?

IMS Evolve will lead the IoT development and extend and link the Blockchain-DLT to our existing market-leading machine monitoring IoT platform. They will devise and build the core product traceability layer, which will virtualise the digital sandwich; it will effectively be a digital twin of the ingredients to live-track all the way from supply, through to the sandwich assembly process and delivery.

Utilising their experience in IoT technology, IMS will enable monitoring of environmental conditions and supply chain events to provide immutable evidence to prove the provenance of ingredients and reassurance they have been transported, processed and stored within the required optimum conditions to maintain food safety and quality.

Can you outline the IoT, blockchain and AI aspect of the ‘digital sandwich’, the role/reason for each?

IoT will be utilised to obtain factual data about events happening in the real world, in real-time. This is made possible through the use of sensors, integration with third party systems and production machinery.

Blockchain technology will be used to exchange immutable transactions with regards to the movement of goods between supply chain partners and the authenticity of those goods supplied, encapsulating evidence obtained from the physical layer thus enabling immediate fund transfer. An additional benefit of this will be a reduction in financial risk, therefore lowering the cost of finance for all partners in the ecosystem.

The AI layer of the technology stack will provide overall management of the supply chain. Using data acquired from both the physical and value chain, Lincoln and Exeter University will harness AI algorithms to optimise efficiencies. An example objective of the AI layer is to reduce the bullwhip effect for the benefit of the entire supply chain reducing food waste and enhancing profitability for all.

capability, enabling us to develop knowledge and recruit talented developers who are excited to be working with emerging technologies. In addition to the funding, we are collaborating with a forward-thinking collective group of companies who are working towards a shared goal which creates some fantastic learning experiences.

What will be the main benefits of the completed ‘digital sandwich’?

By fusing multiple cutting-edge digital technologies (IDT’s), the Digital Sandwich Project will develop a national, open demonstrator of a digital supply chain, using sandwich manufacturing as the use case.

The project will result in a stepchange forward in manufacturing productivity, consumer safety, financing and trust within the food supply chain.

Benefits include • greater visibility and confidence regarding the ingredients used in a sandwich.

• optimised processes and improved productivity and efficiencies resulting in reduced food waste across the supply chain.

• minimising the potential food safety risks, such as food contamination, associated with poor compliance and boosting overall food quality.

• improved value and financial performance for all participants in the Digital Sandwich ecosystem.

In summary, the Digital Sandwich Project promises more economical and more efficient food preparation, with less waste and greater safety than the world has ever seen before.

How vital has it been to secure the £4m funding from UKRI, and what will this mean in terms of project progress/success?

The Innovate funding provides a significant boost to our R&D

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 33

PACKAGING

Packaging developments

As the hospitality sector prepares for re-opening, the need for ‘to go’ packaging solutions to prevail persists across the sector at large, with greater development and investment in recent times, as well as greater attention being paid to environmental considerations, sustainability, and hygiene.

INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT According to the draft ‘roadmap for lifting lockdown’, announced at the end of February, dining in is unlikely to be allowed until mid-May at the earliest. Thus, the focus will remain on food to go, takeaway, click and collect and delivery, feel packaging company, Amipak.

“Amipak has focused on servicing the takeaway and delivery sectors for many years and when the effects of the pandemic hit, we had all of the right packaging products in stock and ready to go,” says Amipak director of communications and sustainability, Daniel Schwitzer.

“Because our products are made in the UK, we didn’t need longer lead times to react to increased demand, and we were able to help the takeaway sector both easily and quickly.”

At the same time, Amipak was able to innovate and not only did it introduce new products - such as its Double Burger Box - it also invested in new machinery to increase capacity, the company report.

The key to success for takeaways has always been speed of service, and with many outlets now operating with reduced staff numbers and having to devote more time to cleaning and hygiene, timesaving solutions have become even more important, Amipak have found, 34 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

with choosing the right packaging helping to maintain the ‘fast’ element of fast food.

“Our quick-serve nested, stackable food packaging ranges are easy to use and do not require assembly,” adds Daniel Schwitzer.

“They take up less space and can save an operator valuable time. Our ranges are so adaptable, they can be used for a wide variety of popular foods from salads and starters to main courses and desserts. Outlets can therefore reduce SKUs by only needing to keep a few different packaging types in stock, saving space and often saving money too.

This also helps to reduce the amount of material going to waste streams.

“We have always ensured that all of our foodservice packaging is safe, hygienic and functional, speeding up quick-service and enhancing the consumer’s dining experience. Takeaway, click and collect and delivery sends food and its packaging into people’s homes, and we are proud that our UK manufactured paper foodservice packaging products can be easily recycled in people’s homes with other paper waste.”

As food to go operators and cafés start to plan in earnest for reopening, it is a good time not only to review operational issues and stock levels, but also to ensure that

environmental sustainability has not fallen off the agenda, advise Amipak.

“The raw materials to make the majority of our popular and successful foodservice takeaway and delivery packaging products come from EU countries,” reports Daniel Schwitzer. “We then manufacture at one of our two London facilities, so the carbon footprint of our products is substantially better than finished products imported from Asia.

“When specifying foodservice and takeaway packaging, we urge companies to look at the bigger picture and choose packaging which supports the UK economy while also delivering real and measurable environmental benefits.”

UK in-cup drinks specialist, Brupac, reports that in adapting to change in recent times, it has moved over to using Greiner Packaging’s K3® cardboard-plastic packaging solution for its 12oz in-cup drinks range.

“Due to Covid-19, the market for in-cup drinks has changed, with traditional markets such as stadiums

PACKAGING

and large venues closed. However, now that the ‘roadmap for lifting lockdown’ has been announced, there is an increasing interest for in-cup drinks in offices and catering establishments,” reports Brupac Drinks & Machine Company director, Tim Worthington.

“At a time when business owners and facilities managers have safety and hygiene at the top of their agenda, disposable in-cup drinks have many advantages.

The alternative is to use crockery, spoons and containers, which can be handled by multiple people and which require collection and dishwashing. Disposable in-cup drinks packaging represents a safer, more hygienic, more cost effective and more convenient solution.

“Brupac takes its environmental sustainability responsibility very seriously and we needed to know that our disposable products could be easily and efficiently recycled.

That’s why we chose Greiner Packaging’s K3 plastic-carboard solution.

“The K3 light-weight thermoformed tub uses up to 33% less polypropylene (PP) than a conventional direct-printed, thermoformed cup of the same size.

The cup is wrapped with a cardboard outer layer, which can be produced with virgin or recycled board

produced from sustainably managed forests.

“Greiner Packaging made the change to a new more environmentally-friendly packaging solution really easy. We work with major well-known brands from Douwe Egberts and Café Direct to PG Tips and Cadbury’s, so everything about the drinking experience has to be perfect. The K3 pack keeps the ingredients safe until use and is great to drink from. It’s a huge bonus that the pack is also fully and easily recyclable – which enhances our company’s and our brand partner’s reputation.

“Until now, in respect of the recycling and end-of-life of drinks cups, RECOUP has provided an answer, but the system relies on volume, and on efficient collection.

We are more confident in our sustainability position through choosing a pack that can be easily recycled by each individual end-user.

“Working with well-known brands, we are beginning to investigate opportunities to use the ability to print on the reverse of the cardboard wrap to not only communicate the recycling message, but also for brand promotions and consumer competitions. Greiner Packaging’s K3 isn’t just a step forward in terms of sustainability, it also presents a fantastic ‘free’ marketing opportunity.”

UK-based packaging company, Reflex Group, have launched a lined board division to complement its existing packaging offering, and to provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic packaging. Grouped under the newly-formed Pack Plus Division, the

lined board products being suitable for a wide variety of sectors including MFP (meat, fish and poultry), food to go, fresh produce, bakery and horticulture. Product variants include skillets, trays, fruit punnets, flat boards, slide seam sleeves, cartons, crash-lock cartons and wrap boxes.

The main features of the Reflex Pack Plus range include an environmentally responsible alternative to plastic trays (using up to 90% less plastic, including skin film reduction), 100% recyclable board and film when separated, compostable adhesive for EN13432 packaging, multicoloured twosided print and foiling, and multiple lamination construction options using board, film and paper in innovative solutions. A unique board structure is both lightweight and rigid, and there are environmentally and vegan-friendly water-based inks and board adhesive solutions.

FSC and PEFC certified boards are available, and they are high-barrier lined for maintained shelf-life.

Alternative, ‘dispersion coated’ board options are available for plastic-free sealing later.

The sustainable lined board options use FSC and PEFC accredited carton board, and more importantly its proprietary zero migration waterbased inks and adhesives which are the hallmarks of a truly revolutionary technological advancement in recyclable packaging. As members of OPRL (On-pack Recycling Label), Reflex say that they are able to align packaging specifications to meet the requirements for recycling, which in turn helps to deliver the circular economy.

The launch follows Reflex’s biggest ever single investment into two new state-of-the-art bespoke lined-board printing presses totalling over £5 million, which offer innovative printing capabilities such as seven colour front/reverse print, in-line foil capability and a combination of board, film and paper lamination possibilities.

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 35

PACKAGING

NEW FOOD WRAP A new eco-friendly, convenient and innovative alternative to plastic wrap is poised to disrupt the current marketplace for sustainable food storage system solutions, claim its creators. WaxWrap is launching with a diverse portfolio of products and claims to be the first brand to introduce a wax wrap in a roll format to the UK market (WaxWrap in a roll format was first trialled at Whole Foods Market, London, in September 2020).

Already successfully launched in the US two years ago - where WaxWrap enjoys a partnership with Trader Joe’s stores - the brand reports that it has the ability to manufacture on a large scale, and meaning that WaxWrap is ideally placed to support the likely demand from supermarkets, and other business, seeking to improve their sustainability credentials and demonstrate a commitment to reducing plastic consumption.

Made from 100% natural materials (organic cotton cloth coated in a 36 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

mixture of, beeswax, natural pine resin and organic jojoba oil), this latest player to hit the market has undergone rigorous testing to ensure its compliance with a number of technical standards, including Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), OEKO-TEX Standard 100 (one of the world’s best-known labels for textiles tested for harmful substances) and Ecocert Cosmos Organic (a worldwide benchmark in organic certification) to deliver a product that is backed by organic certification and is proven to contain no toxic textile ink.

Produced in Tunisia, WaxWrap is available in a wide choice of formats to suit a range of food storage requirements, both in a domestic and commercial environment. Unlike other waxed wrap products, the bag and unique roll presentation provides a convenient solution in line with disposable cling film but in contrast, offers a reusable and environmentally responsible alternative, feel the company. The easy to use, waterproof

malleable cloth is washable and when used correctly should enjoy a one-year working life after which it is completely compostable (key to the brand’s mission to encourage consumers to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle). The launch comes at a time when plastic reduction is featuring high on the retailer agenda with the top multiples all committing to a reduction in plastic.

Commenting on the launch, sales & key account manager Andy Smok said: “The launch of WaxWrap marks an important milestone in the fight against plastic pollution. Our ability to manufacture on a large scale, servicing the business as well as the domestic user and enhancing their green credentials by enabling them to make a valid contribution towards the elimination of plastic, means we have the potential to make a dramatic difference.

“According to research - Law et Al, Science Advances 2020 - the US and the UK produce more plastic waste per person than any other major countries and a Checking out On Plastics Report claims that supermarkets are not doing enough to reduce their plastic footprint.

“There is a strong appetite for change and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of how their use of plastic has an impact on the planet for future generations. By creating a product that is convenient, fit-forpurpose, versatile, totally reusable and biodegradable, we believe that WaxWraps can play an active part in helping to improve the UK’s unacceptable track record in excessive plastic usage.”

The portfolio comprises waxed cotton Food Roll in three sizes (20x120cm; 30x150cm; 40x200cm), Waxed Cotton Food Bags in a set of three (Small 21x31cm; Medium 25x31cm; Large 32x31cm) and Waxed Cotton Food Wraps in a set of three (Small 20x20cm; Medium 30x30cm; Large 40x40cm).

WaxWrap will be backed by a comprehensive marketing campaign which will focus on the trade, consumers and key stakeholder

New range to Faerch

Tamper Evident packaging available from Faerch Faerch launches the unique Safe-T-Fresh®, a range of Tamper Evident packaging perfect for the home delivery and food on the go market.

When the leak resistant lid is closed, the seal must be broken before the contents inside can be consumed. This provides confidence to all consumers that the product inside is fresh and ready to eat without hesitation. The range includes a variety of styles and sizes that suit hot food and cold snacking products. The complete range is fully recyclable.

For more information please contact your Account Manager or email ukely@faerch.com, alternatively contact the Customer Service team on 01353 740990.

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Faerch Group

PACKAGING organisations, say the company. The brand has already partnered with Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market and is working with Delishops – the recently launched online trade community designed to connect speciality food producers with influential buyers. In addition, WaxWrap is reviewing a number of further routes to market.

SAFE AND SOUND Takeaway and delivery is all about convenience and speed of service, but in the light of Covid-19, hygiene and safety have become equally important too. To ensure customer confidence, operators need to choose the most appropriate packaging which protects the food while presenting it well, feel sector supplier, Celebration Packaging.

“Takeaway food packaging needs to be hygienic, practical for quick service, easy to use and hold, leakproof, and

keep food piping hot,” says Celebration Packaging’s managing director, Nick Burton.

“Following their experiences during lockdowns, many operators reviewed and reduced their offering, removing complex or difficult to prepare menu items in favour of popular core ranges.

Many have also been operating with reduced staff numbers, so choosing the right packaging is essential to ensure speed of service.

“During the first lockdown, we realised that Celebration Packaging had an important role to play in keeping the takeaway sector going with their full food offering.

To make the process of choosing and ordering the most appropriate packaging easier, we launched our Packagingfood2go.co.uk website.

“When we launched the website, tamper-evident packaging and disposable cutlery were all immediately in high demand, but there has since been an increasing move towards wanting products to be wrapped to enhance hygiene and safety.”

With this shift to more wrapped products, Celebration Packaging recently relaunched its popular high quality, FSC® EnviroWare® wooden cutlery range in hygienic plastic-free wrapping (this cutlery is made from wood from sustainable forestry and

Food to go showcase UK food to go packaging manufacturers, Rapid Action Packaging (RAP), has bolstered its online presence recently by unveiling a revamped hot, food to go showcase on its web site. The latest updates follow a record two years for the category, report the company, with hot food now representing 12% of their entire food to go portfolio in the UK. One of the most hotly anticipated growth areas for the retail sector, the increased appetite for hot food to go packaging continues to gather pace and shows no sign of cooling off, feel RAP, who add that having the right packaging available is essential for making the most of the growing opportunities within this sector, and the new pages providing a breakdown of the solutions RAP have to offer.

RAP provide products for a variety of hot food requirements, including

38 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

ready meals, breakfast pots, breakfast rolls, pastries and snacking, providing packaging solutions all carefully designed to serve the needs of modern consumers.

Designed to elevate the user journey and provide visitors with everything they need to know about RAP’s suite of sustainable packaging solutions, say the company, the new showcase pages include information on the extensive range, as well as case studies from existing partners Waitrose, Pret-A-Manager and Mr Crumb.

Graham Williams, CEO of RAP commented: “We are delighted to be able to showcase the breadth of our hot food-to-go offering following the latest updates to our website, and proud to be able to offer solid, sustainable solutions for our customers in this market and beyond and hope

More about Rapid Action Packaging Limited’s - a wholly owned subsidiary of ProAmpac – can be found at https:// rapuk.com/hot-food-to-go/.

the latest developments we’ve made to the website will allow customers to navigate and learn more about our portfolio with greater ease and accessibility.”

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DISPOS

Compostable Cups Part of Herald’s new eco-friendly range Fully compostable cups to give your customers a complete, eco-friendly alternative.

Part of Herald’s environmentally friendly range, our latest double and ripple wall cups are 100 per cent compostable. This means you can offer your customers an absolute, fully biodegradable solution in keeping with current demand.

In a selection of sizes, with diameters to fit all lids currently available in the eco-range, these competitively priced hot cups are perfect for 2021’s greener ‘food to go’ market.

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PACKAGING has full FSC - Forest Stewardship Council - chain of custody accreditation, while the kraft coloured paper wrapping is plastic-free).

Celebration Packaging says that it will soon be introducing hygienically individually wrapped Vegetarian Society approved FSC paper straws, and its award-winning FSC EnviroWare® paper cutlery in plasticfree wrappers. It is also introducing a new and improved range of leakproof takeaway containers and lids made from bagasse fibre (an abundant and renewable material which is a biproduct of sugarcane).

Despite Covid-19, the importance of sustainability has not gone away, they acknowledge, and they remain committed to providing more environmentally-friendly packaging.

“We continue to add more products made from sustainable materials such as bagasse, PLA, paper, and wood,” adds Nick Burton.

“We remain proud that we had the foresight to launch our EnviroWare range over 13 years ago. With packaging ending up in people’s homes, operators should consider involving their customers in their sustainability story. Most of our foodservice packaging is printed or can be printed, so it is possible to help consumers to understand their role in ensuring a responsible ‘end of life’ for the packaging.

“Even before the roadmap out of lockdown was announced, we were looking beyond the current situation and assessing how the foodservice industry, from takeaway to dine-in, will operate beyond Covid, and we are certain that hygiene will remain as the top priority. We already offer plain or custom-printed hygienic cutlery bags and paper glass covers – to protect cutlery and served drinks from contaminants.

“We are also one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of high quality paperware, which can be printed with details on how to access a restaurant’s ordering app or online menu. We have also recently invested in new

40 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

machinery to individually wrap paper straws, paper cutlery and wooden cutlery.

“Disposable food packaging is key to ensuring the operational efficiency of food to go outlets. Indeed, safe, secure and hygienic food packaging has played a key role throughout the Coronavirus crisis and will continue to do so for many months to come.”

ALL ROUND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE With foodservice outlets having been restricted to takeaway and delivery, the trend has been towards products that travel well and deliver an excellent customer experience.

Takeaway packaging has allowed operators to remain open during the pandemic and specifying the right sustainable packaging is key to enhancing food presentation, building brand recognition, and boosting sales.

“Food to go is all about great presentation, speed of service and convenience,” says Tri-Star Packaging’s sales director Lee Richards. “Our range of stackable quick-serve foodservice packaging is not only convenient, adaptable and fit for purpose, but also easy to store and use, therefore speeding up service and reducing costs – and that’s of huge benefit to a takeaway operation.”

While the emphasis has shifted towards health and safety during the pandemic, operating sustainability remains important.

Tri-Star Packaging’s award-winning sustainable foodservice packaging ranges includes everything from

quick-serve stackable hot and cold food packaging, to simple sandwich packs, plus hot and cold drinks cups and carriers.

“With further bans and restrictions on some single-use products likely to be introduced in the UK, we stock a range of compostable, renewable and recyclable materials that will help replace affected product ranges,” says Lee Richards. “By reviewing packaging choices with expert advice, it’s possible to ensure that the most sustainable, long-term solutions are identified.

“Choosing sustainable food packaging starts with ensuring that packaging is responsibly sourced and that it can be recycled or composted after it has been used. Our new Food Packaging catalogue includes one of the industry’s widest ranges of innovative foodservice packaging products, including some new recyclable and home compostable products.”

The majority of Tri-Star’s packaging – from food containers to cups and drinks carriers such as PortaTray – can be printed, so from brand awareness to sustainability goals, takeaway outlets should not overlook the opportunity to use bespoke printed packaging to further engage with their customers, feel the company.

Staff should also be aware of an outlet’s efforts to operate sustainably and be prepared to tell customers that the packaging it uses is recyclable or compostable, they propose.

Tri-Star Packaging’s innovative compostable BePulp range, for example, features design-led performance using bagasse – a material that comes from natural fibres, which are both abundant and renewable. Their new microwavable Infinity range offers the ‘next generation’ of EPP packaging, being made from expanded polypropylene (fully recyclable, it offers unbeatable thermal properties to keep food hotter for longer, while keeping the outside safe to the touch, point out Tri-Star).

PACKAGING Tri-Star’s polypropylene Hot Deli Deluxe range is a good solution for all hot and cold food takeaway and delivery, they suggest; both microwaveable and sealable, the range offers an anti-mist coating for high clarity food presentation, with a variety of stackable lid and base designs. The company are also about to introduce UK-manufactured EdenPak® - a homecompostable range of food to go products – they report.

With health and well-being a continued trend in foodservice, and also key components of good customer service, consumer confidence is key, with packaging plays an important role in delivering important nutritional information as well as the packaging’s environmental credentials.

“The introduction of Natasha’s Law on pre-packed food for direct sale will expand the remit of packaging further

to help protect allergy sufferers and give them confidence in the food they buy,” says Lee Richards.

“Natasha’s Law comes into force in October, but operators should not wait for the deadline. Tri-Star Packaging’s Allergen Labelling team can provide the advice and support to enable food service and takeaway operators to enhance their service and reputation by providing consumers with essential allergen information now.”

PPE recycling initiative Estimates say, globally, that we are now using a not insignificant 129 billion disposable masks and 65 billion plastic gloves every month, with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) observing, “if only 1% of the world’s face masks are disposed of incorrectly, 10 million masks will still end up polluting fragile ecosystems every month,” report Yorkshire-based (Hull, South Milford and Goole) recycling company, ReWorked.

Innovation in recycling technologies has resulted in a breakthrough for the recycling of PPE, say ReWorked, who have developed a full-service operation to process disposable face-masks, gloves, visors etc., for both the public and private sectors. Schemes have also been set up to recycle PPE for customers and staff in various business settings, they add.

At the same time, testing has now begun to recycle face masks for NHS and medical sites in the UK. Previously, their masks would have been

incinerated - a process that releases harmful emissions such as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Through further exploration, the hope is that the scheme will roll out to hospitals across the UK and become standard practice for single-use waste, the company report.

ReWorked marketing manager, Izzie Glazzard, says: “We are on the brink of launching some large-scale PPE recycling schemes on the UK high street. It provides an invaluable service for customers who want protection from Covid-19, but who don’t want the environment to suffer as a consequence.”

How does the scheme work? The PPE waste is collected, using various methods depending on the location, and after a 72-hour quarantine, the waste undergoes a lengthy process of shredding and washing. The shredded plastic is then layered on to what ReWorked call their ‘Stormboard Mill’, where it is heated to over 200oC and pressed into a solid board. These durable plastic boards can then be used as building materials, or cut to become furniture, bins and other practical items.

ReWorked say that they refer to this process as ‘reclaiming the mask’, and as part of their ongoing #ReclaimTheMask campaign are urging companies to take control and responsibility for the growing PPE waste issue. www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 41

OPINION

learned

Sarah Heward, co-owner of the Real Food Café in Tyndrum, Scotland, reflects on lessons learned during the pandemic.

Background Sarah Heward started the Real Food Café in 2005 in what was once a derelict Little Chef premises.

It is now known for its great tasting food from its famous fish and chips to its selection of home baking. Over the last decade the Real Food Café has won numerous awards and accolades including Gold Awards at the Free From Eating Out Awards in 2017 and 2018 in the Fish and Chip Shop category, being listed in the Lonely Planet Guide. In 2020, the café won the National Federation of Fish Fryers’ Quality Award Champion at the National Fish & Chip Awards and was crowned Best Informal Dining Experience at last year’s Thistle Awards.

42 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

UNPRECEDENTED I opened the Real Food Café in 2005, transforming a derelict Little Chef into an award-winning roadside diner with a turnover of £1.6million.

I have faced many obstacles over the years, obstacles that taught me valuable business and life lessons.

However, I have learned more in the past year than ever before.

Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, we were making record profits, and just on the verge of opening a new unit. Fast forward to March 2021, and re-opening, even if still in a limited fashion, then we will have traded for just 15 weeks out of the previous 54, at a seriously reduced capacity.

The first few months of the pandemic were particularly stressful, we scrambled to get loans from our bank from the get-go to safeguard the business and protect our 20 permanent staff members. It was a very gruelling process for my husband, Alan, who is the managing director of the business.

SAFETY FIRST During the first lockdown, we invested heavily in Covid-19 safety.

We built extra handwashing facilities outside, kitted our team out in new high vis staff uniforms (they were outside taking and delivering orders to customers’ cars) and restructured the inside of the café.

We also made sure that we were registered with relevant Covid-19 safety schemes like VisitScotland’s

‘Good to Go’ and the AA’s ‘Covid Confident’. The process of achieving these accreditations helped us ensure we were complying with government guidelines (none of us are Covid experts) as well as reassuring the customers that our operation was safe.

E-COMMERCE Before re-opening last July, we invested in an online ordering platform and went cashless. This was to offer a safer and faster service to customers. The introduction of this system represented a major change for both our customers and our team and one we are still working to perfect in the areas of communication, staff training and e-marketing.

OPINION

The online ordering system has yielded some astounding statistics.

During the 15 weeks that we were open we took revenues of £435K which was 80% of the sales achieved for the same period in 2019, but this was achieved with only 61% of the number of transactions compared with the same period last year. In other words, without the online ordering system and the higher average value sale, we would have taken £55K less during the period that we were open.

This learning has been without a doubt the best thing to come out of the pandemic. We may never have come to understand the value of online retailing if we were not forced to do so.

PLANNING AND COMMUNICATION While we have been closed, we have used this time to continue to plan ahead. We’ve been working on finetuning the online platform, making it more enjoyable for the team and customers for when we re-open.

Pre-Covid we were looking for a new location in central Glasgow, and we have decided to continue to search for this site as a necessity now to help spread our geographical risk and create a new flagship fish and chip takeaway and delivery, with a

dark kitchen behind it to fulfil digital orders. It will use the online ordering platform, so the learnings we are gaining in Tyndrum will be very valuable in Glasgow.

Throughout the pandemic, we have been in constant communication with our team (who have been furloughed). We have provided training and learning plans so they could continue to develop and learn new skills. We hosted a weekly team Zoom and 1-2-1’s for their mental health and wellbeing. It is important to us that our team feel included and are ‘fit’ and ready to come back to work.

RURAL TOURISM INFRASTRUCTURE Back in 2020 after the first lockdown was lifted and things returned to a ‘new normal’, the Highlands and other rural areas of Scotland became overwhelmed by tourists, looking to escape the cities and urban life.

It quickly became apparent how poorly equipped for mass tourism our rural infrastructure is. This has led us to forming an action group to do something about improving the situation in Tyndrum.

Together with a small group of volunteers we are aiming to secure funding for an ambitious infrastructure improvement project

which includes tourist information, public car parking, rural housing, waste facilities and most importantly new upgraded toilets, including a Changing Places toilet. We hope that this will be a tangible and lasting legacy from Covid-19 that will benefit the local community, tourists and disabled travellers.

The Covid-19 pandemic has become quite refreshing in a weird kind of way. Although stressful, the massive disruption has created a space for change and a fresh mindset of ‘anything is possible’.

It is a good time for growth as people are open to change, now more than ever after being latterly mind-blown by the pandemic.

Furthermore, there is a considerable amount of generosity from the public and great hospitality industry spirit to help small businesses rebuild and recover. I won’t dwell on the political response or better put, the lack of it.

I guess one of the fundamentals for me is to keep the faith. Keep the faith in your ability and very importantly in your supporters and colleagues around you. No one gets through things like this on their own.

Everyone needs at least a few great people around them to lean on and trust in their faith. Here’s to picking ourselves up and rebuilding our great industry.

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 43

NEWS

to go It’s not surprising to learn that over the past year there has been increased interest, and product launch activity, in the world of snacking and impulse items, with consumers more interested in portability and hygiene integrity, as well as anything that is health-promoting.

Ordering snacks for home delivery has also been a developing trend.

SNACKS DELIVERED According to research from the NPD Group, there’s a new food trend emerging, but particularly in the capital, some of their latest analysis having revealed a significant rise in families in London ordering snacks and coffee to be delivered to their homes.

Demand from families for snacking delivered by foodservice operators and delivery platforms like UberEats and Deliveroo, for instance, increased strongly - up +95% in London in 2020 versus 2019, they observed - significantly ahead of the +11% increase in orders placed by families across the country as a whole, they report. In fact, London currently represents one quarter of the UK’s snacking via delivery market, they found.

“During 2020, London was the 44 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

only region to see a rise in snacking via delivery,” said Dominic Allport, insights director (foodservice) at the NPD Group. “The main reason is the greater use of delivery subscriptions such as Deliveroo Plus in the capital, where customers pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited free deliveries (customers pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited free deliveries provided they meet the minimum order requirements rather than paying a delivery fee for every order).

“For the provider, the £11.49 monthly fee encourages customers to order more food, to buy more frequently, and it also increases loyalty. As these subscriptions become increasingly common across the country, we expect to see a growth in people ordering snacks and drinks to be delivered to their homes more regularly.”

Ordering takeaway main meals for home delivery has been a big part of locked down life, of course, but the rise in snacking is a new phenomenon, feel the researchers.

In 2020, the growth in weekend snacking deliveries in London was pronounced, up +72% year-on-year, versus only +2% growth across Britain, they point out.

Also popular with the 16-24 age group, note the NPD Group, these younger consumers are the most likely to pay for a ready-made coffee to be delivered to their home, often as part of a snack order (last year, 35 million home food deliveries included a ready-made coffee ordered either direct from foodservice operators or via delivery platforms, they report).

The average amount spent per person on snack delivery increased

SNACKS by +20% nationally in 2020 versus 2019 to reach £5.66, they found. This figure is just -20% less than overall spend per person on main meal delivery (£7.14), and the number of items bought during each snacking occasion in London has increased significantly too and is now +18% higher than the national average, they discovered.

Dominic Allport added: “With a locked down population, ordering snacks and coffee to be delivered to the home serves many purposes. It provides a treat during a long day, alleviates boredom, or serves as main meal replacements. Although the trend is currently driven by families and young people living in London, we believe demand will rapidly spread to other cities and large towns where the delivery companies offer unlimited drops for a monthly subscription. Once lockdown is over, this trend is likely to remain embedded in the population. In that case, we expect coffee to soon be in the top five snacking home deliveries.”

NEW LAUNCHES African inspired, purpose-driven healthy snack brand Chika’s expanded its online retail presence in recent times, with Amazon taking on another seven of its products and Ocado also launching another 10, following continued growth in sales.

Born out of three simple principles - good food, good ethos and good causes – the brand has many fans in the UK, and internationally. Founded

by Chika Russell in 2015, the range is natural, plant-based, high protein, gluten free and free from GMO, additives and flavourings. The brand is also on a mission to educate 30,000 girls in Africa by 2025 – “changing lives one pack at a time”.

Amazon added Whole Grain Rice and Lentil Crisps smoky BBQ 85g, Salt and Vinegar 85g, Lightly Salted 85g and also in both 25g and 85g Sweet Chili Samba and Sour Cream and Chive to its line-up, and Ocado added Chika’s Smoked Almonds 100g, Sea Salt and Black Pepper Cashews 100g, Corn and Nut Bongo BBQ Mix 105g, Wholegrain Rice Crisps and Lentil Sour Cream and

Chives 85g, Smoky BBQ 85g, Salt and Vinegar 85g, Lightly Salted 85g, Luxury Nuts Drums 140g Salted Caramel, Sweet Cinnamon and Cocoa and Raspberry.

While it’s a British company, Chika’s says that it remains committed to giving back to the communities that inspired the products. In 2019, it launched its Snacks4Change partnership with WorldVision which supports girls through education (Chika’s donating one penny from every bag to the cause).

Inspired by crisps and created with crunch, Indie Bay say that their newly launched Pretzel Thins are a snappable, snackable, tasty new range for the snacking market.

Packing a salty punch, the light and crispy Pretzel Thins - available now in three flavours (Barbeque, Sour Cream & Onion, and Lightly Salted) – are big on benefits and bold on flavour, offering snackers a natural, tasty twist on classic crisps, feel the company. Thanks to ancient grains and alternative flours, the crunchy oven baked Thins also contain 70% less fat than crisps and are naturally packed with protein, so they not only taste delicious but deliver on goodness, point out Indie Bay. At around 100 calories per bag, they can claim to be lighter too.

Available in handy 24g bags, the pocket-sized snacks are great for working from home, on the

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 45

SNACKS go, school lunchboxes, afternoon nibbles, or evening drinks, they propose. They’re also 100% plant based, having made them an appropriate savoury snack for Veganuary, and beyond.

“With locked down Brits turning to the comfort of snacks and streaming services, there’s no denying that we’re a nation of crisp lovers. But with almost two thirds of us (61%) feeling guilty about our snacking habits, our new Pretzel Thins do more than just satisfy cravings – with 70% less fat and 100% more protein then crisps, you can say goodbye to the guilt,” says Dafna Bonas, founder of Indie Bay. “Reinvention is what we do best.

Our Pretzel Thins are a new twist on classic crisps, offering snackers crispy bold flavours, satisfying crunch and convenience, yet unlike crisps they’re natural, vegan-friendly, packed with protein, and contain less than a third of the fat. People tell us all the time that tasty, vegan-friendly savoury snacks are hard to find – but our new Thins really do deliver – from sizzling barbeque to tangy sour cream & onion, the flavours are bold and delicious. Our new Pretzel Thins give snackers the opportunity to make smarter choices, without the grease or the guilt.”

Indie Bay Pretzel Thins are currently available to buy from Planet Organic and online at www. indiebaysnacks.com, with more retailers set to follow this year (RRP £0.85 for a 24g bag).

Mindful Snacker has officially launched in the UK, utilising some ground-breaking technology, they report, and with the aim of changing the way we talk about and consume crisps, forever, they add.

“I believe food should be about pleasure, nutrition and sharing,” says their ‘chief snacker’ and CEO, Tara Quick, who heads up the team there and is also a business start-up expert.

“The way we live has changed and is likely to change in the long term -

46 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

Tara Quick (pictured) and Mindful Snacker are working on a new snacking innovation related to the making of crisps.

more working from home, less time spent with others. We continue to rely on little comforts via food and entertainment. Snacking is a big part of that. Wouldn’t it be great if you could enjoy it fully without worrying about the impact on your health and wellbeing?

“We all snacked more when lockdown started, and as time has gone on we’ve stayed snacking, but we want healthier options. So we’ve developed a ground-breaking technology which allows you to enjoy the familiar taste of the potato crisp, with less of the calories, salt and fat.

“Mindful Snacker was born out of a desire to bring groundbreaking innovation to the food and beverage market. Our company is launching new products this year that genuinely challenge traditional cooking processes in snacking and other categories, including plantbased foods. Never has there been a better time to be bold and brave and to push the boundaries on the traditional mindset that food is either delicious or healthy, but not both together.

“I’ve learnt so much about the potato in the last six months, and we think we’ve found the perfect potato for the best potato crisp. Is this the way to the perfect crisp? We’ve gone for the Lady Amarilla – and over the upcoming months, we can’t wait to share what we’ve created.”

RETAILING TIPS “There are 328,521 (Lumina Intelligence, September 2020 data) different outlets that serve approximately 9.8bn (MCA HIM Food To Go Market Report 2019 data) out-of-home occasions per year in the UK, and even with COVID-19 the food to go market was worth an estimated £54.7bn (Lumina Intelligence, September 2020 data) in 2020,” says Matt Collins, trading director, KP Snacks.

“Food to go remains an important mission and scalable channel. This previous hero category has undoubtedly faced big challenges and impact as a result of the COVID pandemic through reduced mobility, stay at home messaging, and national and regional lockdowns.

In time for Easter, British porky snacks maker – Snaffling Pig (www. snafflingpig.co.uk) – will be breaking up the chocolate with the launch of its Eggstra Porky Easter Gift Set, the perfect springtime treat or impulse buy for anyone of a savoury porkbased snack-loving persuasion, they suggest (the Eggstra Porky Easter gift comprises a large 275g jar of Snaffling Pig’s award-winning pork crackling behind an egg-shaped window).

“However, food to go is a longterm, resilient growth trend, serving a transient population and on the go society. The category is insulated for recovery and we expect the market to rebound to growth as restrictions ease and footfall and frequency returns, with ‘starved’ consumers remerging as the UK slowly makes its return to some semblance of a new normality. We remain confident about the future of the category and expect 2022 to be back to 2019 levels, despite some COVID trends, ways of working, and new habits sticking above 2019 levels.

“In this environment, be ready, be brave, be curious and invest to build back the food to go category and as a result, win share as the market rebounds and recovers. It will be important to move at pace, pivoting and adapting as the environment changes around us and the conditions for success permit.

“As recessionary conditions are likely to prevail, operators will need to offer the right product mix to deal with economic disruption and consumer confidence, delivering and demonstrating great value and unlocking more cautious spending through promotional purchasing.”

• Stock the right core range of familiar and trusted big brands that consumers recall, recognise and trust, and make sure to include a balance of portfolio formats to serve all occasions and missions across the range.

“Our McCoy’s and Hula Hoops Grab Bags, for example, help fulfil a hunger fill mission for those looking for a bigger eat, while popchips, the UK’s second most valuable ‘better for you brand’, is ideal for those seeking a lighter snack. Tyrrells is perfect for customers seeking a more premium snack this award-winning hand cooked English crisp

brand, has 86 Great Taste awards, more than any other crisp brand on the market,” says Matt Collins.

• Create value by understanding customer expectations, whether that be through premium or value offerings. 51% (IGD 2019 data) of shoppers look for a meal deal when buying food to go and 34% (Harris Interactive, November 2019 data) of shoppers would pay more than £5 for meal deals if the products were high quality.

Value can also be created through perfect pairings/links and relevant promotions that improve shopper morale and deliver value, whilst increasing average transaction value and bigger baskets.

• Bring stock to life through theatre, display and activation to inspire and engage, with effective merchandising and POS. • Cater for all customer missions.

Weekday lunchtimes are the most popular time for eating out, so it’s important to have the right products, at the right price and in the right place to help maximise your sales. Make sure to excite and interrupt with NPD and innovation to entice consumer.

61% (HIM CTP 2019 data) of impulse crisps and snacks are picked up in secondary locations.

TEMPTING TREATS “In early 2020, before the Covid-19 crisis hit, the food to go market was expected to reach a value of £21.7bn by the end of the year with spending on treats making up a significant portion of snacking occasions according to MCA’s Food To Go Market Report 2020. As such, as the world starts to re-open, offering consumers a tempting range of sweet treats is an easy way for operators to take a slice of the market,” says Jessica Ayling, Philadelphia Professional food to go chef ambassador.

“Traditionally thought of as just a topping for bagels, or an integral cheesecake ingredient, Philadelphia’s versatility, allied to its taste, quality and stability, makes it a great ingredient for the food to go sector. Its ability to absorb different flavours makes it the most versatile of ingredients and because of its superior quality, it won’t split when heated.

“Therefore, it can be used to make a tempting treat like Blueberry and Philly Loaf Cake, for example, helping to tap into the demand for high quality, treat-led snacks which will prove profitable as consumers look for something sweet to have on-the-go. Philadelphia Original is the natural choice for this cake as it creates the fluffiest sponge texture and a decadent frosting on top.

“When put to the test, chefs were unanimous. Our recent independent research identified Philadelphia Original as a clear frontrunner in terms of taste and quality when compared to three competitor products with 89% of chefs agreeing that Philadelphia did not split during cooking. Blind taste tests also revealed Philadelphia to be significantly creamier than the competition according to independent chef insight conducted by Good Sense Research in March 2020.” www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 47

NEW BSA MEMBER

L

a Cimbali is the world’s largest manufacturer of professional coffee machines and the pioneer of coffee culture around the globe with a 100-year brand heritage to its credit. It has never been more important for operators to partner with an equipment manufacturer that can help deliver the standard of beverages that consumers are routinely expecting to see when out of home.

“It seems that we’ve become a nation of home baristas through lockdown,” says Daniel Clarke, managing director, La Cimbali UK. “The upside of enjoying an improved coffee experience at home is that consumers are becoming even more discerning when enjoying coffee out and about. Expectations are high, both in terms of the range of drinks on offer and the quality of the beverage being consumed.”

EXPERT ADVICE Coffee can turn a great profit if managed correctly and a key success factor is the choice of machine. A traditional machine makes a great focal point but if it is a busy city centre location with peaks in demand then a bean to cup machine might be a better solution.

To avoid costly mistakes, we guide clients through the decision-making process, so they settle on the right type of machine for their business.

AWARD WINNING PRODUCT RANGE Cimbali’s multi award winning product range extends from the entry level, super compact M26 suite of traditional espresso machines to the top the range, 48 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

feature rich, M100 Attiva, which meets the exacting standards of the UK Barista Championships.

In terms of bean to cup machines, La Cimbali offers the S Series automatic range of 4 machines which can be operated in barista assisted or self-serve mode and capable of producing anything from 150 cups of coffee a day at entry level (the new S15) to 600 cups for the flagship S60.

Fail safe, patented technologies, for example, SmartBoiler which manages boiler performance; milk preparation systems such as TurboSteam Milk4 which ensures perfectly textured milk or Bluetooth powered PGS, which optimises the coffee grind, all help drive consistency into the brewing process, minimising any margin of error. This ensures even inexperienced staff deliver exceptional quality across the menu, at speed and to a consistent standard.

SUPPORTING CUSTOMERS Whether the customer is running a large multi-site operation or a local, independent coffee shop, Cimbali works with the client to identify any potential problems that may be associated with the site.

“A mobile or outdoor venue will have a completely different set of challenges to a city centre bar and it’s important we understand those so we can minimise downtime and support the business in the most efficient and cost-effective way,” adds Daniel Clarke.

“From the initial enquiry right through to the after sales care, which includes service and maintenance contacts and 24/7 technical back up, we can provide expert guidance and support exactly when the customer needs it.”

The La Cimbali experience starts with a discussion to identify which solution is right for the business which is a critical factor in delivering coffee quality. To book a consultation, please call the service team on 020 8238 7100, or email service@cimbali.co.uk, www. cimbali.co.uk

NEW PRODUCT Herald introduces fully compostable cups Quality disposables manufacturer and supplier, Herald, has launched a selection of 100% compostable hot cups as part of its environmentally-friendly range – with both double and ripple wall options.

Supplying to meet the increased demand from the catering and food to go sectors, for fully sustainable and greener products, Herald has prioritised providing an additional ripple wall option, not commonly offered in a completely compostable form, along with a selection of sizes. These sizes – 8oz, 12oz and 16oz – complement the lids Herald currently has available, allowing existing customers to make the switch to the 100 per cent compostable product without having to invest in new lids.

Managing director of Herald, Yogesh Patel, said: “The increase in takeaway options for cafés, restaurants and pubs means that the market has expanded for disposable cups and many of these new customers are conscious of their own customers’ environmental considerations. The environment was an increasingly sensitive issue pre-Covid and making eco-friendly choices is one thing that people feel they can still take control of during the pandemic. For us, at Herald, our task is to respond to the market, while providing as much choice as possible and maintaining the competitive pricing structure that we’re known for.”

Call 0208 507 7900 to order a copy of the new catalogue, or visit www.heraldplastic.com.

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 49

BSA Product Index ADVISORY & CONSULTANCY

Yoghurt

Sauces & Ketchups

Prawns

SERVICES

Freshfayre

Blenders

Freshfayre

Bespoke Software

Futura Foods UK Ltd.

Caterers Choice

Platopus Systems Ltd.

Muller Milk & Ingredients

Freshfayre

Mezze

Ornua Ingredients Europe

Pauwels UK

Business Systems

Sour Cream

Piquant

Platopus Systems Ltd.

Freshfayre

Mezze E Commerce Platopus Systems Ltd.

Ham

Chutneys

DRINKS

Freshfayre

Freshfayre

Juices

H Smith Food Group plc Royal Greenland Ltd.

Leathams

The Ingredients Factory Zafron Foods Ltd.

Food Attraction Ltd. FSC BAKERY PRODUCTS Doughnuts Moy Park Ltd. Morning Goods New York Bakery Tortilla & Wraps Food Attraction Ltd. Freshfayre Mission Foods BREAD & ROLLS Fresh Jacksons Bakery Speciality

The Ingredients Factory

Caterers Choice Freshfayre

Tuna Caterers Choice

Moy Park Ltd.

Meatballs

Eggs (hard boiled)

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Snowbird foods

Freshfayre

FOOD WHOLESALERS

Pork

Booker Wholesale

Dawn Farms UK

Fridays

Country Choice Foods

Freshfayre

Mizkan Euro Ltd.

Egg Products

FRUIT

H Smith Food Group plc

The Ingredients Factory

Freshfayre

Canned Fruit

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Fresh-Pak Chilled Foods

Relishes Blenders Freshfayre Harvey & Brockless Leathams

Pickles Freshfayre Leathams The Ingredients Factory

Fresh-Pak Chilled Foods

Fridays Futura Foods UK Ltd. Leathams Zafron Foods Ltd.

H Smith Food Group plc

Caterers Choice Ltd. General The Ingredients Factory Guacamole Leathams Pineapple

Salsa

EQUIPMENT & VEHICLES

Blenders

Buttering Machinery

Freshfayre

Deighton Manufacturing

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Grote Company

Insurance Protector Group

Millitec Food Systems Ltd.

LABELS

DRESSINGS, SAUCES AND MAYONNAISE Dips Blenders

Conveyors Deighton Manufacturing Grote Company

Caterers Choice Freshcut Foods Ltd INSURANCE

Bunzl Catering Supplies Nutritics Planglow Ltd. Tri-Star Packaging Supplies Ltd.

Cutting & Slicing Equipment

MEAT PRODUCTS

Grote Company

Bacon

The Ingredients Factory

Millitec Food Systems Ltd.

Dawn Farms UK

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Depositing Machinery

Dressings

Grote Company

Freshfayre

Blenders

Millitec Food Systems Ltd.

Pauwels UK

Labelling Systems & Barcoding

Spreads

Planglow Ltd.

Blenders

Reflex Lables

Pauwels UK

Nutritics

Freshfayre

Mayonnaise

Mobile Catering Vehicles

Moy Park Ltd.

Harvey & Brockless

Blenders

Jiffy Trucks Ltd.

Canned Meat

Spreads (olive)

Caterers Choice

Freshfayre

Freshfayre

Leathams

Fresh-Pak Chilled Foods

Bread Making Ingredients Caterers Choice Ltd. Harvey & Brockless BUTTER & SPREADS Butter Freshfayre Spreads

CHEESE & DAIRY PRODUCTS Cheese Freshfayre Futura Foods UK Ltd.

Harvey & Brockless Pauwels UK Piquant Zafron Foods Ltd.

Retail Display Flexeserve

Leathams Moy Park Ltd. Sausages Freshfayre Leathams Moy Park Ltd. Snowbird foods Smithfield Foods Ltd. Turkey 2 Sisters Food Group Freshfayre H Smith Food Group plc Leathams Moy Park Ltd. Smithfield Foods Ltd.

Dew Valley Foods Leathams Moy Park Ltd. Smithfield Foods Ltd. Beef Freshfayre H Smith Food Group plc Leathams

Freshfayre Moy Park Ltd.

MILK Muller Milk & Ingredients OILS Freshfayre ORGANIC PRODUCTS Fridays Leathams Pauwels UK PACKAGING Cardboard Colpac Ltd. Coveris Flexibles (St Neots) UK Ltd. RAP Ltd. Disposable

Smithfield Foods Ltd.

Bunzl Catering Supplies

Sandwich Making Machinery

Chicken

Colpac Ltd.

Deighton Manufacturing

2 Sisters Food Group

Coveris Flexibles (St Neots) UK Ltd.

Cargill Protein Europe

RAP Ltd.

Dawn Farms UK

Tri-Star Packaging Supplies Ltd.

Grote Company Millitec Food Systems Ltd.

Harvey & Brockless

Mustards

FISH PRODUCTS

Leathams

Blenders

Crayfish

Norseland Ltd.

Pauwels UK

Freshfayre

Ornua Ingredients Europe

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Royal Greenland Ltd.

50 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

H Smith Food Group plc

Reflex Labels

Pauwels UK

Mission Foods

Freshfayre

EGGS & EGG PRODUCTS

Fresh-Pak Chilled Foods

Jacksons Bakery

Lamb

Freshfayre

Millitec Food Systems Ltd.

New York Bakery

Smithfield Foods Ltd.

Leathams

Freshfayre

Food Attraction Ltd.

Freshfayre

Seafood/Shellfish Products

FSC

Retail

2 Sisters Food Group

CHUTNEYS & RELISHES

Food Attraction Ltd.

British Lion Eggs

Caterers Choice

H Smith Food Group plc

Mizkan Euro Ltd.

ALS Food & Pharmaceutical

Salmon

Duck

Leathams

Grote Company

Food Safety

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Freshfayre

Leathams

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Royal Greenland Ltd.

Freshfayre Leathams

Zafron Foods Ltd.

Factory

Millitec Food Systems Ltd.

H Smith Food Group plc

Continental

Freshfayre H Smith Food Group plc Leathams Moy Park Ltd.

Reflex Lables Nutritics Food wraps

Seara Meats BV

RAP Ltd.

Smithfield Foods Ltd.

Tri-Star Packaging Supplies Ltd.

BSA Manufacturers & Distributors Plastic Tri-Star Packaging Supplies Ltd. Sandwich Packs Colpac Ltd. Coveris Flexibles (St Neots) UK Ltd. RAP Ltd. Tri-Star Packaging Supplies Ltd. PASTA

Caterers Choice Ltd. Freshfayre Leathams Pasta Foods SANDWICH FILLINGS (READY

AROUND NOON LTD. Unit 24A Rampart Road, Greenbank Industrial Estate, Newry, County Down BT34 2QU Tel: 0283 0262333 info@aroundnoon.com www.aroundnoon.com

PREPARED) Fresh Fillings

2 Sisters Food Group Freshfayre Fresh-Pak Chilled Foods Fridays Harvey & Brockless Zafron Foods Ltd. Frozen Fillings 2 Sisters Food Group SOUPS

Freshfayre Leathams VEGETABLES & HERBS Canned Vegetables Caterers Choice Ltd.

AROUND NOON (LONDON) LTD. 762A/763A Henley Road, Slough SL1 4JW Tel: 01753 523 636 Fax: 01753 573 125 infoANL@aroundnoon.com www.aroundnoon.com

Caterers Choice Ltd.

BRADGATE BAKERY Beaumont Leys, Leicester, LE4 1WX Tel: 0116 2361100 Fax: 0116 2361101

Freshfayre

commercialftg@samworthbrothers.co.uk

Freshfayre Chargrilled Vegetables Leathams Moy Park Ltd. Jalapenos

SALAD Fresh Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd. Freshfayre Salad (prepared) Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd. Sundried Tomatoes Caterers Choice Ltd. Freshfayre Leathams Plc Sweetcorn Caterers Choice Freshfayre Tomatoes Caterers Choice Freshfayre

DELI-LITES IRELAND LTD. Unit 1 Milltown Industrial Estate, Warrenpoint, County Down BT34 3FN Contact: Ronan Gourley Tel: 028 417 54807 ronan.gourley@delilites.com www.delilites.com

GREENCORE FOOD TO GO LTD PARK ROYAL Willen Field Rd, Park Royal, London NW10 7AQ Contact: Clare Rees Tel: 0208 956 6000 Fax: 0208 956 6060 clare.rees@greencore.com www.greencore.com GREENCORE FOOD TO GO LTD – MANTON WOOD Manton Wood, Enterprise Zone, Retford Road, Manton, Worksop, Notts, S80 2RS Contact: Sales Tel: 01909 512600 Fax: 01909 512708 www.greencore.com GREENCORE FOOD TO GO LTD – BROMLEY BY BOW Prologis Park, Twelvetrees Crescent, London E3 3JG Tel: 0207 536 8000 Fax: 0207 536 0790 Contact: Sales sales@greencore.com www.greencore.com GREENCORE FOOD TO GO LTD. – ATHERSTONE Unit 7, Carlyon Road Industrial Estate, Atherstone Warwickshire CV9 1LQ Contact: Alex McLaren Tel: 01827 719 100 Fax: 01827 719 101 alex.mclaren@greencore.com www.greencore.com GREENCORE FOOD TO GO LTD. – HEATHROW Unit 366 Stockley Close, West Drayton, London UB7 9BL Contact: Alex McLaren Ray-Odekeye Tel: 0208 629 8600 alex.mclaren@greencore.com www.greencore.com

SAMWORTH BROTHERS MANTON WOOD Manton Wood, Enterprise Park, Worksop, Nottinghamshire S80 2RS Tel: 01909 511800 IMPRESS SANDWICHES Units 6-7 Orbital Industrial Estate, Horton Road, West Drayton Middlesex, UB7 8JL Tel: 01895 440123 Fax: 01895 441123 info@impress-sandwiches.com

www.impress-sandwiches.com MELTON FOODS 3 Samworth Way, Leicester Road, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 1GA Tel: 01664 484400 Fax: 01664 484401 commercialftg@samworthbrothers.co.uk

ON A ROLL SANDWICH COMPANY The Pantry, Barton Road, Middlesbrough TS2 1RY Contact: James Stoddart Tel: 01642 707090 Fax: 01642 243858 jstoddart@onarollsandwich.co.uk www.onarollsandwich.co.uk

RAYNOR FOODS Farrow Road, Widford Industrial Estate, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3TH Contact: Heather Raynor Tel: 01245 353249 Fax: 01245 347889 sales@sandwiches.uk.net www.sandwiches.uk.net REAL WRAP COMPANY LTD. Unit Haslemere Industrial Estate,Avonmouth, Bristol BS11 9TP Contact: Jason Howell Tel: 0117 3295020 jason@realwrap.co.uk www.realwrap.co.uk

commercialftg@samworthbrothers.co.uk

www.samworthbrothers.co.uk

SIMPLY LUNCH Unit 2 ,ZK Park, 23 Commerce Way, Croydon CR0 4ZS Contact Sales Tel: 0345 2007631 sales@simplylunch.co.uk www.simplylunch.co.uk STREET EATS FOOD LTD. Prince William Avenue, Sandycroft, Deeside, CH5 2QZ Tel: 01244 533888 Option 1 orders@streeteatsfood.co.uk enquiries@streeteatsfood.co.uk www.streeteatsfood.co.uk

THE SOHO SANDWICH COMPANY Unit 7 Advent Business Park, Advent Way, London N18 3AL Contact: Daniel Silverston Tel: 0203 058 1245 Fax: 0207 739 1166 dan@sohosandwich.co.uk www.sohosandwich.co.uk TIFFIN SANDWICHES Tiffin House, 20 Commondale Way, Euroway Trading Estate, Bradford, Yorkshire BD4 6SF Contact: Sales Tel: 01274 494939 sales@tiffinsandwiches.co.uk www.tiffinsandwiches.co.uk

The British Sandwich Quality Promise The sandwich manufacturers and distributors listed above support The British Sandwich Association Code of Practice as The Minimum Standard for Sandwich Making and are subject to regular independent audits. Copies of BSA Audits are available, on request,to buyers (subject to agreement of manufacturers) by calling us on 01291 636338

www.sandwich.org.uk March 2021 51

BSA Suppliers Index 2 SISTERS FOOD GROUP B2B

Leechmere Industrial Estate, Toll Bar Road, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear SR2 9TE Contact: Marie Marandola Tel: 07873 301954 sunderlandsales@2sfg.com Marie.Marandola@2sfg.com www.2fsg.com

AGRIAL FRESH PRODUCE

BRITISH EGG INFORMATION SERVICE British Lion Eggs 95 Cromwell Road London SW7 4DL Sales Contact: Phil Slaney Phone: 0207 052 8899 E-mail: info@britegg.co.uk Web: www.egginfo.co.uk/ british-lion-egg/products CARGILL PROTEIN EUROPE Clerkenleap Barn, Bath Road, Broomhall, Worcester WR5 3HR Contact: Claire Thomas Tel: 0121 7253476 Claire_Thomas@cargill.com www.cargill.co.uk

LTD.

Unit 5 Walthew House Lane, Martland Park Industrial Estate, Wigan WN5 0LB Contact: Emma Hesketh Tel: 01942 219942 emhesketh@afproduce.co.uk www.agrialfreshproduce.co.uk

ALS FOOD &

PHARMACEUTICAL

Sands Mill,Huddersfield Road Mirfield, West Yorkshire WF14 9DQ Contact: Nigel Richards Tel: 01354 697028 Fax: 01924 499731 sales.uk@alsglobal.com www.als-testing.co.uk

BLENDERS

Whitestown Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 DV24 VY75, Ireland Contact: Barnaby Barber Phone: 00 353 14536960 /07741 639006 barnaby.barber@blenders.ie www.blenders.ie

CATERERS CHOICE LTD Parkdale House, 1 Longbow Close, Pennine Business Park Bradley, Huddersfield HD2 1GQ Contact: Sarah Booth Tel 01484 532666 Fax 01484 532700 sarah@catererschoice.co.uk www.catererschoice.co.uk CIMBALI UK LTD Centennial Park 280 Centennial Avenue Elstree, Borehamwood WD6 3ST Contact@ Daniel.Clarke@ cimbali.co.uk Tel: 07967 183494 Tel: 020 8238 7100

COLPAC LTD Enterprise Way, Maulden Road, Flitwick, Bedfordshire MK45 5BW Contact: Sales Department Tel: +44 (0) 1525 712261 Fax: +44 (0) 1525 718205 info@colpac.co.uk www.colpacpackaging.com

COVERIS FLEXIBLES UK LTD. 7 Howard Road, Eaton Socon, St Neots, Cambridgeshire PE19 8ET Contact: Sales Department Tel: 01480 476161 Fax: 01480 471989 stneots.sales@coveris.com www.coveris.com

DAWN FARMS UK Lodge Way, Lodge Farm Ind. Est, Northampton NN5 7US Contact: Hannah Foster Tel: 01604 583421 Fax: 01604 587392 info@dawnfarms.ie www.tmifoods.co.uk Accreditation body: BSA DEIGHTON MANUFACTURING (UK) LTD Gibson Street, Leeds Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD3 9TR Contact: Andy Hamilton Tel: 01274 668771 Fax: 01274 665214 sales@deightonmanufacturing.co.uk www.deightonmanufacturing.co.uk

FRESH-PAK CHILLED FOODS 1 Waterside Park, Valley Way, Wombwell, Barnsley S73 0BB Contact: Mike Roberts Tel: 01226 344850 Fax: 01226 344880 mike.roberts@fresh-pak.co.uk www.fresh-pak.co.uk

FRIDAYS

Chequer Tree Farm, Benenden Rd, Cranbrook, Contact: Bridget Friday Tel: 01580 710250 Fax: 01580 713512 bf@fridays.co.uk www.fridays.co.uk Accreditation body: BSA

FOOD ATTRACTION LTD. Langham Court, 21

Langham Road, Leicester LE4 9WF Contact: Jake Karia Tel: 0116 2744066 www.jakeandnayns.com

FLEXESERVE The Alan Nuttall Partnership Ltd Orchard House, Dodwells Road, Hinckley Leicestershire LE10 3BZ Contact: Warwick Wakefield Email: info@flexeserve.com Web: Flexeserve.com

HARVEY & BROCKLESS 44-54 Stewarts Road London SW8 4DF Contact: Tina Alemao Tel: 0207 8196045 Fax: 0207 8196027 tina.alemao@ harveyandbrockless.co.uk www.harveyandbrockless.co.uk Accreditation body: BSA

Kent TN17 3PN

jake@foodattraction.com

DEW VALLEY FOODS Holycross Road, Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland Contact: Christina Murphy Tel: 00353 504 46110 Fax: 00353 504 23405 cmurphy@dewvalley.com www.dewvalley.com

GROTE COMPANY Wrexham Technology Park, Wrexham LL13 7YP Contact: Paul Jones Tel: 01978 362243 Fax: 01978 362255 sales@grotecompany.com www.grotecompany.com

FSC

Cheddar Business Park, Wedmore Road, Cheddar, Somerset BS27 3EB Contact: James Simpson Tel: 01934 745600 Fax: 01934 745631 james@thefscgroup.com www.thefscgroup.com

H SMITH FOOD GROUP PLC 24 Easter Industrial Park, Ferry Lane South, Rainham, Essex RM13 9BP Contact: Chris Smith Tel: 01708 878888 chris@hsmithplc.com www.hsmithplc.com INSURANCE PROTECTOR GROUP B1 Custom House, The Waterfront, Level Street, Brierley Hill DY5 1XH Tel: 0800 488 0013 business@ipgdirect.co.uk www.insuranceprotector.co.uk

JACKSONS BAKERY 40 Derringham Street, Kingston upon Hull HU3 1EW Contact: Commercial Team Phone: 01482 301146 hello@jacksonsbread.co.uk www.jacksonsbread.co.uk JIFFY TRUCKS LTD 26 Jubilee Way, Shipley West Yorkshire BD18 1QG Tel: 01274 596000 Contact: John Briggs john@jiffytrucks.co.uk www.jiffytrucks.co.uk

FUTURA FOODS UK LTD. BOOKER WHOLESALE

Equity House, Irthlingborough Road,Wellingborough, NN8 1LT Contact: Andy Milne 07587 886315 andrew.milne@booker.co.uk www.booker.co.uk

COUNTRY CHOICE FOODS Swan House, New Mill Road, St Paul’s Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3QD Contact: Neil Lindsell Tel: 01689 301203 neil.lindsell@brake.co.uk www.countrychoice.co.uk PANTONE 1585 U

PANTONE NEUTRAL BLACK U

C 0% M 60% Y 65% K 0% WEB #FF854F

C 0% M 0% Y 0% K 85% WEB #4B4846

52 March 2021 www.sandwich.org.uk

FRESHFAYRE Unit 10, Severn Way, Hunslet Industrial Estate, Hunslet, Leeds LS10 1BY Contact: Caroline Bartrop Tel: 0113 277 3001 sales@freshfayre.co.uk www.freshfayre.co.uk

The Priory, Long Street,

Dursley, Gloucestershire GL11 4HR Contact: Jo Carter Tel: 01666 890500 Fax: 01666 890522 jo@futura-foods.com www.futura-foods.com

LEATHAMS LTD 227-255 Ilderton Road, London, SE15 1NS Contact: Des Hillier Tel: 0207 635 4000 Fax: 0207 635 4017 des.hillier@leathams.co.uk www.leathams.co.uk

BSA Suppliers Index MEZZE

11 Colston Yard, Bristol BS1 5BD Contact: Hugo Walker Tel:: 0117 379 0309 Email: hugo.walker@mezze.io

NEW YORK BAKERY CO. 4 Heathrow Boulevard,

Web address: www.mezze.io

Bath Road, West Drayton,

MILLITEC FOOD

Contact: Angela Young

20 Victoria Road, Draycott,

angela.young@grupobimbo.com

Middlesex UB7 0DQ

SYSTEMS LTD.

Tel: 0208 283 0500

Derbyshire DE72 3PS

www.newyorkbakery.co.uk

Contact: Richard Ledger Tel: 01332 320400 sales@millitec.com www.millitec.com

NORSELAND LTD.

Somerton Road, Ilchester, Somerset BA22 8JL Contact: Luke Barfoot Tel: 07807 236 473 Fax: 01935 842801 lbarfoot@norseland.co.uk www.norseland.co.uk

MISSION FOODS EUROPE LTD Renown Avenue, Coventry Business Park, Coventry CV5 6UJ Contact: James Brown Tel: 07725 496799 Jbrown@missionfoods.com www.missionfoodservice.co.uk

NSF FOODS LTD. Deansgate, 62/70 Tettenhall Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4TH Contact: Steve Money

PASTA FOODS Forest Way, Norwich NR5 0JH Contact: Stuart Mills Tel: 01493 416200 stuart.mills@pastafoods.com www.pastafoods.com

PAUWELS UK 1st Floor, Axiom House, High Street, Feltham, Middlesex TW13 4AU Contact: Andrew Breeze Tel: 0208 818 7617 Fax: 0203 187 0071 andrew.breeze@pauwels-sauces.com www.pauwel-sauces.com PIQUANT LTD Willenhall Lane, Bloxwich, Walsall, W.Midlands WS3 2XN Contact: Julie Smith Tel: 01922 711116 Fax: 01922 473240 salesinfo@piquant.co.uk www.piquant.co.uk Accreditation body: BSA

Tel: 01902 925330 steve.money@nsffoods.com www.nsffoods.com

MIZKAN EURO LTD. 2nd Floor Building 10,

Chiswick Park, 566 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5XS Contact: Craig Dillon Tel: 0203 6752220 craig.dillon@mizkan.co.uk

NUTRITICS

22c Town Centre Mall Main Street, Swords Co Dublin, Ireland Tel: 020 3769 5265 Email: info@nutritics.com www.nutritics.com

www.mizkan.co.uk MOY PARK LTD.

39 Seagoe Industrial Estate, Craigavon, County Armagh BT63 5QE

ORNUA INGREDIENTS EUROPE

Herefordshire HR8 2JQ

Tel: +44 (0) 28 3835 2233

Contact: Alan Mackie

Emma.Hallam@moypark.com

Tel: 01531 631300

www.moypark.com

alan.mackie@ornua.com www.ornua.com

INGREDIENTS

PAPAYA UK

Park, Granville Road,

Stamford, Lincolnshire

Donnington Wood Business Telford TF2 7GJ Contact: Cara Williams Tel: 07731 337824 Cara.Williams@muller.co.uk www.muller.co.uk

SUPPLIERS

PLATOPUS SYSTEMS LTD. One Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG Contact: Yousaf Shah Tel: 0207 7000044 yousafshah@datatherapy.com www.datatherapy.com

Dymock Road, Ledbury,

Contact: Emma Hallam

MULLER MILK AND

PLANGLOW LTD The Quorum, Bond Street, Bristol BS1 3AE Contact: Rachael Sawtell Tel: 0117 317 8600 Fax: 0117 317 8639 info@planglow.com www.planglow.com

Crown Lane, Tinwell, PE9 3UF Contact Sales Tel: 01780 758560 Email: solutions@papayauk.com https://papayauk.com/

RAP LTD. Mansel Court, 2A Mansel Road,Wimbledon, London SW19 4AA Contact: Martin Beaver Tel: 0208 069 0700 catherine.young@rapuk.com www.rapuk.com REFLEX GROUP Moat Way, Barwell Leicestershire LE9 8EY Contact: Melissa Aplin melissaa@reflexlabels.co.uk Tel: 01455 852400 Web: www.reflexlabels.co.uk

ROYAL GREENLAND LTD. Gateway House, Styal Road, Wythenshawe, Manchester M22 5WY Contact: Solenne Labarere Tel: 0161 4904246 soll@royalgreenland.com www.royalgreenland.co.uk

SEARA MEATS BV 2nd Floor, Building 1, Imperial Place, Maxwell Road, Borehamwood WD6 1JN Contact: Valeri Zhekov Tel: 0044 2035358857 valeri.zhekov@seara.com.br www.seara.com.br

SMITHFIELD FOODS LTD. Norfolk Tower, 48-52 Surrey Street, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 3PA Tel: 01603 252454 contact@smithfieldfoods.co.uk www.smithfieldfoods.co.uk SNOWBIRD FOODS Wharf Road, Ponders End, Enfield, Middlesex EN3 4TD Contact: Helen Swan Tel: 0208 805 9222 Fax: 0208 804 9303 helen.swan@snowbirdfoods.co.uk www.snowbirdfoods.co.uk THE INGREDIENTS FACTORY Unit 2-3 Hamilton Road Ind Estate,160 Hamilton Road, London SE27 9SF Tel: 0208 670 6701 Fax: 0208 670 9676 Contact: Tim Marcuson tim@theingredientsfactory.com www.theingredientsfactory.com

ZAFRON FOODS LTD. Unit B-G Eagle Trading Estate, Willow Lane, Mitcham, Surrey CR4 4UY Contact: Jack Kenny Tel: 0844 847 5116 Fax: 0844 847 5117 jack@zafronfoods.co.uk www.zafronfoods.co.uk

LINKED ASSOCIATION LOCAL AUTHORITY CATERING ASSOCIATIONS LACA Administration Bourne House, Horsell Park, Woking, Surrey GU21 4LY Tel: 01483766777 Fax: 01483751991 admin@laca.co.uk

THE BRITISH SANDWICH AND FOOD TO GO ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE The following are elected members of the British Sandwich and Food to Go Association Management Committee CHAIRMAN

Dan Silverston, Soho Sandwich Company (Producer) THE COMMITTEE

Robert Potts, Greencore (Producer) – Vice-chair Hannah Pearson, Subway (Sandwich bar chain) Simon Parton, Compass (Catering) Ben Newby, Freshfayre (Supplier) Neil Wood, Woods (Independent Sandwich Bar) David Winter, Street Eats (Producer) Anthony Minto, Ginsters (Van Sales) Peter Mayley, La Baguetterie (Independent Sandwich Bar)

TRI-STAR PACKAGING SUPPLIES LTD Tri-Star House, Unit 4, The Arena, Mollison Avenue, Enfield, Middlesex EN3 7NL Contact: Alex Noake Tel: 0208 4439100 Fax: 0208 4439101 info@tri-star.co.uk www.tri-star.co.uk

These suppliers are members of The British Sandwich Association and subject to its rules, codes of conduct and accreditation. While the Association cannot guarantee the products supplied by those listed, it does make every effort to ensure that the companies are reputable and offer quality products and services.

Martin Beaver, RAP (Supplier) Amy James, Greggs (Baker) Marc Faulkner, Denton’s Deli (Caterer) Cathal McDonnell, Deli-Lites (Producer) SECRETARIAT Jim Winship, Director

Classifieds International Sandwich Manufacturers SIGMA BAKERIES PO Box 56567, 3308 Limassol, Cyprus Contact: Georgios Georgiou Tel: +357 25 878678 Fax: +357 25 346131 info@sigmabakeries.com www.sigmabakeries.com SUBWAY Chaston House, Mill Court,Hinton Way, Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire CB22 5LD Contact: Georg Buhrkohl Tel: 01223 550820 www.subway.co.uk TAMARIND FOODS SPRL Brixtonlaan 2c, Zaventem, Brussels 1930, Belgium Tel: +32 2 731 6977 Fax: +32 2 731 6978 fteichmann@tamarindfoods.be Contact: Frederic Teichmann

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HELP US TO

HELP YOU

The British Sandwich and Food To Go Association aims to ensure the best market conditions for our industry.

From lobbying Government to organising British Sandwich Week, we aim to provide the best environment for you to trade in, plus a wide range of benefits.

This all comes with membership: Facing the Brexit staffing challenge – Our business needs good people. We are lobbying to ensure Brexit does not lead to the door shutting on the people we need to keep going.

Reducing Energy and Telecoms costs – Our specialist advisor will shop around to get you the very best deals – and it’s free!

Insurance with Free Membership – Our specialist insurers offer really keen prices for shop and business insurance – and independent retailers can get free membership if they use them.

KPMG Accounting offer – Members can take advantage of a three months free accounting offer from leading accountants KPMG. Training – Our discounted on-line hygiene training is focused and saves you money and time.

Assured Guidance – Members following our Assured Advice are protected from enforcement challenges.

Free Advice – From legal to technical advice, our members have free access to experts.

Buying ingredients or equipment from abroad? Our agreement with Cornhill offers exceptionally keen exchange rates.

Business rates and financial help – We have teamed up with a specialist business finance consultancy who provide members with advice on everything from business rates to raising finance.

Cutting Fuel bills – Members can enjoy savings of up to 5p per litre on diesel & petrol, and up to 10p per litre at motorway pumps, with a free no-obligation fuel card.

London hotel discounts – Save money when staying in London using the unique Association booking code with Grange Hotels.

HELP US TO

HELP YOU BY JOINING TODAY

Plus you get free password access to

our online magazine and guidance

Visit www.sandwich.org.uk

Or Call Sandra on

01291 636348

Safe salads healthy living By using Fresh Produce Wash on all your fruit, salad and vegetables you will help protect consumers from food posioning caused by pathogenic bacteria, such as E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella.

Fresh Produce Wash: Kills over 99% of Bacteria Odourless & Taste Free No Need to Rinse Safe to Eat Classified as Non Hazardous under EU Regulation

Chlorine Free

WASH

for Salad, Fruit and Vegetables!

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For a FREE sample please call 01384 569556 or E-mail: sales@drywite.co.uk

drywite.co.uk