Foodservice Industry Briefing

Stay up to date with Footprint’s briefing on the latest movements in the foodservice industry

Muddled food policy puts UK at bottom of the class

This year’s Food Sustainability Index ranks the UK among the laggards of Europe – and that’s before Brexit hits the industry. By Nick Hughes. Just as Brexit negotiations threaten to reach a harmonious conclusion (we can dream, can’t we?) news breaks that gives Britain’s EU neighbours fresh cause to cast disdainful gazes across the Channel.…

Is palm oil pledge worth the paper it’s written on?

Companies are pondering their next move after experts raised questions over the environmental value of the CSPO scheme. By David Burrows. There is “no significant difference” between Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) and non-certified when it comes to environmental protection. The claims, in a study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, heap further pressure…

Briefing: what does blockchain mean for the food industry

The technology that underpins bitcoin could also be a vital weapon in securing supply chains all the way from farm to fork. By Nick Hughes. What exactly is it? Blockchain was created in 2008 as a virtual ledger for trading digital assets without the need for a bank to act as an intermediary. Users have…

Food industry experts are far clearer on the dangers of a hard exit than politicians, writes David Burrows. In a fortnight’s time, on December 14th, EU leaders are expected to meet in order to decide whether negotiations on Brexit can move to phase two – in other words, from all the stuff about separation (the…

The Food Standards Agency is quietly proposing the most dramatic shake-up of regulations in almost 20 years. Nick Hughes looks at the details. You could be forgiven for not having heard of “Regulating Our Future”. The document was pushed out by the Food Standards Agency in the middle of summer to little fanfare or media…

Supermarkets are divided over the value of the invented brands but it remains to be seen whether shoppers can be persuaded to care. By David Burrows. In April 2016 Tesco revamped its fresh produce lines with a series of new brands, including Redmere Farms for veg, Rosedene Farms for fruits and Boswell Farms for beef.…

Many argued that her job should never have existed but Christine Tacon can point to four years well spent as the government’s supply chain watchdog. By Nick Hughes. It is testament to Christine Tacon’s durability that she recently celebrated four years in a job that many politicians and business leaders felt should never have existed.…

CAP bans advertising of food & drink products high in fat, salt and sugar

New restrictions banning the advertising of food and drink products high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in children’s non-broadcast media come into effect on 1 July. The body responsible for writing the UK Advertising Code, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), is reminding food and drink businesses about the new rules, why they’re being…

What motivates food & farming charities?

The Food Ethics Council’s survey of food & farming charities gives food businesses insight into what makes them tick, what holds them back and how the two sectors could work together. Here, the Food Ethics Council highlights five key takeaways from the Food issues census 2017. Local food is the number one issue that UK…

Certification schemes are not yet effective at addressing consumers’ growing fears over exploitation of farmworkers, writes Kerstin Lindgren. Consumers are increasingly concerned by the low pay and poor conditions on many farms. Farmworker justice certification schemes are therefore emerging to provide evidence that food is produced without exploitation. But are they any good? For our…