Comment

Comment: Beware the ‘miracle’ packaging claims

There has been a flurry of ‘green’ packaging claims in recent months, some of which are misleading buyers and consumers, says Martin Kersh. At the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA) we support new technology and innovation. However, our members have reported a number of “miracle” claims being made. The terms that are most concerning are ones…

Kylie Mansfield offers some advice on how to give stressed staff a much-need lift during the January slump. The first few weeks of January can be a challenging time in the workplace. The once bustling environment of festive cheer is no more. The glow of twinkling fairy lights are but a distant memory. It’s back…

Too many companies view food service as a commodity or a cost to their business, as opposed to a support service that nurtures people and can have a dramatic impact on culture, productivity and success. By Chris Sheppardson. The steady demise of team culture across multiple industries and the rise of those affected by mental…

Opinion: the only way to tackle sugar reduction

Progress towards the 20% by 2020 sugar reduction target has been painfully slow. Sara Petersson suggests a way forward. The food industry has not come close to the 2020 sugar reduction target set in the Childhood Obesity Plan. To my mind, there are only three ways in which this could happen: cutting the sugar content…

Introducing metrics for assessing the food industry as it moves towards delivering sustainable and healthy diets would be in investors’ interests, writes Will Nicholson, project lead at Plating up Progress. Plating Up Progress set out to answer two fundamental questions: what are the metrics that food businesses should be using to evidence a transition to…

Promoting plant-based meals? Don’t forget the 80%

The two most impactful ways of reducing the footprint of our food are: reducing food waste along the whole food production and consumption chain; and consuming fewer animal products, writes Annette Burgard. In two quick statistics: agriculture is responsible for 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions; about 40% of all land on earth is used…

Responding to a recent Footprint story on the problems with compostable packaging, David Newman, of the Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association, argues that it has an important role to play. Footprint does a great job of exposing flaws in our food, packaging and waste systems. Last month it targeted compostable packaging, but I think some…

Comment: Moving to more sustainable packaging

Iain Gulland of Zero Waste Scotland highlights the measures that can be adopted to reduce packaging and recycle more of what’s left. Too many of the products we buy come in packaging that is either unnecessary, difficult to recycle or both. Much of that packaging is plastic. At Zero Waste Scotland we advocate avoiding any…

School caterers – put your finger on the pulse

Evidence suggests that eating less and better meat is good for health, the planet and kitchen finances – which is why Rob Percival of the Soil Association wants all school caterers to introduce a weekly plant-based protein day. Language can provoke. When the Soil Association called for a plant-based protein day to be implemented in…

We need to slap a giant ‘out of date’ label on the current model of charitable food assistance, argues Dan Crossley of the Food Ethics Council Foodservice businesses might be tempted to think it a case of job done if they are redistributing all of their surplus food to people in need. However, this is…