Interviews: Industry professionals

Interviews with the key industry professionals, business leaders, researchers and thinkers in the UK out of home food and drink sector

INTERVIEW: A new dawn for foodservice finance?

INTERVIEW: A new dawn for foodservice finance?
Compass Group’s sustainability lead Amy Keister tells Nick Hughes how the caterer will use proceeds from the sector’s first sustainable bonds to turbocharge its net-zero commitment. “There is no doubt about the scale of the environmental challenge that we face. To tackle that challenge effectively and sustainably requires us to harness the delivery capacity of…
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No ‘safe space’ for green claims

No ‘safe space’ for green claims
Regulators are on the lookout for evidence of greenwashing from food companies. Anne Marie Taylor from law firm DWF explains how businesses can stay on the right side of the law. Footprint: Why have regulators suddenly become interested in greenwashing again? Anne Marie Taylor (AMT): As consumer demand for sustainable products increases, businesses have recognised the…
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INTERVIEW: Adnams plans to weather brewing storm

INTERVIEW: Adnams plans to weather brewing storm
Chief executive Andy Wood reveals how the Suffolk brewer is investing in resource efficiency and local relationships to help protect it against cost and climate pressures. Nick Hughes reports. Out of the frying pan into the fire: that’s the way many hospitality sector businesses will be feeling as the removal of covid restrictions has segued…
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INTERVIEW: The man driving Sodexo’s net-zero plan

INTERVIEW: The man driving Sodexo’s net-zero plan
Sean Haley, UK & Ireland chairman, tells David Burrows about the need for regulation on food waste, the opportunities in adapting menus – and why he encourages scrutiny of the contract caterer’s carbon reduction targets. In a world littered with net-zero commitments it’s not always easy to unpick who is targeting what, let alone how.…
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Compass’s net-zero captain

Compass’s net-zero captain
Carolyn Ball has the transformative task of delivering the catering giant’s pledge to become a net-zero business by 2030. She spoke with Nick Hughes. As the crucial COP26 climate summit in Glasgow enters its final week major organisations yet to commit to a net-zero future are increasingly becoming isolated within the business community. Compass is…
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Interview: WRAP ups the ante on food targets

Interview: WRAP ups the ante on food targets
The NGO’s new climate lead tells Nick Hughes how the current sustainability landscape requires a fresh level of ambition from businesses. It’s been a busy few months for the waste and resources action programme (WRAP). In July, the NGO raised the stakes on its flagship Courtauld Commitment by setting more stretching targets for greenhouse gas emissions, food…
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Interview: Delivering on diversity

Interview: Delivering on diversity
The hospitality sector has struggled to tackle racial equality in the workplace, but Lorraine Copes is on a mission to redress the balance. Nick Hughes reports. “Throughout my career, particularly since I became a senior business leader, when I look to my left and to my right there is never another person of colour in…
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Interview: The supplier going straight to source

Interview: The supplier going straight to source
Collectiv Food wants to help foodservice businesses rebuild after the pandemic with a model based on fairness, transparency and sustainability. Nick Hughes speaks to its founder Jeremy Hibbert-Garibaldi.   If the coronavirus pandemic does accelerate a move to shorter supply chains, as has been advocated in certain quarters, then Jeremy Hibbert-Garibaldi is one step ahead…
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Packed lunches, disposable plates and classroom dining

Packed lunches, disposable plates and classroom dining
Covid-19 has forced Scotland’s caterers to adapt. But delivery of hot, nutritious food in a sustainable way remains possible despite the pandemic. David Burrows reports. As the first back in after the summer holidays and a long period of lockdown, Scotland’s school caterers are the UK’s guinea pigs. “We get to make all the mistakes,”…
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The power of fragility

The power of fragility
From supporting rapid change to the power of young chefs, Amy Fetzer talks to Nestlé Professional’s MD Katya Simmons about rays of hope for a sustainable future in a post-Covid world. “Life is fragile, but even when things seem solid, nothing is a given.” In a Covid-19 world, this is a sentiment we have seen…
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