Foodservice News Analysis

Foodservice news analysis. Get the inside track on the key stories breaking in the foodservice sector, from Footprint’s expert researchers and editorial team.

Climate protests should act as a wake-up call

Businesses planning to keep their heads down in the hope that calls for change fizzle out are likely to be disappointed, argues Nick Hughes. What should businesses make of the Extinction Rebellion climate protests that have brought paralysis to parts of Central London over the Easter period? At a practical level, many food businesses located…

We need to slap a giant ‘out of date’ label on the current model of charitable food assistance, argues Dan Crossley of the Food Ethics Council Foodservice businesses might be tempted to think it a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…

Burger King’s mission Impossible is a big deal

The fast food chain is offering the Impossible Burger at 59 outlets in the US. Are plant-based meats about to hit the mainstream market, asks David Burrows? Two years ago, almost to the day, Footprint carried the following headline: “Meat-free mania – why isn’t McDonald’s lovin’ it?” Money was being thrown at food tech companies…

The high street chain has moved quickly to introduce full ingredient labelling following two allergen-related deaths. Nick Hughes reports. Tom Sugarman is reflecting candidly on how Pret A Manger has accepted the role of standard bearer for the foodservice response to recent allergen tragedies. “We were all devastated by what happened,” says Pret’s UK shops…

Foodservice and hospitality businesses continue to shy away from a high profile global plastics commitment. David Burrows reports. Take-away food chains, hotels and airlines have been urged to join a global initiative to reduce plastic waste and pollution. More than 350 organisations, including 150 businesses, have signed up to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment,…

Government warned off “dangerous” allergen regulations

Better communication between businesses and customers is the most effective way to tackle allergen-related issues, said UKHospitality in its response to the government’s consultation on new regulations. Some of the options under consideration are “potentially dangerous” and impractical, the organisation warned. Defra has proposed an overhaul of food allergen information laws. This followed the tragic…

Linen: sustainability success story or dirty secret?

Old linen is being repurposed for use in punch bags and sofas, but is the route to recycling as watertight as it appears? By Nick Hughes. Linen is the ubiquitous material that has the uncanny ability to hide in plain sight. The foodservice and hospitality industry uses millions of pieces of linen every week in…

GLASS HALF FULL: meals matched and ingredients tracked

Our latest roundup of worthy initiatives features two smaller players with a big appetite for making a difference. Transparency tracker. The threat to food safety posed by Brexit is well known to policy makers who are busy scrambling to plug gaps once the UK loses full access to EU risk management systems. One Cotswolds supermarket…

Casual dining chains are showing a “complete lack of commitment” to reduce salt in their menus, campaigners claim. But don’t tar everyone with the same brush, says David Burrows. What’s the story? Action on Salt investigated the nutritional content of 351 children’s meals sold by chains in the out of home (OOH) sector, focusing on…

The first salt reduction targets set for the out of home sector were “generous”, according to Public Health England. Should businesses prepare for lower limits and even regulation? Work on the salt content of food began in 2004. Since then voluntary reduction targets have been set four times, in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2014. The…