Out of Home News Analysis

Out of home sector news analysis. Get the inside track on the key stories breaking in the out of home food and drink sector, from Footprint’s expert researchers and editorial team.

Why you need to meet your suppliers in the flesh

Why you need to meet your suppliers in the flesh
Buyers need to satisfy themselves that the meat they are buying is what they think it is. By David Read, chairman of Prestige Purchasing. Benjamin Franklin once wrote: “Nothing in this world is certain, except death and taxes.” Food scandals might be an obvious addition to this statement. Whether it’s horsemeat in the lasagne, bribes…
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Political Print: the great fat fight is back on

Political Print: the great fat fight is back on
Experts are again clashing over healthy diets in a bout that’s set to be long and bloody. By Nick Hughes. Ding ding! That was the sound of the bell ringing for the latest round in the great fat fight. Last year Footprint reported the bitter split in the public health community over the role of…
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Pressure is mounting for a junk-food advertising crackdown

Pressure is mounting for a junk-food advertising crackdown
Celebrity chefs, the NHS, the London Mayor and even former ‘big food’ marketing executives, have joined calls to prevent advertisers targeting children. Will Theresa May change her tune? By David Burrows. In 2015 Public Health England published an extensive review of what drives sugar consumption and how to reduce intake. The available research, the experts…
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Peering into the Brexit gloom

Peering into the Brexit gloom
Last week’s Westminster Food & Nutrition Forum focused on the future of food regulation after Brexit. What did we learn? By David Burrows. GLASSES ARE HALF EMPTY. Pessimism is increasing when it comes to food and Brexit. Research presented by Food Standards Scotland showed that the number of consumers who believe prices will go up…
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Better meat: what’s in a name?

Better meat: what’s in a name?
Everyone agrees we need to improve our diets – but not what that means. By Nick Hughes. What do we mean by “better” meat? It’s a question with the potential to divide farmers, confuse consumers and frustrate foodservice sustainability managers in equal measure. From organic, to pasture-raised, to intensively reared livestock, each system has a…
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The big lab meat experiment

The big lab meat experiment
Polls suggest the UK public aren’t ready for so-called ‘clean meat’ – but change may be on the way. By David Burrows. Consumer polls must always be taken with a pinch of salt (especially those that quiz a small number of people online and are dreamed up by public relations firms), but this one caught my…
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Why the smart money’s on food waste reduction

Why the smart money’s on food waste reduction
Research shows a clear-cut financial case for businesses to take action. By Nick Hughes. There are many good reasons why food businesses should tackle food waste: to comply with waste regulations, to build stakeholder relationships or simply through a sense of ethical responsibility. The financial case for food waste reduction, however, has always been harder…
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Briefing: what does blockchain mean for the food industry

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…
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Gender pay data shows foodservice top of the class

Gender pay data shows foodservice top of the class
Ours is the most equal of any British sector – but the big players in particular still have work to do. By Nick Hughes. The results are in and for foodservice there is reason to feel a degree of satisfaction over the gap between what men and women working in the sector are paid. Analysis…
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How Facebook’s big data could be harnessed for good

How Facebook’s big data could be harnessed for good
The Cambridge Analytica scandal shouldn’t blind us to the possibility of using the platform to promote healthy living. By David Burrows. A friend messaged me last week. “Feeling rather smug that my wife found an email from me many years ago where I stated that I’d never join Facebook given the threat of data harvesting.”…
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