Foodservice Footprint shutterstock_245637325-copy-1-scaled Nestlé launches Back to Work toolkit Best Practice

Nestlé launches Back to Work toolkit

Nestlé Professional has launched a toolkit to help large workplaces and contract caterers identify the key concerns of the returning workforce.

With two in five consumers nervous about returning to the workplace, the toolkit compiles industry knowledge and expertise designed to build trust with customers and ensure that they’re being welcomed back to a happy and safe environment that they’ll feel comfortable being in.

According to expert insight, there are three key areas of concern for consumers returning to the workplace: safety and hygiene, quality and trust, and sustainability.

Research reveals that 58% of consumers will be scrutinising what they eat from venues more carefully than before COVID-19, with 83% expecting hygiene and safety standards to have increased.

In addition to implementing essential safety precautions, insight in the toolkit advises providing healthier food options based on changing consumer eating habits, and introducing systems that will allow social distancing to take place, e.g.  pre-ordering online or mobile app solutions and delivery services.

The uncertainty and unpredictability caused by COVID-19 means that worker wellbeing will be equally important in the new workplace and promoting breaks will be key to alleviating post-lockdown anxiety.

Pre-lockdown, plant-based foods were in demand, with consumers demonstrating an increasing interest in knowing where their food has come from. New research reveals that lockdown has accelerated this trend, with 33% of consumers identifying how sustainable a venue and its food is as more important to them now than before lockdown.

When it comes to food, quality and taste are key drivers, with 78% saying food quality contributes most to the overall experience. Furthermore, 1 in 7 identify food quality as the most important factor in building trust in a venue.

Steve Norris, Sales Director at Nestlé Professional UK & Ireland, says: “Consumer demands may have changed during lockdown but one thing hasn’t changed and that’s consumers wanting quality food. With this toolkit, we hope that it gives caterers the insight and advice they need to make the workplace as safe and comfortable as possible so that they can focus on what they do best – providing great food to a hungry workforce.”

To download a copy of the Back to Work toolkit, follow this link.