London, 6 May 2010 – Members of Allegra’s Food Strategy Forum met at the ICA in central London for the highly anticipated Forum conference on Sustainability in Foodservice.
Claire Morris, Marketing Director at Sodexo UK, opened the presentations with an overview of the group’s ‘Better Tomorrow’ strategy which focuses on nutrition, health and wellness, local communities, and the environment. Morris said communicating the strategy to a vast workforce and engaging staff in developing countries to act have been key challenges for the group.
The next operator to present was Henry Dimbleby, founder of Leon Restaurants. He was joined by Giles Gibbons, founder of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). Together they outlined the principles of the Association and its audit process and the practicalities Leon faced when implementing a sustainability strategy.
After a coffee break, provided by the principle sponsors, Nestlé Professional, Michael Bond from the Soil Association spoke about the benefits of using locally farmed products in catering operations. He was followed by Chris Dow, Managing Director, of Closed Loop Recycling who provided a passionate explanation of how best to recycle PET and HDPE bottles back into food-grade plastic. Although this could have been a very dry topic, Dow’s enthusiasm was infectious and delegates were intrigued and impressed.
Tony Waters, Managing Director of Solo Cup Europe, one of the largest suppliers of paper cups and disposable packaging to the UK foodservice sector, spoke about how the whole industry needed to focus on ‘Less, Litter and Landfill’.
After lunch Andrew Speck, Packaging Buyer at Marks & Spencer who chaired the biodegradable versus recycled packaging debate, outlined the rationale behind M&S’s ‘Plan A’ before introducing the panellists for the debate.
Ian Bates, founder of Portabrands kicked off with an insightful speech about the role of virgin fibres, recycled fibres and biodegradable materials, and how Portabrands champion the use of these materials because they ultimately aid in the reduction of waste.
Neil Whittle from paper cup manufacturer Huhtamaki, did an admirable job by stepping in for John Young, who was unable to make it on the day. Whittle explained why sustainable forestry and recycling is required in future and also addressed composting.
The debate concluded with Neal Whipp representing the British Printing Industries Federation who argued that most packaging today is made from recycled or sustainable stocks but that biodegradable products should carry a home composting label to help educate consumers. He said the most critical factor should always performance specification when selecting packaging.
The final session looked at sustainability from the perspective of suppliers. Ruth Westcott, commercial officer at The Marine Stewardship Council explained just how imperative it is for the foodservice sector to use certified sustainable seafood to avoid the destruction of the fragile marine eco-system.
Next came Neil Stephens, Managing Director of Nestlé Professional, who focused on Nestlé’s journey to become a more environmentally sustainable company but at the same time deliver to shareholders. He highlighted that the company now has a “what is good for business must also be good for society” policy.
Finally Ian Booth, Technical Director at Reynolds of one of the event sponsors, explained how as suppliers Reynolds links together producers and customers with a commitment to improve sustainability. He echoed what Stephens said and emphasised a good environmental should help save money saved money – an important consideration in business!
The next Food Strategy Forum conference is in September and will look at “Technology in Foodservice”.
For more information about the Food Strategy Forum or about this event please call Yvette Mackenzie on 020 7691 8842 or email yvmackenzie@allegra.co.uk
Download the Event Brochure Here |