With a new decade upon us, Ben Gardner, CEO of Navitas Group highlights three key food-related trends for 2020 and their implications for food safety in the restaurant business.
- Veganism becomes mainstream – – According to the Vegan Society between 2014 and 2019 the number of vegans in Great Britain quadrupled – and is still growing.
Preparing vegan dishes clearly requires the strict separation of utensils and preparation areas – between vegetarian and vegan as well as meat and meat-free – and also being clear about the definition of what constitutes a vegan ingredient and what might not. Honey is an obvious one here – it is not considered vegan. However, there are also ingredients like beeswax on citrus fruits to be aware of.
- The ‘allergen emergency’ – We’re still almost two years away from the mandatory introduction of new rules around full ingredients labelling for foods made on site and pre-packed for direct sale. However, that doesn’t mean food businesses can put this to the back of their minds. A 72% increase in children admitted to hospital with severe allergic reactions reported by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation recently, has been dubbed an ‘allergy emergency’ and while the causes are unclear food businesses need to step up to the plate here.
In 2020 businesses need to double down on allergen management, allergen labelling and awareness training, using up to date technology and systems in place to minimise the risk posed from allergens. This is so important because it only takes a single slip-up to potentially put customers in danger, with potentially life-threatening consequences.
- A bad taste from food waste – Food waste is becoming increasingly unacceptable, viewed as both morally wrong – given the imbalance of food availability across the globe – and environmentally irresponsible in terms of the resources squandered in getting it from farm to fork.
An up to date approach to food safety can help reduce the staggering 920,000 tonnes of food thrown away by the hospitality sector every year. Checking temperatures during cooking and service prevents food being thrown away because kitchen staff cannot be certain that it has been cooked and stored safely.
Using devices to constantly monitor the temperatures in a kitchen’s appliances can also reduce food spoilage. In the event of a fridge or freezer failure this technology can help avoid hundreds and even thousands of pounds worth of food waste.
