ADVICE contamination. Each dish should not be cooked in the same oils for instance or ingredients stored in the same area of the fridge. To reduce and prevent this from happening, and to ensure there are no mix-ups, all meat, vegan, and vegetarian dishes should be separated within each order. Ideally, any allergen, vegan or vegetarian dishes should be delivered completely individually. However, where this isn’t possible, these orders should be placed on top and must be double wrapped, with all other orders underneath.
4. Eco-conscious consuming via veganism and vegetarianism With the number of people adopting vegan and vegetarian diets and lifestyles, this is an important trend to consider, not just for 2021, but for the future, too. Whilst this may not seem a cause for concern in terms of hygiene, it can pose a greater risk of cross-
5. Sustainability Going digital not only speeds things up for all involved, but it also positively impacts the environment. With more customers and businesses focusing on making sustainable changes to their lives, reducing paper usage and single-use plastic is almost essential. Following the need to digitise and automate the kitchen, paper-based safety trails are no longer needed, nor
relevant (the average food business spends approximately £20 per month, per site, on paperwork printing costs alone). Embracing sustainable and digital processes would not just benefit the business by reducing costs, but it would also remove unnecessary paper and thus, waste for both the business and the consumer. Businesses should look to invest in innovative digital hardware and software that can record all data in a cloud-based system, eliminating the need for paperwork entirely. An integrated digital system allows businesses to monitor food safety effectively with watertight traceability and accountability, resulting in a reduction in food waste. It isn’t just about materials and going digital, though. Food businesses in particular need to work hard to ensure less food is being wasted. To do so, this may mean minimising menus as they work to reopen as well as encouraging consumers to recycle packaging properly and effectively if it is a takeaway service.
STOP PRESS
“We’re working to save our sector,” says the Ice Cream Alliance The Ice Cream Alliance (ICA), the UK’s trade association for the ice cream sector, is mobilising its members, the wider industry and other parts of the hospitality sector to promote their products to all those holidaying in the country this summer. The campaign is called the Great British Ice Cream Staycation and is encouraging businesses of all types and sizes to get involved. “Ice cream parlours and ice cream vans have been hard hit in this pandemic losing a total of £289million in income in 2020,” commented ICA CEO, Zelica Carr. “And that’s just the tip of the iceberg when you add lost ice cream sales in cafés, restaurants and hotels and the economic impact to businesses along the supply chain – manufacturers, flavour houses, wholesalers and many others. “This campaign is not about dictating to businesses how to market their products. It’s about harnessing everyone’s creative flair and dynamism and providing them with the tools – across digital marketing, PR, influencer marketing, POS – to maximise sales and bounce back from a truly horrid twelve months. We are providing marketing materials, guides and templates free to everyone who wants it – not just to ICA members.” Between 8 March and 11 March 2021, the ICA surveyed its members on the effects of the pandemic on business in 2020,
revealing that 90 ice cream parlours have closed in the last twelve months and that 800 mobilers had ceased trading over the same period. However, the government’s Furlough Scheme has been a life saver for many businesses with up to 62% of staff furloughed at some point during the pandemic. Zelica Carr added: “The ICA was founded just after the Second World War to promote a fledgling sector during the post-war years. The ice cream industry successfully expanded since then but has faced its biggest threat since the war from the pandemic. We felt the ICA had to play a major role in helping our sector to recover and flourish again.” ‘The Great British Ice Cream Staycation – ice cream smiles, today, tomorrow and always’ campaign is all about reminding people what a delicious, fun, happy and affordable treat ice cream is and what iconic childhood memories it generates. To download the FREE Great British Ice Cream Staycation DIY Marketing Toolkit or to find out how your hospitality, tourism business or trade association can get involved, visit www.icecream.org/webform/great-british-ice-cream-staycation THECAFELIFE.CO.UK | JUNE 2021 | CAFÉ LIFE 19
