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Brexit disruption. I don’t think anyone has overcome, and will not for a while yet, the effect it has had and is still having.

“Sadly, the most affected were the dine in restaurants with most unable to operate, though again the ‘how can we?’ attitude came to the fore with dark kitchens opening and takeaway offerings becoming more prevalent.

“Another of the challenges facing the industry is staff shortages which, although was there before, was never to the extent it is today. The pandemic has affected the training of HGV drivers which has caused a back-up in the supply chain generally and many restaurants are opening for fewer hours and simplifying menus which will only have a knock-on effect to the quality we all came to appreciate prior to March 2021.”

THE FUTURE

Speaking of the future, Keith Griffiths says: “My guess is that it will take around two years before the supply chain issues are resolved as, although deliveries to restaurants are sound the delivery of products to depots is more of an issue where manufactures of ingredients are struggling to get supplies to where they need to be.” To a question on the future of dining out, Keith Griffiths says: “It’s very early days, but I feel the public speak of the desire for normal service to be resumed but have equally become accustomed to enjoying cooking for themselves. Shorter operating times, due to labour availability, and table reservation requirements make it difficult and is one to watch closely.”

On the subject of packaging, he adds: “The industry as a whole keeps looking at packaging and has made significant progress to reduce packaging over the years especially in manufacturing. Pizza boxes have always been an issue to recycle due to the residual grease in the box but there are now solutions to remove the single plastic usage of the box support. “Every industry has to contribute to mitigating the effects of the climate crisis wherever it can and few industries can make a big impact. We all have to play our part on this which involves a change of mindset and an acceptance of the cost of doing so.” Talking about veganism, Keith Griffiths reflects: “The vegan market sector will always grow as consumers move with the trend. There is certainly far more demand now but also for plantbased meat replacers. The key to success is to have the right choice and balance on the menu at a quality that is really good, as some of the early vegan offerings lacked taste and texture.”

One last thing…

In his youth, Keith was a champion ice figure skater!

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SILBURY MARKETING LTD

Silbury is a leading food ingredients supplier with more than 35 years’ experience of supplying food manufacturers, major retailers, high street chains and food service businesses across the UK, Europe and beyond.

With a turnover of circa £70m, Silbury is the largest pizza sauce manufacturer in Europe and are a significant shareholder in two of the largest Portuguese tomato processing plants, giving it complete control of the end-to-end process. Both plants hold BRC certification and full industrial and environmental licenses under Portuguese and European legislation.

Renowned for its expertise in tomatoes, pizza sauce, meat toppings, oils and boxed fats, Silbury is built on a staunch commitment to real quality and customer service. This commitment is delivered by our people – the industry specialists and customer service professionals who make our business one of Britain’s most trusted and respected food and ingredients suppliers. For more information, contact their head office. Silbury Marketing Ltd. 9 Manor Park, Banbury Oxfordshire OX16 3TB

Telephone: 01926 410022 Contact: Louise De Leon Email: sales@silbury.co.uk www.silbury.co.uk