Patrick Coveney’s BSA Industry Dinner address.

Responsibility and leadership

As might be expected in the wake of challenging times, Patrick Coveney’s (pictured) recent address to the BSA’s Industry Dinner covered a range of fundamental factors that are poised to impact the food to go sector’s recovery and on-going development.

THE CHALLENGE OF COVID

“We are really living with the reality right now that if one part of the supply chain is not strong, then none of it is strong,” said Patrick Coveney. “It is going to be so important as an industry, and certainly Greencore will play its role on that, that we focus on bringing the industry back together. “I‘ve probably had the ability to observe, and contribute to, quite a lot of change in the UK sandwich industry, with Greencore acknowledged as a leader in the UK sandwich industry, at least in the prepared part of the market. We make around 70% of all the sandwiches that are made in the UK right now – about a billion food to go items a year or 20 million per week. So it’s a significant business with a significant set of responsibilities around keeping people fed across Britain. With that position comes a lot of responsibility and industry leadership, be that on quality or food safety or supporting across the supply chain. “2021 is an important milestone for Greencore, being 30 years a public company and twenty years operating in the UK, that really being on the back of the acquisition of Hazlewood Foods twenty years ago. And we’re ten years a world leader in the food to go market following the acquisition of Uniq in 2011.”

In thinking about what to speak about and chatting with the leadership team prior to the dinner, Patrick Coveney went on to say that a colleague had suggested it might be a depressing outing and that there was “no joy” left in the UK sandwich industry. In part, this was right, he felt, the obvious reason being Covid, and the less obvious reason being the current supply environment which had not been anticipated, and that he hadn’t expected to be “wrestling with having been through the twelvemonth acute challenge of Covid.”

On the topic of Covid - and what Greencore as a business had been through with it, by way of example – Patrick Coveney said that they anticipated Covid. “In so far as you could be, we were actually ready for it in February and early March of 2020. We learnt straightaway the power – and we learned this for real, as opposed to theoretically – of having a purpose that was more than profit. Straightaway we were wrestling with health and safety issues that were existential to the lives of the people who worked for us,” said Patrick Coveney.

“We also recognised the power of responsibility because we were put under massive governmental pressure to keep Britain fed through Covid. People forget that in early to mid-March 2020, perceived wisdom in No 10 was that the retail food chain was going to fall over. There were actually cabinet meetings held to discuss whether they would nationalise the UK retail; that was the scale of the concern.

“But as an industry, we did an incredible job of keeping Britain fed and people from all parts of it rolled in to ensure that despite all of the considerable challenges we succeeded with this noble purpose of keeping 68 million people safely fed. But that came with cost…” Most people in attendance at the dinner, Patrick Coveney pointed out, experienced Covid looking at a computer screen, kept working, and kept working very hard, he felt, but nevertheless the computer screen was the ‘felt experience’ for most present. “Many of the people who worked with us, and for us, didn’t have the ability to work through a computer screen. They had to turn up to work to keep Britain fed. And there are hundreds of people from our industry who died of Covid,” said Patrick Coveney, before asking those gathered to take time on behalf of all the people who worked for them to quietly acknowledge in a moment’s silence the sacrifice and contribution that was made by many people who worked in their businesses.

Keeping Britain fed. NEW WAYS OF DOING THINGS

Covid did not only impact their business in that fundamental way, he added, but led to other forms of scarring.

“It depleted the individual, and collective, reserves and resilience of many of us. I think that’s why it’s so hard, in some ways, right now,” Patrick Coveney continued. “It changed how consumers shopped. Suddenly we found a suburban food to go consumer. Suddenly we had our parents, or grandparents, ordering food online. Enormous changes flowed through on that… It’s left a damage to people’s livelihoods. People have missed family events that they normally wouldn’t have countenanced on doing, including funerals, and it’s left behind a damage in this area and some mental health challenges for people in all sorts of ways in all parts of our community.

“It also devastated our industry. If someone had said two years ago that Adelie would have gone bust, no-one would have thought that was likely… If you look at formats all across the UK high street, many of them household names, some of them are just not there anymore. That set of changes will ultimately create opportunities for those of us who are still in the industry, but it’s painful. Many of those were friends of ours, or suppliers to us, or customers of ours. “As we move forward from Covid, it’s important to at least recognise the scars that are left behind. As you recover from scarring, you can rebuild strength, and in some cases more strength than you had before. But a critical part of that is to at least treat the injured.” It was this which explained an absence of joy in the industry, Patrick Coveney stated. However, the unexplained, or unpredicted pressure on industry was what we are dealing with right now, he went on to outline, because from a macro demand perspective, Covid ended in June. Every day now, at Greencore, the recovering demand is actually greater than it was on the equivalent day in 2019, he reported, but unfortunately, every day, they have to work to manage it. Indeed, he apologised to any customers present for that, but that it was not a problem the company or the industry had anticipated.

PACE OF RECOVERY

“It is a multi-faceted problem that is not unique to the UK,” said Patrick Coveney. “The problem of the pace of economic recovery in the re-opening of societies is hitting all, but I would contend that it is more acute in the UK than elsewhere because some of the contributing public policy features are making it quite difficult for us to deal with. Like the number of drivers in the short-term, like availability of labour, at least in transition while we move to a world where technology plays a bigger role. “And while we move to a world which will be really, really good - where average incomes actually rise at the bottom end of the UK market - you can’t turn a switch and do that in one day, or one month, or one winter, and I think at the moment we are being asked to do that, and it’s very, very painful.

“The problem with all of that is, if you have been in the fresh food supply industry for any length of time is that everything flows from service. Service builds confidence, confidence builds trust, trust builds investment and growth, and excitement going forward. “The problem is, we can’t fully service the growing demand, and we can’t even give clarity around when we’ll be able to. That’s a problem. It doesn’t lend itself to superficial answers, and we’ll have to work our way through it, piece by piece, customer by customer, range by range, supply chain by supply chain.” Using Greencore as an example, Patrick Coveney explained that they have a ‘bubble in carpet’ type problem. For example, they do a good job in recruiting drivers for their distribution, only to find that some of those drivers used to work for their bread providers, and then they don’t have enough bread for their sandwiches and end up with drivers sitting around waiting to go, and the same in manufacturing which is why he feels that “stronger together” is so important. “Unless the whole chain works, none of us will sustainably work,” said Patrick Coveney. “We’re going to have to try and solve that together, which is why the theme of ‘stronger together’ is not an option, it’s an imperative.” All of that could sound very depressing, he agreed, and some of it was very sad, but he didn’t think that the forward-looking future for the UK food to go market needed to be depressing.

AN AGILE, RESPONSIVE INDUSTRY

“There are two features of the market we need to remember,” Patrick Coveney proposed. “First, as an industry we are really good - resilient, agile and responsive to consumer demand. We kept Britain fed through Covid. Remember that. There are no challenges that with appropriate time, and the type of skill that sits in the industry, that we can’t tackle. “Secondly, this is the coolest part of the market. This is where consumers want to spend their discretionary money, and on occasions they enjoy. It’s growing, multi-channel, across product category, format, and the rest of the world looks at what happens in food to go in the UK, whether that’s Greggs, Starbucks, Pret A Manger or M&S, or the Co-Op… But I know from having spent time building a convenience food business in America that the world looks at the food to go market in the UK and says that’s an awesome consumer proposition, and that’s an awesome supply chain. “We can get back to that, as I’m sure the excitement will come, but in order to do that we’re going to have to tackle some of the near-term stuff already outlined, but once we’ve done that there are big opportunities for the food to go market in the UK, but they will be different from what the big opportunities have been in the previous era. “I think there are three things that it is worth us all being clear on, because I think they are going to make a big difference… First, is to recognise that the post-Covid consumer is going to be different. Not radically different in all aspects, but importantly different in a number. “Suburban eating and suburban food to go consumption is here to stay, and that will feed through to supply chains and formats and recipes, because there is going to be an enduring and effective working from home phenomenon, so people will need food, and food to go, closer to where they go. “One of the things we learnt through Covid is that people are really bored making their lunch at home. Digital is also going to have an important role to play, as well as outdoor eating, which has become a habit that people like. The mindset I would say, here, is don’t think about going back to how it was preCovid, that’s just not how these things work. “Health and hygiene, I would say, are going to play much bigger, and quite different roles, going forward. The UK food to go and supply chain is awesome on hygiene… You are ten times more likely to die of food poisoning in America than you are in Britain,” Patrick Coveney claimed. “There is nowhere in the world that you are safer eating chilled food, than in the UK. So we’re good at hygiene. Hygiene, and indeed packaging, would stay important, he went on to acknowledge as we come out of Covid.

SUSTAINABILITY, PLANT-BASED EATING AND COMMUNITIES

“On the topic of sustainability, there is a pronounced, and irreversible move, from animal protein to plant protein,” said Patrick Coveney. “At Greencore, we have committed to science-based targets by 2030. That’s the targets necessary to ensure that, if everyone’s in it, scientists tell us that the world temperature won’t go up by more than 1.5 degrees. In order for that to be delivered by Greencore - if you only assume that our product volumes grow at population growth in the UK, and no more - we will actually have to use 46% less meat in 2030 than we used in 2019. That’s the scale of the adjustment required, and by the way everyone is signing up to science-based targets, because it’s a ‘name and shame them’ type of thing, and that’s the direction of travel.” Although many had already been making vegan products for years, the problem is that relatively few people buy them, Patrick Coveney claimed, in turn meaning that they were going to have to get better at making such products taste better. “We are also committed to getting rid of plastic in sandwich skillets. Fully. We’ve got six SKUs on the market at the moment, and plastic is going from the sandwich skillet. And we hope everyone else will do the same. We’re going to need some leadership in the industry to get that done if only for defensive reasons so that we don’t become like bottled water. We’ve got to get plastic out of the sandwich skillet market. “Lastly, I would talk about the role of communities or ‘local’. Local is going to matter in two ways. Firstly, supply chains are going to become more and more local in a world where we lack trust in global supply chains. That’s the direction of global public policy and politics whether you like it or not in some parts of the world right now. We’re going to get more and more local and fresher in our supply chains, and we’re going to have to build that. That is going to be a good thing, but it’s going to require work. “Every bit as important will be the role that we play as employers and as community activists in the areas in which we have the employment. That’s the right thing to do but in a very tight labour market, if you’re not doing it, you’re simply not going to get the people. “This industry is at its best when two things happen. One, when we trust each other – stronger together - and second, when we have fun. It hasn’t been a lot of fun for the reasons explained, but we need to bring that back. And if we don’t bring that back, we won’t get good people into the industry, we won’t get good ideas, we won’t get the growth and the consumer engagement that we’re going to need. I think we will get there, but we have a journey to go through for a while as we do.”

INTERNATIONALSandwich food to go news 2022 company listing application form

ANNUAL DIRECTORY 2022

The essential reference guide of manufacturers and suppliers to the sandwich industry – get your company listed!

The Sandwich & Food To Go News Annual Directory will be published in Spring 2022 and distributed to the industry throughout the year. It is mailed to subscribers, BSA and Café LifeTrade Association members and also promoted at trade shows and events throughout the year. These include Lunch Show, Caffe Culture Show and the Designer Awards. New members and subscribers joining during the year also receive a copy. The Directory offers suppliers a great way of marketing and publicising themselves in a cost-effective way. The publication, now in its 25th year, is A5 in size, and contains a comprehensive list of manufacturers, suppliers and services within sectionalised categories to provide an essential reference guide. Companies are also indexed at the back. It will also be uploaded onto www.sandwichandfoodtogonews.co.uk To ensure inclusion please complete and return this form before the deadline of February 25th 2022. # ONE FREE LISTING PER COMPANY

Business details to appear in Directory

Company Name:..............................................................................................

Address:...........................................................................................................

.....................................................Post Code: .................................................

Sales contact: .................................................................................................

Tel :................................................. .................................................................

email.................................................................................................................

website.............................................................................................................

Product and services listings

Each company can be listed (name, address, telephone number) under one section heading free. Listings under additional section headings cost £5+ VAT each. Please indicate which product/service sections you wish to be included under by ticking the appropriate boxes below: n Bread, Bakery & morning products n Cabinets, Refrigeration, Transport Refrigeration & Coldroom storage n Cakes, biscuits and confectionery products n Cheese and Dairy products n Cleaning/ Hygiene materials,services and equipment n Clothing, Safety wear & Uniform n Consultancy/insurance/business services n Distribution and delivery services n Cold Drinks and Drink making equipment (please specify) n EPOS /ORDERING SYSTEMS. (please specify) n Factory equipment and services (please specify) n Hot Beverages and Soups

n Ingredients (Please specify) n Kitchen and catering equipment/accessories/ovens n Labelling and label systems n Mayonnaise, sauces, pickles & relishes n Online services, Apps and software n Packaging n Ready Meals and Snacks n Salads/ salad-making equipment and products n Sandwich manufacturers and distributors n Shopfitting/Signage Services n Vending n Wholesalers

Entry booking form

I would like to book the following

(please tick requirements):

Cost Req’d

1 Standard Free Entry - Free

n

includes company name and address entry under one section

Additional Product Listings - £5 + VAT

n

please tick extra product listings if required (first listing is free) Bold Entry includes both name - £15 + VAT per listing n and address in bold lettering Bold entry with Logo appears above - £50 + VAT 1st entry n name and address - £10 + VAT for each

additional entry

Editorial up to 100 words of editorial - £75 + VAT n

about your company to appear in the company listing. Picture & Editorial up to 100 words - £100 + VAT each n of editorial Mini Editorial up to 30 words - £25 + VAT each n Full Page Editorial logo, picture, bold listing and up to 250 words - £375 + VAT each n

Directory Advertising Rates

Front and Back Cover (Wraparound)* - £1900 + VAT Or Front Cover* - £1150 + VAT Or Back Cover* - £1050 + VAT Inside Front Cover* - £975 + VAT Inside Back Cover* - £850 + VAT Full Page* - £575 + VAT Half Page* - £300 + VAT

New Products section (half page landscape): - £100 + VAT press release for new products to include circa 100 words and picture *Includes one free entry in bold with logo and editorial. All advertisements payable 30 days from publication.

Authorisation

I declare that the information given on this form is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and I hereby confirm my order to be listed as indicated in The Sandwich & Food To Go News Annual Directory. Orders under £75 must be accompanied by payment. Cheques should be made payable to J&M Group Ltd. Alternatively, if you wish to pay by Credit Card, please enter your details below Card No: ______ ______ ______ ______ Valid From ____ /____ Expiry date: ____ /____ Last 3 digits of Security No. on Reverse _____ Name on Card:_______________________ Post Code_____________ House No. ________ (for security purposes only) Please return this form, with the appropriate remittance to: Sandwich and Food to Go News Directory, Association House, 18c Moor Street, Chepstow NP16 5DB