Artizian is the latest company to host the Food Service Circle this week – focusing on well-being in the workplace and issues concerning sustainability.
In the first webinar, Catherine Attfield of Artizian’s sister company Nutrition Bites, shares her views on the post pandemic trends in the food service industry, saying…“It is predicted that Health & Wellbeing will be a strategic board-level priority, as well as a personal one for many.” She went on to say, “There’s no doubt, Covid -19 has focused our collective attention on health and wellbeing.”
It’s known that people with pre-existing chronic conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity (all of which are dietary related), are at higher risk of death due to COVID-19. It’s helped people realise a connection between the food they eat and their health. It’s predicted there’ll be many new opportunities in food service in 2021 with health and wellbeing at its heart.
Artizian has identified that one of the biggest trend predictions for 2021 will be helping people to lose weight, particularly the weight gained due to the Covid lockdown. This will translate into things such as sugar reduction, a greater demand for meat-free protein, calorie information and smart ways to eat well. This can be achieved through educating customers with facts, giving them the power to change and make intelligent food choices for themselves and the planet.
The company predicts that ‘Climatarians’ will be coming to a restaurant near you, demanding climate friendly foods and eco-friendly packaging. There’s evidence that sustainability together with food choice will play a big part in 2021, translating into, ‘A good for me/good for the planet’ proposition.
Keeping yourself knowledgeable about nutrition will be worth your while not only for your next job, but for your own health too. There’s plenty to get your teeth into and free content is available.
The second webinar sees Rob Kurz, Artizian’s Foodologist, share his views on sustainability. Throughout the Pandemic, clients within the B&I sector have been scaling back their catering operations and simplifying their offers and, in many cases, doing “whatever it takes” to keep going. “It is a concern”, says Rob Kurz, Foodologist at Artizian Catering, “That we have seen less emphasis towards sustainability and the environment and seen a massive an increase in take-away food packaging.”
According to Artizian, when we come out of the pandemic, it is expected that sustainability will dominate the agenda again. Clients are going to want to pick up from where we left off prior to the pandemic and they are going to want to do it quickly. The frequency of plant-based meals on the menu is expected to continue in popularity, providing low environmental impact dishes, showcasing protein rich ingredients.
A post pandemic health drive is also expected, driven primarily by people wanting to lose some of the weight they have gained whilst staying at home. It is believed that the industry can expect more and more customers demanding the ability to personalise their food, based on their food choices. For example, incorporating healthy fats instead of saturated ones and reducing their “sugar load.” More positively, Rob Kurz, goes on to say, “It’s not all bad news. As more and more cook at home, experimenting with recipes and falling back in love with cooking again, the industry will need to capitalise on this and engage with their customers on a domestic level by talking to them, finding out their food stories and creating new ones of their own.”