Food Waste Cost UK Hospitality, Food Service Sector £2.5 Billion

Food waste cost the UK hospitality and food service sector £2.5 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2011, according to a report by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Unless the sector takes steps to prevent food waste, this figure could increase beyond £3 billion ($5 billion) by 2016, saysOverview of waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service (HaFS) Sector. WRAP’s report also highlights the benefit of saving money by reducing food waste as the average annual cost per outlet is an estimated £10,000 ($16,348).

Key findings include:

• The total annual waste across the sector is 2.87 million metric tons, of which 46 percent is sent to anaerobic digestion (AD), composted or recycled.
• Regarding this figure food waste accounts for 920,000 metric tons; this is equal to 1.3 billion meals or one in six of the 8 billion meals served annually by the sector.
• Food waste commonly arises from three main areas: 45 percent from food preparation, 34 percent from consumer plates and 21 percent due to spoilage.
• Some 75 percent of all food wasted was avoidable and could have been eaten.
• The estimated cost of 1 metric ton of food waste is £2,800 ($4,582).

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Unilever, AB InBev and Nestlé are among the 45 UK retailers, manufacturers and brands that committed to reducing food and drink waste by 1.1 million metric tons by 2015 in the third phase of the Courtauld Commitment, launched earlier this year.

Additionally, WRAP’s Hospitality and Food Service Agreement,has set a goal to decrease food and packaging waste by 5 percent by the end of 2015 against a 2012 baseline, measured by CO2e, and to increase the general rate of food and packaging waste being recycled, sent to anaerobic digestion (AD) or composted to at least 70 percent by the end of 2015.

Source: http://www.environmentalleader.com

Proud to Be a Chef Finalists Announced

The finalists for the 15th annual Fonterra Proud to be a Chef (FPTBC) Mentorship program have been announced, and there are 32 apprentices in the running to win an international work placement opportunity, tailored specifically to their career aspirations.

From February 23 to 27, 2014, the finalists – from across Australia – will attend four days of masterclasses in Melbourne, delivered by leading chefs and industry experts, will also visiting some of the city’s best restaurants. The all expenses paid trip will allow the finalists to learn, develop new skills and be mentored by industry professionals including:

• Matthew Macartney, Executive Chef at Chateau Yering and FPTBAC 2002 winner
• Jake Nicolson, Former Executive Chef at Circa, The Prince and FPTBAC finalist in the late 90s
• Darren Purchese, Owner and Chef at Burch & Purchese (B&P) Sweet Studio

The Fonterra Proud to be a Chef program recognises and rewards the dedication and commitment of apprentice chefs, with one standout finalist winning the major prize of $7,500 to spend on an international culinary placement, tailored to their individual career aspirations. This year’s winner, Jacob Hoskin, undertook placement at two of the world’s top 100 restaurants: In De Wulf in Dranouter, Belguim and Restaurant Relæ in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Fonterra Proud to be a Chef coordinator, Carolyn Plummer, said both the standard and number of entrants for the 2014 program were exceptionally high.

“The mentorship program provides apprentice chefs with an exciting and unique opportunity to gain experience beyond their regular work environment and be taught and inspired by some of Australia’s culinary icons,” she said.

Source: http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au

Michelin Star Gains Significance in India’s Hospitality Industry

In the increasingly competitive world of fine dining, the Michelin star is gaining totemic status in India’s hospitality industry as a gastronomic imprimatur that doesn’t just ensure delectable food but also confers bragging rights.

The Leela Palace in New Delhi got in the game early, when it opened the Indian outposts of Le Cirque and Megu, both widely feted New York restaurants, over the past two years.

The Capital saw two more Michelin-starred restaurant launches last week — Yauatcha at Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj and Akira Back at the JW Marriott hotel in the Aerocity hotel district near the international airport.

The Capital saw two more Michelin-starred restaurant launches last week — Yauatcha at Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj and Akira Back at the JW Marriott hotel in the Aerocity hotel district near the international airport.

There’s similar activity in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata, where such restaurants have either opened or are in the process of being launched. Besides this, hotels are also organising one-off promotions featuring top chefs who have won Michelin stars.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Fine Food India Gears Up for Third Edition to Be Held from Dec 11 to 13

Fine Food India, a gourmet speciality food, drinks, equipment and technology expo, is all geared up for the third edition to be held from December 11-13, 2013, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

With over 14 country representatives and more than 500 brands under one roof, the show is likely to bring together the world’s finest food products and exquisite wines, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages along with innovative kitchen equipment and technology, according to a press release issued by the organisers recently.

The show is said to be a sourcing destination for importers, distributors, hoteliers, restaurateurs, caterers, F&B managers, purchase managers, retailers, sommeliers, F&B professionals, executive and sous chefs, drinks professionals, decision-makers and F&B consultants.

Visitors can expect the introduction and launch of gourmet food products like cheese, olive oil, exotic fruits, and chocolates and a range of rare meat and seafood specialities. Over the three days of the expo, the show will also host a number of educative, entertaining and networking activities for trade visitors.

“Fine Food India, being a focussed trade only platform, is the ideal place for making informed purchase decisions, sourcing international products, understanding current issues and closing business deals,” stated Kiran Shetty, Exhibition Manager, Fine Food India.

He added, “We strive to provide an industry-relevant platform that covers issues that are at the forefront of the food industry today, and those which impact the future. Don’t miss the workshop for Food Business Operators at Fine Food India to understand the process of establishing a Food Safety Management System.”

Source: http://www.hospitalitybizindia.com

Baguette Changes Hands After 37 Years

Baguette Bistrot and Bar has been sold. The Ascot icon was opened by Francis and Marilyn Domenech in 1976 and had been for sale for some months. The Domenechs were keen to retire and spend time with family, Marilyn Domenech said at the time. Sadly Francis died last month.

New owner Emilian Jayakody took over on Monday.
“I am very excited. It’s a big responsibility,”Mr Jayakody said. “I wouldn’t have bought any other restaurant. I was, in fact looking for a couple of coffee shops to buy but then I saw Baguette was for sale.”

Coincidentally, Mr Jayakody worked as a waiter at Baguette in 1994, then went on to train staff at Brett’s Wharf, the other restaurant part-owned by the Domenechs until 1996. Since leaving Brett’s Mr Jayakody has been working in the retail sector. “It’s different now, my children are grown so evenings are my own. And I know hospitality and look forward to working in it again,” he said.

Physical changes to the much loved local will be minimal, with a renovation of the bar at the front of the restaurant scheduled for January.

Most of the Baguette staff are staying on, including sommelier Scott Durietz who has been there for over 20 years. Former executive chef Graham Waddell has returned after a year in Melbourne working at the Newmarket Hotel and is once again heading up the Baguette kitchen.
“We’ve just started a new menu. It’s a little more adventurous than before,” he said. “I’ve just come back from Lyon in France, so I’ve definitely drawn some influences from there and put on a mix of classic and more modern dishes using local produce. My aim is to put Baguette back on the culinary map.”

Source: http://www.goodfood.com.au

Contemporary Teahouse Style

Location, as they say, is the first thing to get right. So it’s not a great start for a restaurant supposedly $10 million in the making, when I walk straight past it.

This ambitious new opening, launched in a blaze of Lamborghinis and food-blogger publicity, is on the first floor of a central Chinatown building, accessed by an escalator from the street, with little in the way of signage. Once upstairs, there’s an anonymous door marked “Fire Safety Door: Do not obstruct.” Having missed the receptionist downstairs, I have to bang on the door to get in.

A joint venture between two respected Asian restaurant hospitality giants, the China-based Xiang E Qing group and Singapore’s TungLok Group, Waitan spans 2500 square metres over two floors encompassing a vast restaurant, three bars, 14 private dining rooms and a members-only lounge.

Moodily lit in a contemporary teahouse style, the space is punctuated by filigreed screens, softly glowing red lanterns and a bright beacon of a glassed-in kitchen.

Chinese favourites (Peking duck, XO pippies) share equal billing with Malaysian hawker dishes (Hainan chicken, seafood laksa), and several fusion offerings that defy any geographic pigeon-holing, including sambal bravas and 62C egg with jamon serrano, and black bean fudge brownie sundae. And – blimey – all these different offerings come from different kitchens, overseen by a Western executive head chef, John Rankin, who has previously cooked at Astral, Sean’s Kitchen and Owl House. It sounds almost impossible to pull together in a coherent whole.

The Asian tapas plate ($24) showcases the kitchen’s unorthodox take on dim sum. Har gau prawn dumpling wrappers are black with squid ink; siu mai dumplings are filled with markedly smoky pork; and long, slender cigars of prawn spring rolls come upright in a glass jar, with a terrific tom yum sauce for dipping; all good fun.

Hainan chicken ($27) works well enough, the poached chicken skin-on and lapped with light soy juices, as does skate wing in a spicy, fruity sambal ($27).

Then along comes a dish of pig’s tongue with heirloom tomatoes, jellyfish and smoked paprika ($16) that is just plain bizarre, each element refusing to co-operate with the others. Hor fun ($27), that boy’s own Chinatown favourite, is studded with wagyu beef, but the rice noodles are bland and the mouth feel is oily.

Waitan’s signature Peking duck ($47 half/$88 whole) is served three ways: the glazed skin with a little bowl of dipping sugar; skin and meat with traditional pancakes, hoisin, cucumber and spring onions and the remaining meat with steamed silverbread buns. Ours is disappointing; the skin dull and overtly oily, and the smoky meat feeling flat and dry.

If you’re not up for the one-off $50,000 bottle of cognac, a silky 2011 Earth’s End pinot noir from Central Otago from the well-stacked wine list delivers real duck-friendly clout for $73.

A black sticky rice dessert ($13) is promising, but the cocktail glass of creamy rice, papaya, mango sorbet, puffed rice and microcress ($13) has little clarity.

Waitan is bold, brave and unapologetically modern; a new and different experience for Chinatown.

There’s great expertise in the excellent steamed buns and pancakes; the slicing and chopping; and the clear, distinct sauces. But oh, the systems. The food comes with no rhyme nor reason and an order for wine results in a long, long wait, as it is apparently kept on a different floor. Service is sweet-as-pie under former Yoshii frontman Aaron Ching, but the logistics make it harder than it has to be, for them and for us. I’m filing it under ”I for Interesting”.

Source: http://www.goodfood.com.au

Tourism Growth Can Be Accelerated by Espousing Culinary Strength

Dr Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for Human Resources Development, Government of India said that country’s tourism growth could be accelerated by promoting India’s “soft strength” in the culinary front to the world. Speaking at the annual Chef Awards function organised by Indian Culinary Forum (ICF) and Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA) in Delhi, Tharoor said that current foreign tourist arrival numbers is meager considering the size and potential of the country, and  the country could do much better by espousing the diversity in terms of food. Hospitality, the Minister said, would not be complete without food.

Tharoor said that India’s culinary offerings are beyond the Tandoori Chicken and Tikka Masala. There are diverse regional cuisines which are subtle but authentic. Commenting on the chef profession, Tharoor said that cooking is an art and at the same time science which required high level of expertise and patience. He supported the cause of chefs for civilian Padma awards of the country for their contributions in promoting Indian food.

Awards were given away in 16 categories on the occasion. Winners were selected based on the trade tests held in Delhi last month.  Life Time Achievement Award, Silver Chef Award and Chef of the Year were decided by a jury headed by Virender S Datta, Chairman, International Institute of Culinary Awards.  The Life Time Achievement Award was given to Chef Satish Arora, Director, Food Production of Taj SATS Air Catering, Mumbai, while ‘Silver Chef Award’ went to Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, Director of Kitchens for Ai.

Earlier, during his keynote address at the Chef Summit organised by the Chef Associations Nakul Anand, Executive Director, ITC Group, and Chairman, Federation of Associations of Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) said that food could play a key role in the promotion of the destination and become a catalyst for tourism growth story in the country.  “India has been the fountain-head of flavours and tastes. Chefs must try to reinvent many lost flavours and cuisines,” he said.  “Where else in the world can one see such diversity in cuisines?”, asked Anand.

About 250 hotel chefs and budding chefs from culinary institutes from across Delhi NCR participated in the Chef Summit.  Chef Davinder Kumar, President, ICF said that the forum has been introduced as a platform for knowledge sharing among the fraternity. Anil Bhandari, Chairman, Chef Awards organising committee said that the Summit has been proposed to discuss issues relevant to food production including technological changes, standards in hygiene, etc. Various topics related to food like Culinary Tourism, Standardisation of food, Safety standards, etc., were discussed at the forum. Participating in the discussion, Chef Manjit Gill, President, IFCA said that today because of the onslaught of western tools and equipments, preparing authentic Indian food has become difficult. Pots, pans, choolas, etc. that are essential for the Indian food are not available as suppliers are pushing more westernised equipments.

Source: http://www.travelbizmonitor.com

Hospitality and Food Sector Wastes 1.3bn Meals Each Year

The UK’s hospitality and food service sector throws away 920,000 tonnes of food waste each year, which is the equivalent to 1.3bn meals, according to new research from Wrap.

The report, ‘Overview of waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service (HaFS) Sector’ also revealed that the cost of food being wasted from the sector is estimated at £2.5bn per year, which could rise to £3bn per year by 2016 unless steps are taken to prevent food being wasted.

Wrap programme manager for hospitality and food service Charlotte Henderson said: “Although the headline figures are large, there are significant opportunities across the whole hospitality and food service sector to reduce costs by tackling food waste.

“WRAP’s report outlines steps that will empower industry to tackle this problem, by wasting less and recycling more. When you consider the average annual cost per outlet is an estimated £10,000, it makes business sense to save money by reducing food waste.”

‘Overview on waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service Sector’ is the most in-depth study of the sector ever undertaken in the UK, according to WRAP.

The report details waste produced in each of the nine subsectors including restaurants, quick service restaurants, hotels, pubs, leisure, healthcare, education, staff catering and services. It includes a breakdown of the type of food being wasted, as well as the cost of this food waste for each subsector.

The report’s key findings across those nine subsectors include the following:
·The total annual waste including food, packaging and other ‘non-foods’ produced across the sector is 2.87 million tonnes. Of this, 46% is recycled, sent to anaerobic digestion or composted.
·Total food waste accounts for 920,000 tonnes of this overall figure, the equivalent to 1.3 billion meals or one in six of the 8 billion meals served annually by the sector.
·75% of all food wasted was avoidable and could have been eaten. Food waste generally arises from three main areas, 21% due to spoilage, 45% from food preparation and 34% from consumer plates.
·The estimated cost of a tonne of food waste is £2,800.

Henderson added: “Understanding how and why food waste arises within the sector is crucial if we are to tackle the problem, and save money. Today’s report gives the fullest picture of the scale of the opportunity, and outlines practical ways the industry can overcome the problem.”

Steps are already underway to help industry tackle the problem of food waste. The Hospitality and Food Service Agreement, a voluntary commitment created by WRAP on behalf of the governments in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was launched in June 2012 and has 171 signatories and supporters.

Elsewhere, Wrap also announced that the Northern Ireland economy is set to benefit from food waste prevention measures. Food and drink business leaders, public sector and NGOs gathered in Belfast to set about taking practical steps for collective action to reduce and prevent food waste today (November 21).

Wrap chief executive Liz Goodwin said: “Our research shows that despite good work being undertaken both with household food waste and that of the hospitality and food service sector, there is much more that can still be done. Wasting food is quite literally wasting money, so I urge business and industry across Northern Ireland to work together to tackle this costly issue.”

Business in the Community sustainability director Edward Wright said: “This isn’t just a consumer issue, it’s a serious business issue too. Being efficient in every aspect of business is essential and tackling food waste is one area in which a big impact can be felt by making a few simple changes.”

Source: http://www.edie.net

New Report Claims Reducing Food Waste Could Save Scots Hospitality and Food Sector Over £100m a Year

Taiwan’s Garden City Promoted Its Products and Beauty of Ali Mountain in Shanghai

Food & Hospitality China 2013 (FHC 2013 International Exhibition for Food, Drink, Hospitality, Foodservice Bakery & Retail Industries), one of the most important and professional collection of international food, wine and hospitality suppliers, took place from November 13th to November 15th , 2013 in Hall N5 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC). Chiayi County Government participated in FHC for the second time. Not only promoting its quality products, the government also introduced scenery of its Garden City and Ali Mount.

The county magistrate, Jhang, Hua-Guan said that taking part in international food exhibitions such as FHC, one of the most renowned world food show, helped build the brand awareness. They planned to take Shanghai as the first stop to promote Chiayi local products, then touring to other cities in the future. During this event, the county government brought agricultural products and local food to the global market and has successfully caught more international buyers’ eye and won many orders in Shanghai this time.

Garden City, Ali Mountain displayed its unique culture, agricultural products and tourism this time. In addition, the County proved excellent and safe quality of food products by showing the efforts of the strict control by hard-working farmers and officials. The products for the FHC 2013, including the Ali Mountain high camellia japonica, peanuts, grain, dark brown sugar, honey, fish products, selected vegetables, and processed foods, all of which are through the producers’ strict check, drew international purchasers’ attention and created a marketing record.

Source: http://www.businesswire.com