Talking Food With Bidfood

Staying ahead of the curve with key consumer trends has never been as important as it is in today’s challenging market. In this episode we speak to one of the UK’s most celebrated and acclaimed chefs and spokespeople for the hospitality industry, Michael Caines MBE, about our 2023 Food and Drink Trends. Michael gives us an insightful and realistic view of why and how operators should implement the Trends into menus, and what he expects for the year ahead. Michael is a regular on programmes like Saturday Kitchen, Master Chef and the Great British Menu – and we’re absolutely delighted he can now add the Bidfood Talking Food podcast to his list! For the food and drink trends we discuss in this episode, we worked in partnership with CGA by NielsenIQ – out of home insights specialists - to come up with the key food and drink trends set to shape the market in 2023. As well as a bespoke consumer survey, we commissioned depth interviews with food influencers and chefs, and added a wealth of desk research too. The

We’ve all been grappling with inflation and the cost of living crisis. As a result, the hospitality sector has come under a lot of pressure and businesses are looking at all routes for cutting costs and boosting their bottom line, whilst still bringing customers through the door with a menu that wows them. In this episode, we take a look at the role your drinks menu can play in mitigating the soaring prices we’re seeing, as well as the trends and opportunities you can leverage to encourage spend. In this episode, Joe Angliss welcomes Matt Towe, Head of Marketing at Unity Wines, Beers and Spirits, and Carolyn Sharp, Category Support Specialist to chat through some top tips and advice on how to boost your drinks offer so you can make your drinks menu work a lot harder in supporting your bottom line. Find out more here about our Unity wines, beers and spirits range: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/our- products/own-brand/unity/ Learn more about the training support that we can provide for your teams here: https://www.

The Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) came into effect on the 1 st of April 2022 to provide a clear economic incentive for businesses to use recycled plastic in the manufacturing of their packaging. However, before its implementation, there was confusion surrounding whom the responsibility lies within the supply chain to pay the tax and what kinds of plastic polymers are included in the legislation. In this episode, Bidfood’s Sustainable Packaging Manager, Graham Hasting-Stiles explains the tax in full detail, while also sharing his vast expertise in all things plastic. Tune in to find out how the Plastic Packaging Tax is affecting the industry, the challenges it poses to businesses, as well as the benefits to the environment. Graham also shares some great advice on what businesses can do to reduce their plastic usage (perfect to prepare you for the Single Use Plastics ban) and what Bidfood is doing as an active member of the UK Plastics Pact 2025. Visit our dedicated webpage, which includes an overview of the PPT

We understand how the cost of living and food inflation has affected the industry over the past six months. While centre of plate is the biggest cost factor, it is also the biggest margin driver. So chefs must juggle the price of meat, the quality, taste and affordability of their meat dishes, as well as profit margin when planning menus. In this episode, join Catherine Hinchcliff, Head of Corporate Marketing, as she hosts Culinary Development Chef, Damon Corey, and Farmstead Master Butcher, Darren Shaw. The two discuss what you can do to alleviate the impact of the rising cost of fresh meat and poultry on your menu, and ways to increase the margin you can make from your centre of plate. Chef Damon hints at the kinds of delicious dishes you can make that stretch your protein without pulling at those purse strings. And, Darren has some advice on how to gain confidence with some easy butchery skills in the kitchen. Tune in for some more great tips! Watch our video where we show you what you can do with chi

Becoming more sustainable and reducing our emissions is such a pressing issue for all business, particularly those involved in the hospitality industry, given its importance to consumers and clients, in attracting and retaining employees, as well as increasing regulatory requirements. Yet many businesses feel overwhelmed when they look at how to get started and where to focus their efforts. To share what UKHospitality are doing to support hospitality businesses in reducing their impact on the climate, we’re joined by Kate Nicholls OBE, their CEO who talks through the practical ways that businesses can get started on this. Together with the Zero Carbon Forum, represented by their Director, Kristen Filice, UKHospitality have created a Carbon Calculator, which helps simplify the process of calculating emissions for businesses large and small. Kate and Kristen talk about their collaboration and the tools and tips both organisations have developed that help businesses get started with a sustainability strategy a

Having only just got to grips with Natasha’s Law, food businesses and caterers are now faced with another piece of legislation, Calorie labelling for the out of home sector. When implemented on 6th April 2022, it will mean that it will become mandatory in England to share accurate calorie information on food and drink at the point of choice, for larger operators with over 250 employees. Calorie labelling is being introduced to help consumers make informed and healthier choices when eating and drinking in the out of home sector. This requirement to display calorie information also aims to encourage reformulation, with businesses providing lower calorie options for their customers. To breakdown the new legislation into simpler terms, we’re joined by Samantha Mollart, Nutrition and Allergens Manager at Bidfood as well as Natalie Bance, Bidfood’s Senior PR & External Communications Manager. We go on to discuss which businesses fall in and out of scope and how those in scope can prepare and be ready for calorie l

For this episode, we’re breaking down the greatest challenges that school caterers are facing to feed children quality and nutritious meals this year. We’re joined by Dr Andy Kemp MBE, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Bidfood as well as Jacquie Blake, National Chair of LACA, the professional body for education. With various costs rapidly rising, including the cost of food, fuel, and labour, caterers are increasingly faced with more challenges to provide quality school meals for children. We go on to discuss how funding for Universal Infant School Meals are not changing in-line with external factors on the economy. This means school caterers are faced with greater difficulties in balancing costs with providing a nutritional meal, and these are meals that play an essential role in a child’s learning and development. On top of this, families across the UK are set to be badly affected by these changes, with thousands of people edging towards poverty and needing support through Free School Meals. Our guests

As the health trend looks set to continue to rise in 2022, we surveyed consumers and scoured the market to discover what ‘being healthy’ actually means to consumers when they’re eating and drinking out at the moment. In this episode we spoke to Jim Wealands, Group Food Development Director at CH&Co, about the central role health and wellness plays in their strategy. We also break down our research findings and discuss ways in which operators can embrace this trend whilst maximising revenue. Our Trends for 2022: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2022/

Interested in discovering what plant-based alternatives to include on your menu? Learn more about what you can do for Veganuary and what our new V Kitchen range has to offer by listening to this episode! To discuss this topic, we are joined by Zoe West, Senior Corporate Engagement Specialist at Veganuary and Martin Eshelby, Food Innovation Manager for Bidfood. We discuss ingredients, plant-based alternatives, flavours and textures that can help you to create an exciting and creative vegan offer for your customers this year. Learn more about Veganuary and the support they can provide you: https://veganuary.com/try-vegan/?d=bidfood Learn more about our V Kitchen range here: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/v-kitchen/ Sign up to our Veganuary webinar for recipe ideas here: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/events/ Find all our other recipe advice here: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/v-kitchen-recipes/

The food delivery market has seen huge growth since the start of the pandemic, accelerating its already substantial development before Covid-19 hit our shores. New delivery concepts like dark kitchens and host kitchens have arisen and are now cementing their place in the market, and in this episode we look at these concepts, the sustained boom of the market and talk tips on how you can take advantage of it. We’re joined on the podcast by Jamie Moore, European Sales Director at KBOX, Ian Thomas, Landlord of The Old Reindeer Inn in Banbury and Cally Ip, Customer Marketing Executive in our team. Tune in to gain an insight into the 2021 food delivery market! Find out more about KBOX here: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/kbox/

Are you wanting to learn about new flavours shaping consumer choices in 2022? Peter Martin, founder of Peach 20/20, and Catherine Hinchcliff, Head of Corporate Brand and Insights at Bidfood, join the podcast to discuss the key themes trending in food and drink for 2022. We go in-depth on the ingredients, flavours and cuisines less travelled that can help you stay ahead of the curve with your menus. Learn more about our 5 key trends in food and drink for 2022 here: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2022/ Flavours less travelled: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2022/flavours-less-travelled/ Health is wealth: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2022/health-is-wealth/ The Greta effect: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2022/the-greta-effect/ The wow factor: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2022/the-wow-factor/ Celebrating British: www.bidfood.co.uk/food-and-drink-trends-2022/celebrating-british/

Merry Christmas from everyone at Bidfood! In this episode, we’re discussing all things you need to consider as we approach the busy Christmas and New Year period. We’ve conducted some research on Christmas for consumers to understand exactly how they plan to spend it this year and what they want on the menu. We expand on this and look to find solutions for you to take advantage of. Holly Rogers, Senior Insights and Research Executive and Laura Mason, Senior Campaigns & Brand Manager join the podcast to provide their expert opinion for this one. Learn more about how we can support you this Christmas to help you make it a truly special time for your customers: www.bidfood.co.uk/christmas/

It’s no secret that our industry has been met with a series of challenges over the past 18 months, impacting things right across the supply chain. The effects of the pandemic, coupled with the impact of Brexit, has led to HGV driver shortages, CO2 and manufacturing shortages, a nation-wide fuel crisis and now a back-log of vehicles needing fixing due to a shortage of parts… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Taking a deep dive into the cause of these problems and discussing what needs to be done as we approach the busy Christmas and New Year period, Andrew Selley, CEO of Bidcorp UK and James Bielby, Chief Executive for FWD join the podcast. This is a must listen for anyone impacted by what our industry is currently navigating!

We’re pleased to launch this special episode in support of World Alzheimer’s Month. Bidfood customer Rob Byrom from Hallmark Care Homes joins Gemma Benford, Head of Customer Marketing, to discuss Hallmark’s approach to catering for residents with dementia. We discuss creating a desire for eating through aroma and visual cues, the ways Hallmark tailor their menus to suite residents’ requirements, keeping things simple and the important factors in creating food that people simply want eat. We also venture into perspectives on the future of catering in care. It’s one not to miss! To download our new guide to catering for dementia visit: www.bidfood.co.uk/catering-specialist-diets/dementia/ To find out more about Caterers Campus visit www.bidfood.co.uk/care-homes To become a customer visit www.bidfood.co.uk/become-a-customer

The past 18 months have brought about a lot of change for the industry and fast approaching is one of the most notable and pressing changes – Natasha’s Law. Natasha’s Law, more formally known as prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) requirements, comes into effect on Friday, 1st October 2021. These changes will require food businesses to label PPDS food with a full list of ingredients containing emphasised allergens within, bringing the provision of allergen information in line with labelling for prepacked food. In this episode, we delve deeper into getting ready for Natasha’s Law, exploring the hurdles and the opportunities as a result of the legislation changes. Our expert guests also provide their useful advice to support food service businesses in feeling prepared and confident going forwards. Joining Joe Angliss as co-host for this episode is Natalie Bance, Senior PR and External Communications Manager, as well as guests Jim Cathcart, Policy Director at UKHospitality, and Samantha Elliot, Nutrition & Allerg

Sustainability and ethics are just as much of a concern to consumers now as they were before the pandemic, and many would argue even more so with the clock ticking on global warming. In this episode, the third in our Trends 2021 Updated series, we take a look at the Careful Consumption trend, exploring how consumer and business concerns about our impact on the environment are reflected in their menu, ingredient and product choices, how demand for plant-based products and innovation are evolving, and some creative and practical tips on minimising food waste. They also put forward some advice for operators looking to make more sustainable choices in packaging and talk about examples of best practice they’ve seen that have inspired them. Catherine Hinchcliff returns to join Joe in co-hosting this podcast, along with Wendy Bartlett, founder of bartlett mitchell, and Catherine Ekundayo, Category Executive at Bidfood. Learn more about our trends here: www.bidfood.co.uk/2021-food-trends/ Resources from bartlett m

This year has been unlike any other and consumers’ priorities and choices are really shifting. Because of this, we decided to launch a 2021 Trends Update, and take a deeper look into how our key 2021 food and drink trends have evolved throughout the year. In this second episode of our Trends Update series, we’ll take a deep dive into our Wellness My Way trend. We uncover some of the key sub-trends we’re seeing grow and emerge in this area, and we discuss practical and simple ways in which operators can incorporate the wellness trend into their offering. Plus, our Food Development Chef Wayne discusses how some of these can be applied in the education and care sectors. For the episode, Holly Rogers, Senior Research and Insights Executive, joins as a co-host with regular host Joe Angliss. They are joined by Samantha Elliott, who is our Nutritionist at Bidfood, and then Wayne Wright from our Food Development team who discusses his expert opinions on how this trend can be applied specifically to the education an

Food and drink trends have been evolving at a really rapid pace since the pandemic began, fuelled by changes in consumer behaviour and attitudes. Our Insights team have put together an update on the most important changes, highlighting the implications for operators. In the first podcast episode, we’ll be focussing on Global Cuisines, understanding which stand out the most right now, and why, as well as taking a look at how to embrace these in your menu planning and offer, so that you can hit the mark with your customers as you open and rebuild trade. Joining Joe Angliss to co-host this podcast is Catherine Hinchcliff, Head of Corporate Marketing and Insight at Bidfood, along with Michal Seal, Marketing & Corporate Communications Director at Elior UK, Karl Chessell, Director of Hospitality Operators and Food at CGA, and Martin Eshelby who is our Food Innovation Manager at Bidfood. To see more on our trends, go to: www.bidfood.co.uk/2021-food-trends/

In this episode, we’re supporting Nutrition & Hydration week, with top tips and support for the care sector to help residents stay hydrated. We discuss the symptoms of dehydration to look out for, food and drink ideas to increase fluids across menus, and the best way to support residents. Joining us on the episode are two of our fantastic food development team, Pam Maclean, Food Development Manager and Wayne Wright, Food Development Chef. To find out more about our work within the care sector: www.bidfood.co.uk/care-homes/ To become a Bidfood customer: www.bidfood.co.uk/become-a-customer/

For this episode we’re talking through research results from a recent survey we produced in collaboration with market research agency, Savanta. The survey focuses on consumer expectations for staycations and the opportunities you can capitalise on, for what is set to be a boom in the UK tourism market. As well as that, we’ll also talk through what the market has in store for us through this summer and onwards. To help digest this, regular host Joe Angliss is joined by David King who is our Senior Customer Marketing Manager and Jonny Sim, who is a Campaign and Activation Manager at Bidfood. For more support on getting staycations ready, go to www.bidfood.co.uk/staycations To see how else we can support you to get ready to relaunch, go to: www.bidfood.co.uk/covid-19-support/relaunch-ready/