Catering Scotland

Refrigeration specialist and CIS Excellence Group Hotel of the Year sponsor, Gram, hosted its inaugural webinar for The Go Green Debate on 28^th April.

As the first of a three-part series which culminates with The Go Green Debate Summit at the Charlotte Street Hotel in London on 20th  October – the inaugural webinar addressed the subjects of education and training of sustainable values and policies.

A panel of industry experts including Cyrus Todiwala, Simon Frost CFSP, Dr Rebecca Hawkins and Gram UK’s Glenn Roberts discussed how and when sustainability should be addressed when teaching students.

Ms Hawkins, Research & Consultancy Fellow at Oxford Brookes, said: ‘We are good at talking about the big issues such as climate change and food shortages, but what we are not so good at is talking about the practical actions that fit around functional roles within the workplace.

‘Sometimes we need to educate the teaching staff as well. Looking at the technologies that are commonly used in the kitchens now, there is a job to be done with trainers and helping them to understand what the sustainable agenda means for their business.’

Meanwhile, CESA chair Simon Frost commented on the effect that equipment functionality has on operating a sustainable kitchen: ‘Multifunctional equipment can help to make a kitchen more sustainable, but manufacturers have to accept the responsibility to train people in how to use the equipment,’ he said.

Renowned London-based chef Cyrus Todiwala added: ‘Operators often invest too much in the front of house operations while ignoring investment in the kitchen, where the vital pieces of equipment which can make or break a restaurant are found.’

One recurring theme throughout the whole webinar was the necessity for the foodservice industry to understand the importance of the lifecycle cost of ownership. Rebecca Hawkins mentioned that a return of investment of over a year isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and highlighted that people should think about and understand the long-term implications of investing now, in order to save money in the future.

Cyrus also commented that small operators can fall into the trap of finding a quick and easy fix as they cannot afford better equipment, however they end up paying more over the lifespan of the product.

However, it was noted that there is legislation from the EU which is expected to come into place in the next couple of years, which will establish better benchmarks for kitchen equipment, in terms of energy efficiency and longevity of usage.

An the Government was cited as a crucial factor in aiding the foodservice industry to become sustainable.

Without incentives for businesses, it will be more difficult to improve enthusiasm towards green issues  throughout the industry and for businesses to get on board.

The next webinar will be held on 25th June, which will focus on how businesses can achieve a sustainable bottom line, taking into account whether operational efficiencies are key to being successful. To sign up for the webinar, go to www.thegogreendebate.co.uk

To watch the webinar back, go to http://fsmevents.com/gram/webinar01.