Cost Sector Catering: What are the current challenges and drivers for the business? Is Brexit likely to have an impact on it?
Anita Carthew: We’ve already seen the prices of some imported goods go up, and as the UK imports about 40% of its produce this will have a real impact on costs. Indeed, suppliers that don’t have fixed rates have already had to pass these extra costs on.
The beauty of the Inhouse Manager software is that it fixes costs for a set period, so there’s no cost change for our customers. Having a fixed price is a major benefit. It means you can control your budgets tightly, regardless of outside pressures, and alleviate market risks.
What advice are you offering your customers?
As the future is a little uncertain at the moment, it’s clear that where you can take control and create certainties, you must. That’s where we can help.
Using Inhouse Manager software provides the technology to allow users to take control of cost savings, by tracking stock levels, needing fewer deliveries, reducing administration and delivering fixed costs per person per day
It’s the ideal way to bring greater cost controls and budgetary efficiencies for in-house caterers. It’s free, with no licence or software fees, so use it, trust it and give yourself at least some area of certainty.
Are you currently working on any specific initiatives for cost sector operators?
We’re about to launch a nutritional analysis module to go with our allergen module. This new software gives you the ability to analyse and assess menus and help make sure they comply with the latest regulations and guidelines on nutrition.
It provides detailed recipe analysis, helps improve the choice of nutritionally balanced meals when using seasonal ingredients, and allows you to comply with different faith-based or therapeutic dietary needs.
Are any emerging trends influencing your NPD plans?
There is certainly a rise in a healthy eating culture, with an increasing number of people wanting to know more about what’s in their food, and understanding more about what they’re eating.
There’s also much more awareness of diets like gluten-free and allergen-free. That’s why we’re so keen on developing our allergen module and nutritional analysis software. It’s about giving people choice and access to up-to-date information.
Inhouse Manager technology allows caterers to do all this smoothly, swiftly and cost-effectively. With constantly tightening budgets, the need for technology that can save time and money grows every year.
If you had one wish for the rest of 2016, what would it be?
I’d wish for the Universal Infant Free School Meals initiative to not only continue but to grow and have more influence across the country.