10th Nov 2023 - 06:00
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Abstract
Independent procurement expert Allmanhall looks at what foodservice operators can do to continue their efforts to reduce food costs and stretch catering budgets as far as possible.
Allmanhall tracks prices and has concluded that food inflation will begin to fall, anticipating that by December 2023 it may drop to 10% whilst the full-year effect in 2024 may be as little as 3%. This is not all good news as it doesn’t mean food prices are coming down but the rate at which food prices have been increasing is starting to slow.
Katrina Lane, senior relationship manager at Allmanhall, said: “It is easy to see why food costs have risen so drastically. Weather, energy, geopolitics, Government policy, currency exchange rates, trade policy as well as freight and labour costs on the supply side, and consumer spending on the demand side have been the main impacting factors.”
Ten key ways caterers can cut food bills include:
- Purchase loose boxed vegetables instead of ready prepped. Ready prepped can be up to 50% more expensive
- Control, monitor and reduce food waste
- Purchase seasonal ingredients
- Reduce ruminant meat consumption by trialling hero dishes and new innovative products to replace the ruminants on menus
- Removal of terminology from recipes such as vegan / vegetarian and put more of these into menu cycles
- Maintain equipment regularly. Poorly maintained kit will affect the quality of food, increase waste and use excess utilities such as water and energy
- Batch cook to use up leftovers
- Use a price comparison tool to create shopping baskets and order lists
- You may like to start by swapping half of the beef mince in your cottage pies, for example, with a better value and more sustainable alternative
- Look at reducing non-plant based protein portion sizes