On the night before the conference, delegates enjoyed a dinner using locally sourced products, including those grown on campus at the University of Kent’s community oasis garden. The Nigerian street food canapes served were made by The Flygerians, who also spoke at the conference.
The event saw the launch of the annual TUCO Global Food & Beverage Trends report with Charles Banks delivering the outcomes of the report. Health and sustainability are key concerns for Gen Z and Gen Alpha, with growing trends evolving such as molecular farming, wallet-friendly formats, and customisation.
Sarah Mcloughlin, head of academy at TUCO, wrote in Public Sector Catering’s January issue: “TUCO chair Phil Rees-Jones opened the conference and Anna Taylor from the Food Foundation kicked off the keynote speeches with a look at the current climate around food insecurity. She touched on the work the foundation has been doing to try to change the food system for the good of our health and the planet, and also how rising food prices affect people’s health.
“Dr Phillip Pothen, director of engagement at the University of Kent, followed with a look at the university’s civic mission, its Right to Food initiative. He said this moved away from the narrative that sees food as a commodity to one where food is integral to a good life. He described the university’s journey to becoming the UK’s first ‘Right to Food University’. He was followed by second year student Rapheal Mutu, who is also coordinator for the Gleaning Project at the university.
“He described how the Gleaning team tackled food waste in the area. With 1.6m tonnes of food going to waste on farms due to overproduction, weather, labour shortages and wonky shapes, the Gleaning Project team gathers leftovers and excess crops to donate to charities.”
The 2024 TUCO Winter Conference will be held on 4th December at the University of Manchester.