Research/Insight

Ever since the publication of the Government’s School Food Plan in July, interest in children’s menus has heightened. Coupled with research on children’s menus in UK restaurants that revealed lacklustre options, which hit the headlines, the foodservice sector knows it needs to raise the bar.

From mixing dough to slicing potatoes, a mixer with the right attachments makes short work of many otherwise manually intensive operations in the kitchen.

Chicken tikka masala is still a must-have menu item, but there are more adventurous spicier dishes that caterers can tempt diners with, and this is corroborated by market analyst Mintel’s 2012 report suggesting that 32% of ethnic food consumers enjoyed eating spicier food more now.

Commodity prices are up 4.5% in the past year according to the Office of National Statistics, while the average price of tea is expected to rise by a further 7-8% over the course of 2013, caused by the unpredictability of sourcing in countries such as India and Africa. No doubt this will have an impact on costs and will mean cost sector operators justifying the price they will have to charge for their cuppa even more, whether consumed on site or on the go.

The instant fix by way of ready-to-use stocks and sauces has become increasingly accepted by caterers and consumers with more discerning palates, and a good example of their popularity comes from market analyst Mintel, which says the sauces sector alone is forecast to grow by 23% to reach £751m by 2016. Roy Shortland, development chef for Dolmio and Uncle Ben’s at Mars Foodservice, says sauces can make an enormous impact and are often the difference between a great meal and a substandard one.

Caterers know that early preparation for the festive rush is the trick for keeping ahead of the game at Christmas because it’s one of the most stressful times for everyone as they try and improve on the previous year’s experience. There is an air of optimism that this year will be better than last. Analyst Mintel’s survey of Christmas 2012 saw an increase in consumer spending and it believes the feel-good factor about the economy will extend to this December.

More than three billion sandwiches are bought across all outlets each year, which is estimated to be worth a staggering £6bn by the British Sandwich Association (BSA). Chicken is way ahead in the popularity stakes for a filling accounting for around 30% of all commercially made sandwiches, but the BSA admits other fillings such as egg and ham have gained ground in the last year. Flavours, meanwhile, are getting bolder and more inspirational.

New ideas come from understanding the needs of consumers and operators, and making products that fit their agenda whether it is, for example, about value for money, health or convenience. It needs careful analysis and trialling before launch, bearing in mind that the chances of success is regularly reported to be only two out of 10 launches. Grab and go to eat on the move is one of the most buoyant sectors of the market and the concepts built specifically for it are growing.

One category bucking the trends is out of home hot beverages. Thanks to people seeing a daily cuppa as an affordable treat, coffee shops are booming. Out of home coffee, tea and hot chocolate continues to be irresistible, with the latter heralded as the ‘dark horse’ of the trio. In March, foodservice consultancy Horizons reported in its Ones to Watch survey that emerging coffee brands had shown a 132% growth rate in the number of outlets over the past 12 months.