It’s been a busy 12 months, with the launch of new initiatives such as the NextGen project, which is designed to encourage young people into the industry; the FEA members’ spotlight zone at HRC, which provided a cost-effective way for companies to exhibit at the UK’s key foodservice equipment show; and Tabletop Trends Live, a new event for the light equipment and tableware sector. FEA membership has also grown by 10%.
John Cunningham, chief executive of FEA, said: “The growth in our member numbers is especially satisfying, since it underlines how the industry values the work we are doing. Significantly, the new members have come from across all sectors, including distributors, consultants, light equipment, fats oils and grease equipment, ventilation, and cooking and warming.
“All these new initiatives underline how dynamic the foodservice equipment industry as a whole is, how diverse its requirements are, and how we, as its main trade association, need to respond and adapt to ensure we continue to support members.
“However, it’s important to remember FEA is still running those events and programmes which have been cornerstones of our industry for some time – we had a very successful conference, our training programmes such as CFSP go from strength to strength, and our product groups actively shape best practices and influence standards across all foodservice equipment categories."
On the training side, FEA has been hailed for its work on embodied carbon and wider sustainability issues. The association’s technical and policy director Luke Slater has led the ‘Navigating the Carbon Landscape’ tour, which kicked off with a sell-out session at the industry conference in November.
To find out more about the FEA membership schemes contact the association via the website or email the business development consultant Rob Gibson (rob.gibson@fea.org.uk).