Setting Standards: Interview with Karl Atkins

Foodbuy, the UK’s leading procurement organisation for the hospitality sector, is the latest member of the Institute of Hospitality (IoH) business partner family.

As featured in Hospitality Quarterly, the Institute of Hospitality's quarterly management magazine, Karl Atkins, our Chief Operating Officer, talks about important topics in the hospitality and foodservice industry, from net zero and Natasha’s Law to social value and buying local.

TELL US ABOUT FOODBUY

“We are a leading food procurement organisation based in the UK. With more than £1 billion of managed spend, we bring together the widest range of foodservice and hospitality clients in the world to buy food and everything associated with it.

“We work with some of the UK’s leading hotels, sports venues, restaurants and pubs, through to hospitals, universities and care homes, so we’re uniquely positioned to provide supply chains for all types of businesses.

“For Foodbuy, true value does not stop at savings; we dream big for you and help make visions a reality, using food procurement solutions to unlock opportunities that go further than your bottom line.”

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES WHEN IT COMES TO PROCUREMENT FOR HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONALS?

“Fuelled by the pandemic, generally UK consumers now have a far greater appreciation of where their food and produce are coming from and that is because we were all forced to buy local while on lockdown, either from the high street or from farmers and growers. This is great news for us as we’ve been big champions of supporting local, reducing food miles and promoting seasonal British produce for a long time now.

“Elsewhere, Covid-19 exposed the fragility of some businesses’ supply chains so hospitality professionals really need to invest time to get to understand their providers, distributors and supply chain partners to build trust and confidence.

“We’re also seeing consumers, especially of the younger generations, wanting to buy from businesses and brands with high social standards – so expect to see social value as a big driver of guest and customer loyalty.

“And last but not least, allergen awareness and providing consumers with confidence in the food and drink they are buying from you will be key”.

WHAT IS FOODBUY DOING REGARDING ALLERGENS?

“It is estimated that more than two million people in the UK are living with a diagnosed food allergy and from 1 October 2021, requirements for prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) food labelling will change in Wales, England and Northern Ireland. The new labelling will help protect consumers by providing potentially life-saving allergen information on the packaging.

“The most effective way to ensure reliable and accurate nutritional and allergen information is the use of a specialist system. With Epsys, our eProcurement and procure-to-pay tool, you can access up-to-date nutritional and allergen data on all food and beverage ingredients. This can help your business save time and comply with the new legislation, secure in the knowledge that the allergen information is totally correct and always readily available.”

YOU MENTIONED REDUCING FOOD MILES. WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT TO FOODBUY?

“Working with our parent company and largest client, Compass Group UK & Ireland, we’re passionate about building a better world. That is why we’ve announced a commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, in line with targets to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

“As well as driving significant reductions across our own operations, we plan to use our size and reach to influence clients, employees and suppliers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help create a more sustainable food system.

“For most businesses working in hospitality, a large proportion of their carbon impact sits within the supply chain, so we are in a unique position both to inspire change and drive a more sustainable future for our industry.”

SMEs ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE UK BUSINESS ECONOMY. WHAT IS FOODBUY DOING TO PROTECT SMEs AND GIVE THEM A GREATER PLATFORM WITH YOUR CLIENTS?

“At Foodbuy, we are committed to working with and supporting local small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In fact, our supply chain is made up of more than 80% British companies and in total we work with 600+ food and drink SME suppliers who deliver up and down the country for our clients.

“We also believe social enterprises are essential for a successful future. We currently work with over 20 of these; we recently made a commitment to spend £5 million with them and have one social enterprise supplier for each key category we buy.”

WHAT IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE?

“Just like traditional businesses, social enterprises sell goods or services to a consumer; they also aim to make a profit. However, it’s what they do with their profits that sets them apart; they are reinvested into a particular social mission.

“Change Please is a good example. It is an award-winning social enterprise coffee company which is empowering homeless people by training them to be baristas. So far, we have supported 67 people out of homelessness through our sales of Change Please coffee.

“In 2019, we became the first company in the food and drink sector to join the Buy Social Corporate Challenge. Organised by Social Enterprise UK (SEUK), the Challenge brings together corporate partners from a broad range of industries with a collective ambition to spend £1 billion with social enterprises.

“By using our procurement spend and influence, we can support a diverse breadth of social enterprise businesses to create positive social impact for our clients.”

Learn more about our work with social enterprise suppliers here.