Foodservice’s growth in value and volumes presents manufacturers with a big opportunity, Simon Stenning told FoodManufacture.co.uk in the second part of this exclusive video, filmed at the Oxford Farming Conference on January 4.
‘Great market’
“I think more food manufacturers need to switch on to the foodservice opportunity on the basis that there’s a big market there,” said Stenning. “It is complex, hard to get into and the distribution model is completely different. But, if you can [break into it], there is a great market there, and we’ve seen food manufacturers starting to do it.
“[For example] Samworth Brothers [on January 3], with the acquisition of the West Cornwall Pasty Company; suddenly they’ve got a retail opportunity. They’re cutting out the middle man.
‘More opportunities for manufacturers’
“Bakkavor have done it with Inferno Pizza, and I can see that there would be more opportunities for manufacturers to go straight to their own retail premises as a foodservice operation.”
Stenning also highlighted how manufacturers could engage with eating-out consumers. The impact of using British products and whether eating-out trends presented threats or opportunities for manufacturers, were also highlighted in this video.
MCA is a William Reed company.
Meanwhile, watch the first part of this video to discover why “super salads and dirty burgers” is relevant to manufacturers.