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Februar y/March 202 2 IV MAGAZINE But let us proceed in order. There are two main crutches on which the storm seems to be resting. First and foremost, the spiralling increase in energy prices since the autumn has driven up the cost of eating out. A surge that is reflected on at least two levels of restaurant managers’ accounts: firstly, it increases, often very significantly, the bills that restaurants have to pay for their ordi- nary operations; secondly, it increases the price of ingredients and processed products needed to prepare menus, with growth rates that have reached double digit percentages. This is due to the impact of energy prices in agriculture, industry and transport. But the cost of food, and therefore restaurant bills, is also affected by another variable: climate change . The intensification of ad- verse climatic events has decimated entire harvests, driving up demand while supply has often been significantly reduced. The case of wheat is significant. Affected by a severe drought, Canada, the world’s largest producer, put 3.5 million tonnes on the mar- ket instead of the usual 6.5 million tonnes. Critical situations have also been reported in the USA and Russia. The result? In the year ending in November 2021, the FAO index recorded an increase in cereal prices of +23.2%, driven by wheat. And that’s not all, because on the horizon there could even be the risk of product unavailability. From local suppliers to aquaponics technology: alternatives to be deployed Faced with this less than encouraging pic- ture, there is a real danger that restaurateurs will be forced to raise their menu prices. But before this happens, there are some countermeasures to be taken. Of course, imagining a solution to these generalised cost increases is probably utopian, but some choices can be a valid tool to reduce the impact of the price hike in the kitchen. These include, for example, the locally sourced supply route. This option makes it possible to cut down on the bulky item of transport. And that’s not all. There are also advantages in terms of quality: often, in fact, turning to local suppliers makes it possible to use fresh and genuine products, the result of the excellent know-how of Italian agricul- ture and breeding. There is no shortage of results. The experience of Pietro Zito and his restaurant Antichi Sapori is proof of this. Since the restaurant’s debut in the Apulian countryside, the chef has chosen to person- ally take care of the procurement of prod- ucts for the kitchen. He himself goes around farms in search of the best cheeses, or in the fields to gather forgotten wild herbs. “Having opted for a mix of locally-sourced products and ingredients freely available from nature,” says Zito, “is certainly helping to contain the flare-up in costs and avoid appearing on price lists; or even worse, to pass on increases to staff, a practice that I unfortunately see spreading today in the eating out sector. However, there is no point denying that it is not enough to make up for the price rises, to which even local farmers have had to give in. Just think that the cost of fennel at the producers’ has risen this year from 50 cents to EUR 2 per kg”. But other avenues are also open to opera- tors, enlightened by technological devel- opments. One example is the introduction of aquaponic cultures in restaurants. In essence, this means making room in the dining rooms themselves, or in the gardens, on the patios or on the roofs of the premis- es, for tanks built to host an integrated and sustainable bioculture, which combines aquaculture, i.e. fish and crustacean farming, with hydroponic cultivation, namely the cultivation of vegetables directly in water, without the use of soil. And without the use of any kind of chemical substance: no fertil- isers, no pesticides, no pest control, no plant protection products. This creates an ideal loop without interruption: the fish waste is recycled by the plant roots, which in turn filter the water. In other words, a virtuous circle is created that provides undoubted advantages on the environmental front - it saves water and reduces the use of soil in agriculture - while at the same time promis- ing to reduce the bill for the supply of many foodstuffs used in the kitchen, cutting the costs of transport and ingredients. Without counting that the adoption of this solution can also represent an effective marketing appeal: the decision to take the aquaponics route responds, in fact, to the increasingly widespread green sensibility that often guides consumers (also) in the choice of places to eat. One might think that the option has little chance of being applied in practice. In reality, however, some people are already experimenting with it. This is the case of the restaurant Oh terroir , opened in France, in Montargis, in the district of Loiret, by Pierre Harlaut , who, thanks to the Terraced Gar- den built on the roof, in 2016 became the first aquaponic restaurant in the country. More recently, the Phood Kitchen opened in the Netherlands, in Eindhoven, by two young entrepreneurs under 30, Tim Elfring and Sabine Feron , who used the cellars of their restaurant for the project, renovating the space previously occupied by the for- mer Campina dairy. Here they have created a self-sufficient ecosystem that exploits the natural link between plants, fish and water. And that helps build a menu based on a mix of land and aquaponic vegetables, mush- rooms and local organic meat dishes. All of this is enriched by strictly locally sourced products from farms and farmers living in the city’s surroundings. ________________________________ BOX Green suppliers: Cic’s proposal Local procurement and the adoption of aquaponics are part of the virtuous logic of sustainability. It has to be said, however, that these are not always viable options on a large scale. On the other hand, it is possible for everyone to make a responsible and con- scious choice of green suppliers. And it is precisely in this direction that Cic’s proposal is set, as confirmed by the lively voices of two partners. “In Olitalia ” says Stefano Vez- zani , Sales Manager Food Service Channel of the company, “we have recently launched a new format for our Frienn frying oil, a 20L bag in box in cardboard that allows a saving of 85% of plastic compared to the bucket