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August /September 202 2 V MAGAZINE PROFESSOR... DO THOSE WHO PAY A LOT OF ATTENTION TO THE CONTAINERS THEN ALSO REMEMBER THE CONTENTS? It is not the clothes that make the man. Marketing can, however, surpass packaging and the real value of content. AND THE SHAPES ARE NO JOKE EITHER. IS IT JUST AESTHETICS OR IS THERE SOMETHING TO THE SURVIVAL OF A FOOD PRODUCT? Not only aesthetics, but also function, manageability, balance, surface-to-volume ratio for storability. Then a designer plays to make a product memorable through its shape. AT PAGE 16 FOCUS ON Expensive utility bills. How to protect yourself AGAINST HIGH ENERGY PRICES, BEWARE OF THE OBSOLESCENCE OF INEFFICIENT AND ENERGY-INTENSIVE EQUIPMENT. TAX INCENTIVES CAN MAKE IT EASIER FOR RESTAURATEURS TO RENEW INSTALLED EQUIPMENT AND SAVE ON BILLS by Elena Consonni Having caught their breath after the closures and restrictions imposed by the pandemic, restaurateurs are (literally) facing a new problem: rising energy costs. According to the Confcommercio report on energy costs, bar and restaurant owners have seen their electricity and gas bills more than double over the past year. While in 2021 a bar owner spent EUR 5,500 a year, in 2022 bills will exceed EUR 12,000; a restaurant will go from EUR 11,000 to just under EUR 26,000. Energy costs alone have risen for bars from 4,000 to over 9,000 euros, for restaurants from 7,000 to 16,500 euros. And further increases cannot be ruled out. Catering activities are highly energy intensive: refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, not to mention ovens and general equipment have high energy consumption and are in operation for many hours a day. According to data from EFCEM Italy (Association of Catering and Hospitality Equipment Manufacturers), cooking equipment accounts for 40% of consumption. This is followed by refrigeration equipment, with 28%. Estimates released by the association also show that energy consumption in the eating out sector accounts for 25% of the entire tertiary sector. The total consumption (gas + electricity) of equipment installed for the catering sector is 25,440 GWh/year, over 4.7 Mtoe. OBSOLETE AND INEFFICIENT EQUIPMENT Also weighing on the problem is the age of installed equipment. This is demonstrated by research conducted by Ixè on behalf of EFCEM Italy. Out of a total of 5 million units installed, on average about 24% are more than 10 years old, this rises to 36% for extractor hoods. 28% of hobs are more than 10 years old, while 21% of refrigeration and storage appliances have been in operation for at least a decade. This is largely therefore equipment that was built in years when the focus on energy consumption was much lower than today: since then, technology in the production of professional equipment has evolved, providing more high-performance and efficient tools. EQUIPMENT TO SUPPORT INVESTMENTS Buying new equipment, or planning it with more attention to energy aspects, could help in curbing soaring energy bills, but these are no small investments. Fortunately, there are tools that can facilitate the purchase of more efficient equipment. Even restaurateurs, in fact, can enjoy the benefits offered by the Transition Plan 4.0: the measure that aims to support the technological and digital transformation of companies by incentivising investments in tangible and intangible 4.0 capital goods. 9 billion is available for tax credits for 4.0 capital goods and another 2 billion for