QUALITALY 140

June/July 2024 II MAGAZINE draw inspiration for improvement. Alongside personnel, there is also the need on the part of the restaurateur or manager to have a clearer and more tangible vision of costs: generally speaking, especially in Italy, we still dwell too much on the cash from the ‘drawer’. This is an important aspect but one that often makes us lose sight of the costs hidden behind a job of this kind, in which we must always be attentive and find effective solutions even in difficult times. Last but certainly not least is the value and quality of the products, now guaranteed. Let me explain myself better. Compared to past decades, today, going into a restaurant, be it a Michelin-starred restaurant or a trattoria, eating good food is ‘a given’. The quality of the products is high, the producers put us in a position to offer food of excellence, suitable to meet different needs, both in our country and beyond. In addition, globalisation gives us the possibility of having products of various kinds and in adequate numbers to meet the needs of the catering industry. Here, three key points, in my opinion, on which we must invest, so as to optimise our work processes and meet, with professionalism, a sector that is becoming increasingly fluid and eager for changes that can support and satisfy the work of the entire HoReCa sector. By Nicola Bressan __________________________________ AT PAGE 6 #CICMEUP Free from, space for inclusion THE ATTENTION OF RESTAURATEURS TOWARDS INTOLERANCES AND NEW FOOD STYLES IS INCREASING. A POTENTIAL DEMAND TO BE TAPPED WITH SATISFYING RECIPES DIFFERENT FROM THE FAMILIAR OFFERINGS B Jessika Pini CIC’s vision of the eating-out market is now recognised by every player in the channel thanks to the Cooperative’s 55,000 customers throughout Italy from whom it constantly gathers feedback on new trends and the emerging needs of operators and consumers. Valuable know-how that CIC makes available to its suppliers for common and targeted growth and that leads it to participate in trade fairs and events to contribute to the supply chain debate. Among the most recent opportunities for discussion was the conference From free from to soft wellness: how the new food trends are changing the face of eating out , during the last edition of Cibus, to which Cooperativa Italiana Catering was invited by business partner Morato Group. Eating out is par excellence a place for socialising and sharing experiences. Inclusion is therefore one of the values that must guide the channel’s growth, and in recent years there has been a generalised commitment to put this principle into practice, starting with the adaptation of the offer to various eating styles. A step forward that allows us to intercept the roughly 7 million Italians who, according to ISTAT data, suffer from food intolerances and the 4.6 million families who purchase free-from products in retail and who also seek the same service in public establishments. The desire to be able to follow one’s own eating style at home is confirmed by 60% of the consumers involved in the survey conducted by TradeLab for Morato Group to investigate how new food trends are changing the face of away-from-home. THE EXTENDED SEARCH FOR HEALTHY “After the pandemic,” says Paolo Porcelli , AFH principal consultant at TradeLab, “consumers are increasingly attentive to food quality and composition even when choosing what to eat out. 75 per cent are looking for sugar-free and fat-free products, 48 per cent vegetarian or vegan, 47 per cent organic and sustainable, 39 per cent gluten-free and 35 per cent lactose- free, so we’re dealing with a broader target group that is not only motivated by stringent health requirements.” Awareness of new consumer needs is registered among operators: 51% indicate as the first type of products to focus on are health food products, surpassed only by home-made products (61%) and Italian products (56%), which have been two established trends for years. Among the health food products, the most popular ones are in this order: lactose-free, gluten- free, vegetable drinks and vegetarian and vegan products, and in perspective the operators declare that they would like to increase the offer by concentrating on a diversification of the menu through the inclusion of free-from dishes.