QUALITALY 140

June/July 2024 III MAGAZINE EQUALITY ON THE MENU Starting from the assumption that 73% of Italians seek while eating out a moment of well-being and personal satisfaction, in the mix of factors that make up the experience, the professional operator must be able to offer a product and preparation different from those the customer may have at home, finding the right balance between health and indulgence. The choice of product must be accompanied by an attractive presentation and storytelling with which to inform the customer of the health and wellness content of the dish. “So,” comments Porcelli, “to enhance the value of free- from requires staff training, education or attention to contamination in the kitchen with respect to the customer, especially if the choice towards the world of free-from is linked to health reasons. In addition to the fact that a customer who feels ill will report a very negative experience, damaging the restaurant’s image. In addition, one must not relegate free-from to a lower quality level of one’s menu offer. In this way, inclusiveness is realised.” RECIPE REPEATABILITY The restaurateur’s awareness of new consumer needs is only the starting point to grasp the potential for increased demand. ‘Training becomes fundamental,’ Andrea Bonati , lecturer at Cast Alimenti, observes pragmatically, ‘in which the concept of repeatability must be considered: the free-from recipe cannot be an exercise in style that only a chef or a master pastry chef can do. A few years ago, some of the ingredients needed for gluten-free pastries were not always easy to find and the costs of ingredients and processing were high. Today, thanks to the investments in research made by the industry, it is possible for the professional to have excellent ingredients and semi-finished products available that allow him to learn and replicate a preparation.” A TASTY, SAFE MEAL Providing training today, however, is made complicated by the high staff turnover in public establishments, noted Manola Scomparin , sales manager of our Cooperative. “For our part, the commitment is to work as a system with the world of production and with the restaurant operator with the common goal of satisfying a label- conscious consumer when he goes to the supermarket and who, at the restaurant, wants to know what he has on his plate. So we select our business partners starting with companies that invest in research and are able to guarantee high safety standards on the products they offer. We are also certifying this path in our first sustainability report that we will publish this year. When you go to take something away from a food, it’s also important to find a safe and healthy way to return a sense of well-being. Kant wrote that the form of well-being that best suits the human being is a good meal in good company: well, the good meal we can prepare with the food and wine culture that distinguishes Italians, but today also with a scientific approach to the dish being presented and with a suitable menu and training.” TOWARDS SEMI-FINISHED PRODUCTS The growing attention of the HoReCa channel to the needs of celiacs was also aided by legislation with Law 123/2005, which made it mandatory for school and hospital canteens to offer a gluten-free alternative if requested. Also quite receptive from the start was the hospitality industry for breakfast. All other channels opened up after that: vending, travel catering and classic catering. “New eating styles,” comments Alioscia Marzachi , sales director of Morato Group, “have become so relevant that they have also influenced the development of new conventional products. Today, Morato dedicates around 35 per cent of its production facilities to both soft and dry gluten-free products, and free-from is growing at double-digit rates”. According to the company, the time is ripe to focus not only on packaged ready-made gluten free products, but for an evolution of the range towards semi-finished products and flours as well, so that the product can be safely recreated by the restaurateur: ‘More and more,’ observes Francesco Nanei , sales manager food service of the Morato Group, ‘in restaurant kitchens there are clean production lines where conventional flour or breadcrumbs are replaced with the gluten-free product to make the preparation inclusive and eliminate the risk of contamination. __________________________________ AT PAGE 14 FOCUS ON Catering: more money and more protection with the new National Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) THE NEWLY SIGNED AGREEMENT ESTABLISHES A 200 EURO INCREASE IN THE PAY PACKET FOR MORE THAN 1 MILLION PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN THE 300 THOUSAND ACTIVITIES IN THE SECTOR. IT ALSO ENVISAGES A REVISION OF PROFESSIONAL CLASSIFICATION AND GRADING, THE STRENGTHENING OF SUPPLEMENTARY HEALTH CARE, AND GREATER PROTECTION FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS. by Manuela Falchero An increase of 200 euros in the pay packet for over 1 million people employed in the 300 thousand activities in the sector. This is the main novelty contained in the new National Collective Labour Agreement for employees in the sectors of Public Establishments, Collective and Commercial Catering, and Tourism, signed by FIPE- Confcommercio, the Italian Federation of Public Establishments, and the trade unions - Filmcams Cgil, Fisascat Cisl, and Uiltucs Uil - joined by Legacoop Produzioni e Servizi, Confcooperazione Lavoro e Servizi, and Agci- Servizi. The contract, which will expire on 31 December 2027, is therefore a breath of fresh