FCSI UK & IRELAND HOSTS FOURTH EDUCATION EVENT

Held at The Law Society offices in London, the event is the fourth ‘education day’ to be organised by the FCSI with the aim of keeping its members informed about key industry issues, new legislation and developments in the foodservice sector

More than 40 FCSI UK and Ireland members attended the society’s latest educational event last week. Held at The Law Society offices in London, the event is the fourth ‘education day’ to be organised by the FCSI with the aim of keeping its members informed about key industry issues, new legislation and developments in the foodservice sector.

The key presentation at this month’s event was made by Aleisha Hutton of MCA Insight and provided a summary of the main findings of its latest foodservice sector reports: the Eating Out In The UK Report 2018 and the Menu and Food Trends Report 2018.

Both reports covered key trends over the last 12 months and gave insight regarding likely developments during the year ahead. Valuing the UK eating out market at £89.4-billion, the e Eating Out In The UK Report 2018 highlighted how declining consumer visit frequency was “dragging down” implied market growth. While key trends highlighted in the Menu and Food Trends Report 2018 included the growth in demand for vegetarian and vegan menu options and the popularity of Middle Eastern, Asian and South American food.

The MCA Insight presentation was followed by Ansul/Johnson Controls’ in-depth review of new British standard ‘EN16282 (Equipment for Commercial Kitchens) – Part 7 Installation & Use of Fixed Fire Suppression Systems’. Covering the key areas of risk assessment, third party approval, maintenance and servicing, and fire demonstration, Ansul Restaurant Systems’ account manager John Hunt explained why this new fire suppression standard should be adopted as best practice and gave practical guidance on how to do so.

New regulation

After a short break the FCSI UK & Ireland chair, Julian Edwards FCSI, provided an overview of April 2018 regulations which cover the production of acrylamide by UK food businesses. Edwards provided attendees with a definition of acrylamide, listed key food ingredients including bread, cereals, potatoes and coffee which are affected and explained why it is so important to remove acrylamide from food. His presentation also explained which organisations will be affected by the new regulation and provided some best practice with regard to acrylamide reduction.

Finally, Keith Warren, director of CESA, provided a comprehensive review of BIM including the key findings of CESA’s National BIM survey. Warren also explained how CESA and the FCSI are working in partnership to drive the adoption and further development of BIM within the foodservice sector.

The day then concluded with networking and drinks for all attendees.

“Our education days are proving incredibly popular with all of our members,” commented Edwards. “They provide essential updates on key topics, and give members an opportunity to network with friends and colleagues. An extended programme of education days is now being planned for 2019.”

Further details:

Information about future Education Days will be posted on the FCSI & Ireland website at www. fcsi.org.uk.

Sharon Kerby

More Relevant

View More