Comment: Sustainability matters
One of the key takeaways of the Caterer Food & Business Conference, which we hosted last month in Dubai, was that while fads come and go, trends that actually have a positive impact and make sense stick around.
This is true of some of the more appealing ‘superfoods’ — evidenced by the enduring popularity of quinoa — and it is true of sustainability. While it sounds dismissive to refer to environmental sustainability as a fad, some F&B owners and operators still appear to view it as a niche concern for certain ‘types’ of concepts. The reality is, however, that we have all been operating beyond the resources the planet can sustainably provide for some time.
If you consider that enough is being done by businesses already, with intermittent ‘leave your car at home days’ or short-term CSR campaigns, it is worth remembering that if sustainability was being taken as seriously as it should, recycling would be as easy for us as throwing rubbish down the chute is and not recycling or reducing waste would be the reason a company stands out.
With this in mind, it was heartening to see sustainability addressed by the regional F&B sector at our conference. Collectively, F&B professionals know that their industry impacts the environment considerably, both in terms of producing what we eat, and throwing away what we don’t eat. But the sector faces financial and operational challenges, in the process of taking action on sustainability issues, such as water scarcity, for example.
Madinat Jumeirah Mina A’Salam Hotel head chef Lee Sugiandi took the lead with discussions surrounding the topic at the conference, by sharing a case study about how Madinat Jumeirah has reduced waste, cut its carbon footprint and, in turn, saved money.
After stating that “Dubai goes through 3.2 million tonnes of food waste” annually, he urged all restaurants and hotels to make it routine to recycle and to encourage all employees within the establishment to get on board. The message was that any type of F&B outlet should embrace sustainability as a core corporate value, rather than a short-term publicity-grabbing initiative, and improve the way it operates accordingly.
Where once the hospitality sector may have looked at sustainability as something that only mattered to eco-warriors, it is now firmly on the mainstream agenda. Certainly, this was the impression I got while speaking to exhibitors at Gulfood and why I am pleased to include a new Sustainability Star of the Month section in Caterer to highlight your efforts — please do get in touch if you have a sustainability story we need to hear about that will inspire your peers.