1. Climate change pressure/demand for energy efficiency
2019 was the year of Extinction Rebellion, Greta Thunberg and global climate protests and that movement shows no sign of abating. Increased social awareness about waste and sustainability means a quick response will become a commercial as well as environmental imperative. “Determining how to react and build certain sensitivities into the culture of an operation will be the key,” says consultant Karen Malody FCSI, founder and CEO, Culinary Solutions.
2. Single-use plastics ban
In 2014 there were five trillion pieces of plastic floating in the world’s oceans, according to the Public Library of Science journal. Millennials and Generation Z-ers like on-demand food but hate plastic waste – putting restaurants on the frontline of change. Innovations like compostable packaging made serious headway in 2019 and will continue to do so over the coming year.