Speciality Food Magazine JulyAugust 2024

4 W hatever happened to flaming June? Traditionally June is our best month in the first half of the year and third best month of the entire year after November and December. But June 2024 presents a stark contrast to June 2023 and previous Junes in terms of both weather and sales – a fact which highlights once again the strong connection between speciality food and drinks and the weather in our neck of the woods. This reminds me of the word Jejune. I first recall hearing it in the Woody Allen film Bananas when two pretentious New Yorkers were accusing each other of being Jejune. It basically means dreary, boring and as dull as ditchwater. Not unlike the weather in London in June 2024. For some idea of the context the London temperature for June 2023 registered only five days below 20 degrees Celsius whereas June 2024 had 14 days. June 2023 showed no significant rainfall whereas June 2024 had three days of it. June 2023 experienced 16 days of temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius whereas June 2024 has had just four. Plus there was no national celebration or festivity as in previous recent years. This was of course reflected in terms of retail sales at Partridges in that June 2023 was 11.7% higher than June 2024 and the customer count was 6.4% higher. JOHN SHEPHERD PARTRIDGES Flaming Jejune So, after a disappointing May and June it looks like the second quarter of the year is going to be something of a damp squib. This is not an unheard-of experience and the weather is something beyond our control, and as the Stoics would advise us no need wasting time worrying about it, but it is another reminder how much our shop depends on hospitality and feel-good factors. Fortunately, we did have a memorable feel-good factor festivity in May courtesy of the Chelsea Flower Show. This event increases footfall in the local area enormously every year but is enhanced by the local Chelsea in Bloom Competition created by the Cadogan Estate which encourages local businesses to create floral displays outside shops. This year there were 103 entries bedecking the Sloane Square area. At Partridges we created a giant floral Chelsea Bun outside the front door to coincide with the World Chelsea Bun Awards which we run every year. We did not win an award for floral design however we did sell over 1,000 Chelsea Buns during the course of the week, and our Saturday fine food market recorded some 50,000 visitors apparently. Feel-good factors are, of course, important for morale but the old adage that ‘sales are vanity, profit is sanity’ is always a good one to remember. So as we head towards the second half of July and the month of August, traditionally fallow sales periods for Partridges, we now look forward to the sunny sales uplands of September and the Autumn with some degree of sanity. Have a good Summer! Food packaging producers are making strides to move away from single-use plastics – but change isn’t happening overnight. Plastic packaging in the UK accounts for nearly 70% of our plastic waste, WRAP says, and we throw away around 290,000 tonnes of plastic bags and wrapping every year in this country. Across grocery retail, it’s estimated that the equivalent of 190 million meals worth of waste is thrown away every year, amounting to more than 100,000 tonnes in total, says Philip Simpson, managing director of ReFood, a food waste recycler in the UK. “Despite being seen as a ‘necessary evil’ to operating within the supply chain, food waste remains a major issue for speciality stores,” he says. “From bruised products and damaged packaging to out-of-date produce (which alone is said to be responsible for 87% of all retail food waste), the cause of this waste varies from store to store. However, it’s important to note that food waste costs you twice – firstly in lost revenue, but secondly in waste disposal costs.” We look forward to the sunny sales uplands of September and theAutumn with some degree of sanity. Have a goodSummer! “Food waste costs you twice” say ReFood Food waste from all sectors is still a shocking 10.7 million tonnes in the UK, according to WRAP, 70% of which was intended to be consumed by people (while 30% accounts for ‘inedible’ food). This food could have gone on to make the equivale of over 15 billionmeals, or enough to feed the entire UK population three meals a day for 11 weeks – instead, it wound up in landfill. According to Philip, landfill tax has risen to £126.15 per tonne, so the sector is paying more than £12.5 million every year to discard wasted stock. The first step to addressing this waste, he says, is to adopt best practice measures across your shop. “From tightening up stock rotation processes and inspecting deliveries at the point of receipt, to improving labelling, increasing cold chain efficiencies, optimising forecasting and applying discounts in good time, amending processes can deliver immediate benefits,” Philip says. How to support mental health amongst your staff 1 FOSTER A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT • Promote open communication: Encourage employees to talk about their mental health without fear of stigma. • Lead by example: Share your own experiences withmental health if comfortable, showing that it’s okay to discuss these issues. 2 RECOGNISE THE SIGNS • Be observant: Look for changes in behaviour, performance, or mood. • Respect privacy: If you notice potential signs of struggle, approach the employee discreetly and respectfully. 3 OFFER SUPPORT • Check-in: Regularly check in with employees to see how they’re doing. • Active listening: Listen without judgement and offer empathy and understanding. 7 MAINTAINCONFIDENTIALITY • Respect privacy: Keep any discussions about an employee’s mental health confidential. • Anonymous feedback: Allow employees to provide feedback or voice concerns anonymously if they prefer. 8 TRAINMANAGERS AND STAFF • Mental health training: Provide training for managers and staff on how to support colleagues withmental health issues. • Crisis management: Equip staff with the knowledge of how to respond to a mental health crisis. 9 IMPLEMENT WELLNESS PROGRAMMES • Wellness initiatives: Introduce wellness programs that include stress management, mindfulness and physical health. • Regular breaks: Encourage regular breaks and ensure employees take their leave. 10 FOLLOW UP • Continuous support : Regularly follow up with the employee to see how they are progressing. • Adjust support: Be ready to adjust the support you provide based on their evolving needs. 4 PROVIDE RESOURCES • Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP): Ensure employees know about and have access to EAPs which offer counselling and support. • Mental health days: Allow for mental health days just as you would for physical health. 5 ENCOURAGE PROFESSIONAL HELP • Normalise seeking help: Encourage employees to seek professional help and provide information on how to access services. • Be supportive of therapy: Allow flexibility for therapy appointments and necessary time off. 6 CREATE A FLEXIBLE WORK ENVIRONMENT • Flexible hours: Offer flexible working hours or remote work options if possible. • Workloadmanagement: Monitor andmanage workloads to prevent burnout. Fromneurodiversity to struggles with stress or depression, the food and drink sector must do more to help workers in retail and hospitality thrive, industry insiders say. Here, Kris Hall, CEO and founder of The Burnt Cheese Project, outlines a 10-step plan for supporting an employee struggling withmental health: @specialityfood