Commercial Kitchen – the UK’s leading kitchen equipment, services and design show, taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 4-5 June, will feature even more new innovations and solutions designed to help foodservice equipment buyers and caterers make their kitchens greener, says event organiser Diversified Communications UK.
With visitor registration now open, this year’s attendees – who annually include key decision makers from all types and sizes of kitchens (from Michelin-starred restaurants to local pubs and bars, from casual dining chains to fast food outlets, leisure venues, work canteens, schools and hospitals) – will also benefit from a wealth of expert advice on managing sustainable back-of-house protocols and increasing their resource efficiency via a series of dedicated Keynote sessions.
The Soil Association’s new Green Kitchen Standard, which recognises and promotes caterers’ environmental credentials, will also be supporting and exhibiting at the show for the first time. While The Sustainable Restaurant Association will return as a show supporter (ceda and the FCSI – the show’s lead partner and partner respectively, have also already been confirmed).
Kitchen equipment wish-lists for the year ahead will, of course, vary from business to business. According to Matthew Merritt-Harrison, new chair of the FCSI UK and Ireland and managing partner of Merritt-Harrison Catering Consultancy (and a speaker at last year’s show), it’s important to focus on ‘energy-efficient equipment that is cost effective and sustainable over its life cycle’. It won’t always mean taking the lowest cost options, but the ‘best value’ in the long run. Particularly when considering new warewashing, combination ovens, induction cooking and refrigeration equipment, he says1.
Switching to more efficient appliances can offer multiple benefits, aside from alleviating rising energy costs, it can reduce consumption, waste and carbon footprint – and save valuable staff time. When identifying key trends for commercial kitchens in the coming year, Tyron Stephens-Smith, project & creative director at design and install firm TAG UKltd https://www.tagukltd.com/ said he’d also seen more ‘operators evaluating ecological equipment offers and efficiencies to combat the rising costs of staffing’.
