“Free From” Foods Gives You a Chance to Boost Your Restaurant Sales. Blog by Oystein Mojord from Chef & Yöung
For his latest blog Scandinavian chef and co-owner of Chef & Yöung, Oystein Mojord, explains how chefs and restaurants are missing out from not offering 'free from' options on their menus.
20% of the UK population believes they suffer from some sort of food intolerance or allergy and this is steadily rising. As this increases, more people are also avoiding certain ingredients due to health trends with real credibility. As much as one in four (27%) Brits say they or someone else in their household avoids certain ingredients as part of a general healthy lifestyle according to Mintel.
UK supermarkets have noticed this shift and boosted their offerings to meet demand. For instance, the market for gluten-free alone is expected to grow to £561m by 2017. Restaurants and bars have been slower to respond to this however, missing out on an opportunity to gain sales from the 20% of the population who are also willing to spend more on food, which they view as higher quality due to their dietary requirements.
A survey conducted by the FSA found that one in four people with allergens has suffered a reaction while eating out in a restaurant or cafe since 2015, after a new allergen labeling legislation came in. It also found that nearly one in five (19%) of those allergic reactions resulted in a hospital visit.
Pizza restaurants like Pizza Hut have seen an increase in positive online reviews as they have been leading the charge in adapting their menus and training staff to ensure they provide a safe meal for customers with gluten free diets.
They have embraced this opportunity and reaped the rewards. Have you?
Oystein Mojord
Chef & Yöung is a Scandinavian brand working to grow the talent and passion of yöung chefs and foodies, promoting cooking as a lifestyle. Everything started when the Norwegian chef, Oystein, travelled around the world and noticed that there was a high demand for quality chefs in the kitchens; meanwhile his colleagues were constantly switching jobs. He decided something had to be done and Chef & Yöung was born to bring in a new attitude among yöung chefs and promote cooking as a lifestyle. Oystein co-owns Chef & Yöung with Mattias Nordlander who focuses on the sales, marketing and finance side of the business.
Twitter: @chefandyoung
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