Germany, evidently, isn’t all sauerkraut, bratwurst and Becks.
The country is host of the Anuga trade fair for the food and beverage industry this year, and beginning this past Saturday and lasting until this Wednesday in Cologne, the fair aims to showcase the newest trends, products and ideas. Germany is the second largest food producer in Europe, and the food and beverage industry is the country’s the fourth largest, according to Invest in Germany, a promotion agency for the government.
The agency says that 5,900 food and drink companies in Germany generated more than €138bn in turnover last year. Multinational producers such as Muller, Bahlsen, Haribo and Storck are based in the country, and most other multinational producers are stakeholders in the German market economy.
Germany also has the highest number of consumers in Europe, and, the agency claims, an optimal central location for trade and distribution.
Germany may be an industrial powerhouse for the food and drinks industry, as it is for many other industrial sectors, such as steel and construction. Matters of efficiency and quality have not generally troubled the country.
Culinary excellence and experimentation may be another kettle of fish, however. Even the German Press Agency, picking up on the delicacies on show at the Anuga fair, single out sweets from Syria, fruits from India, and probiotics from neighboring Belgium. While it is an international conference, wouldn't a country’s press agency note some of its own national goodies?
Two years ago the FT picked up on a lack of greatness in the Germany culinary world, noting that the Michelin guide had granted only six three-star and 14 two-star awards in the whole of the country, compared to a total of almost 100 in neighbouring France.
This could be about to change, though: earlier this year, an Independent article highlighted a young German chef, Tim Raue, who was awarded his first Michelin star for his Berlin restaurant, 44, for his mix of regional German cuisine and modern dishes. Gault Millau named him the cook of the year in 2007.
Perhaps the image of sauerkraut, bratwurst and beer isn’t so shameful after all: the country does have its own museum dedicated to the curried sausage. And Oktoberfest, evidently, is the biggest public festival in the world.
Showing posts with label food issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food issues. Show all posts
Monday, 15 October 2007
Germany seeks to expand food reputation
Germany, evidently, isn’t all sauerkraut, bratwurst and Becks.
The country is host of the Anuga trade fair for the food and beverage industry this year, and beginning this past Saturday and lasting until this Wednesday in Cologne, the fair aims to showcase the newest trends, products and ideas. Germany is the second largest food producer in Europe, and the food and beverage industry is the country’s the fourth largest, according to Invest in Germany, a promotion agency for the government.
The agency says that 5,900 food and drink companies in Germany generated more than €138bn in turnover last year. Multinational producers such as Muller, Bahlsen, Haribo and Storck are based in the country, and most other multinational producers are stakeholders in the German market economy.
Germany also has the highest number of consumers in Europe, and, the agency claims, an optimal central location for trade and distribution.
Germany may be an industrial powerhouse for the food and drinks industry, as it is for many other industrial sectors, such as steel and construction. Matters of efficiency and quality have not generally troubled the country.
Culinary excellence and experimentation may be another kettle of fish, however. Even the German Press Agency, picking up on the delicacies on show at the Anuga fair, single out sweets from Syria, fruits from India, and probiotics from neighboring Belgium. While it is an international conference, wouldn't a country’s press agency note some of its own national goodies?
Two years ago the FT picked up on a lack of greatness in the Germany culinary world, noting that the Michelin guide had granted only six three-star and 14 two-star awards in the whole of the country, compared to a total of almost 100 in neighbouring France.
This could be about to change, though: earlier this year, an Independent article highlighted a young German chef, Tim Raue, who was awarded his first Michelin star for his Berlin restaurant, 44, for his mix of regional German cuisine and modern dishes. Gault Millau named him the cook of the year in 2007.
Perhaps the image of sauerkraut, bratwurst and beer isn’t so shameful after all: the country does have its own museum dedicated to the curried sausage. And Oktoberfest, evidently, is the biggest public festival in the world.
The country is host of the Anuga trade fair for the food and beverage industry this year, and beginning this past Saturday and lasting until this Wednesday in Cologne, the fair aims to showcase the newest trends, products and ideas. Germany is the second largest food producer in Europe, and the food and beverage industry is the country’s the fourth largest, according to Invest in Germany, a promotion agency for the government.
The agency says that 5,900 food and drink companies in Germany generated more than €138bn in turnover last year. Multinational producers such as Muller, Bahlsen, Haribo and Storck are based in the country, and most other multinational producers are stakeholders in the German market economy.
Germany also has the highest number of consumers in Europe, and, the agency claims, an optimal central location for trade and distribution.
Germany may be an industrial powerhouse for the food and drinks industry, as it is for many other industrial sectors, such as steel and construction. Matters of efficiency and quality have not generally troubled the country.
Culinary excellence and experimentation may be another kettle of fish, however. Even the German Press Agency, picking up on the delicacies on show at the Anuga fair, single out sweets from Syria, fruits from India, and probiotics from neighboring Belgium. While it is an international conference, wouldn't a country’s press agency note some of its own national goodies?
Two years ago the FT picked up on a lack of greatness in the Germany culinary world, noting that the Michelin guide had granted only six three-star and 14 two-star awards in the whole of the country, compared to a total of almost 100 in neighbouring France.
This could be about to change, though: earlier this year, an Independent article highlighted a young German chef, Tim Raue, who was awarded his first Michelin star for his Berlin restaurant, 44, for his mix of regional German cuisine and modern dishes. Gault Millau named him the cook of the year in 2007.
Perhaps the image of sauerkraut, bratwurst and beer isn’t so shameful after all: the country does have its own museum dedicated to the curried sausage. And Oktoberfest, evidently, is the biggest public festival in the world.
Supermarkets improving but still have a way to go as more customers try to go green
A new report out today shows that consumers in all income brackets are looking to buy green, but while food retailers are getting better with regards to sustainability, there is still room to be done.
The National Consumer Council’s report finds that all retailers are improving, not just Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose, traditionally seen as serving a higher-income bracket. Sainsbury’s got the best rating of all supermarkets in question, receiving a B, as did M&S and Waitrose.
Asda and Tesco improved their rankings from a D to a C. And in what the council calls “perhaps the most significant of all in terms of long-term trends,” Morrisons and Somerfield both gained higher marks this year, each earning a D rather than an E.
Some highlights:
-an Asda product, ‘Smart Price’ value fish fingers, which are sourced from a sustainable supply of pollack and display the Marine Stewardship Council certification. Pollack is recommended by the National Trust.
-another own-brand Asda product, toilet paper, dispaying the Forest Stewardship Council’s approval marking.
-Asda, Co-op and Somerfield selling more in-season, UK-sourced vegetables.
Despite these improvements from the bottom of the pile, the Council still voices some concerns, as not one retailer earned the A mark of a “truly green business.”
A few low points:
-No supermarket gained the top mark for UK-sourced, in-season produce.
-“Wildly varying” performance with regards to packaging and plastic bags was registered.
-Some stores contradicting their own green messages: for example, a Waitrose store advertised the plum season across the world, conflicting with its advertised policy of sourcing locally wherever possible.
The Council is calling on all major supermarkets to source more local produce, to stock more energy-saving lightbulbs, to implement carrier-bag incentive schemes, to sell more sustainable fish, and to use more recycled materials, and to set stricter targets for increasing organic ranges.
The Culinary Digest reckons that the National Consumer Council has pretty well hit the mark. Local, sustainable initiatives have filtered through society quite dramatically, with all consumers wanting to make a difference, so long as they can afford to. It is critical that these retailers look to change many of their policies as soon as possible.
One issue with packaging that The Culinary Digest has noticed, particularly in the case of Sainsbury’s, is the ‘Sorry, not yet recyclable’ mark on many plastic packages and cartons. Firstly, why are these not recyclable, when so many types of plastic are? Secondly, instead of spending money or time on printing fancy packaging, why are they not spending resources in this area? And finally, why are these types of packaging so common in the up-market ‘Taste the Difference’ range, when consumers are already paying a decided amount more for a top-quality product? Should not sustainability be an important part of this?
The NCC report Green Grocers is available here
The NCC report Greening Supermarkets: how supermarkets can make greening shpping easier (2006) can be found here
The National Consumer Council’s report finds that all retailers are improving, not just Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose, traditionally seen as serving a higher-income bracket. Sainsbury’s got the best rating of all supermarkets in question, receiving a B, as did M&S and Waitrose.
Asda and Tesco improved their rankings from a D to a C. And in what the council calls “perhaps the most significant of all in terms of long-term trends,” Morrisons and Somerfield both gained higher marks this year, each earning a D rather than an E.
Some highlights:
-an Asda product, ‘Smart Price’ value fish fingers, which are sourced from a sustainable supply of pollack and display the Marine Stewardship Council certification. Pollack is recommended by the National Trust.
-another own-brand Asda product, toilet paper, dispaying the Forest Stewardship Council’s approval marking.
-Asda, Co-op and Somerfield selling more in-season, UK-sourced vegetables.
Despite these improvements from the bottom of the pile, the Council still voices some concerns, as not one retailer earned the A mark of a “truly green business.”
A few low points:
-No supermarket gained the top mark for UK-sourced, in-season produce.
-“Wildly varying” performance with regards to packaging and plastic bags was registered.
-Some stores contradicting their own green messages: for example, a Waitrose store advertised the plum season across the world, conflicting with its advertised policy of sourcing locally wherever possible.
The Council is calling on all major supermarkets to source more local produce, to stock more energy-saving lightbulbs, to implement carrier-bag incentive schemes, to sell more sustainable fish, and to use more recycled materials, and to set stricter targets for increasing organic ranges.
The Culinary Digest reckons that the National Consumer Council has pretty well hit the mark. Local, sustainable initiatives have filtered through society quite dramatically, with all consumers wanting to make a difference, so long as they can afford to. It is critical that these retailers look to change many of their policies as soon as possible.
One issue with packaging that The Culinary Digest has noticed, particularly in the case of Sainsbury’s, is the ‘Sorry, not yet recyclable’ mark on many plastic packages and cartons. Firstly, why are these not recyclable, when so many types of plastic are? Secondly, instead of spending money or time on printing fancy packaging, why are they not spending resources in this area? And finally, why are these types of packaging so common in the up-market ‘Taste the Difference’ range, when consumers are already paying a decided amount more for a top-quality product? Should not sustainability be an important part of this?
The NCC report Green Grocers is available here
The NCC report Greening Supermarkets: how supermarkets can make greening shpping easier (2006) can be found here
Supermarkets improving but still have a way to go as more customers try to go green
A new report out today shows that consumers in all income brackets are looking to buy green, but while food retailers are getting better with regards to sustainability, there is still room to be done.
The National Consumer Council’s report finds that all retailers are improving, not just Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose, traditionally seen as serving a higher-income bracket. Sainsbury’s got the best rating of all supermarkets in question, receiving a B, as did M&S and Waitrose.
Asda and Tesco improved their rankings from a D to a C. And in what the council calls “perhaps the most significant of all in terms of long-term trends,” Morrisons and Somerfield both gained higher marks this year, each earning a D rather than an E.
Some highlights:
-an Asda product, ‘Smart Price’ value fish fingers, which are sourced from a sustainable supply of pollack and display the Marine Stewardship Council certification. Pollack is recommended by the National Trust.
-another own-brand Asda product, toilet paper, dispaying the Forest Stewardship Council’s approval marking.
-Asda, Co-op and Somerfield selling more in-season, UK-sourced vegetables.
Despite these improvements from the bottom of the pile, the Council still voices some concerns, as not one retailer earned the A mark of a “truly green business.”
A few low points:
-No supermarket gained the top mark for UK-sourced, in-season produce.
-“Wildly varying” performance with regards to packaging and plastic bags was registered.
-Some stores contradicting their own green messages: for example, a Waitrose store advertised the plum season across the world, conflicting with its advertised policy of sourcing locally wherever possible.
The Council is calling on all major supermarkets to source more local produce, to stock more energy-saving lightbulbs, to implement carrier-bag incentive schemes, to sell more sustainable fish, and to use more recycled materials, and to set stricter targets for increasing organic ranges.
The Culinary Digest reckons that the National Consumer Council has pretty well hit the mark. Local, sustainable initiatives have filtered through society quite dramatically, with all consumers wanting to make a difference, so long as they can afford to. It is critical that these retailers look to change many of their policies as soon as possible.
One issue with packaging that The Culinary Digest has noticed, particularly in the case of Sainsbury’s, is the ‘Sorry, not yet recyclable’ mark on many plastic packages and cartons. Firstly, why are these not recyclable, when so many types of plastic are? Secondly, instead of spending money or time on printing fancy packaging, why are they not spending resources in this area? And finally, why are these types of packaging so common in the up-market ‘Taste the Difference’ range, when consumers are already paying a decided amount more for a top-quality product? Should not sustainability be an important part of this?
The NCC report Green Grocers is available here
The NCC report Greening Supermarkets: how supermarkets can make greening shpping easier (2006) can be found here
The National Consumer Council’s report finds that all retailers are improving, not just Sainsbury’s, M&S and Waitrose, traditionally seen as serving a higher-income bracket. Sainsbury’s got the best rating of all supermarkets in question, receiving a B, as did M&S and Waitrose.
Asda and Tesco improved their rankings from a D to a C. And in what the council calls “perhaps the most significant of all in terms of long-term trends,” Morrisons and Somerfield both gained higher marks this year, each earning a D rather than an E.
Some highlights:
-an Asda product, ‘Smart Price’ value fish fingers, which are sourced from a sustainable supply of pollack and display the Marine Stewardship Council certification. Pollack is recommended by the National Trust.
-another own-brand Asda product, toilet paper, dispaying the Forest Stewardship Council’s approval marking.
-Asda, Co-op and Somerfield selling more in-season, UK-sourced vegetables.
Despite these improvements from the bottom of the pile, the Council still voices some concerns, as not one retailer earned the A mark of a “truly green business.”
A few low points:
-No supermarket gained the top mark for UK-sourced, in-season produce.
-“Wildly varying” performance with regards to packaging and plastic bags was registered.
-Some stores contradicting their own green messages: for example, a Waitrose store advertised the plum season across the world, conflicting with its advertised policy of sourcing locally wherever possible.
The Council is calling on all major supermarkets to source more local produce, to stock more energy-saving lightbulbs, to implement carrier-bag incentive schemes, to sell more sustainable fish, and to use more recycled materials, and to set stricter targets for increasing organic ranges.
The Culinary Digest reckons that the National Consumer Council has pretty well hit the mark. Local, sustainable initiatives have filtered through society quite dramatically, with all consumers wanting to make a difference, so long as they can afford to. It is critical that these retailers look to change many of their policies as soon as possible.
One issue with packaging that The Culinary Digest has noticed, particularly in the case of Sainsbury’s, is the ‘Sorry, not yet recyclable’ mark on many plastic packages and cartons. Firstly, why are these not recyclable, when so many types of plastic are? Secondly, instead of spending money or time on printing fancy packaging, why are they not spending resources in this area? And finally, why are these types of packaging so common in the up-market ‘Taste the Difference’ range, when consumers are already paying a decided amount more for a top-quality product? Should not sustainability be an important part of this?
The NCC report Green Grocers is available here
The NCC report Greening Supermarkets: how supermarkets can make greening shpping easier (2006) can be found here
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Green Halloween in the UK this year
The traditional Halloween may be in danger as UK farmers warn that the soggy summer means that pumpkins are ripening a few weeks later than normal.
According to the Press Association, David Bowman, owner of the Lincolnshire pumpkins farm that is the biggest in Europe , says his harvest is 30% less than normal.
Food and drink industry magazine The Grocer reports that the pumpkin shortage and associated costs in ripening the pumpkins in time for Halloween meants consumers can expect a price rise of up to 15%.
Most likely, the scariest thing (to environmental activists) to happen this Halloween will be that growers are utilising heaters to ripen the green pumpkins to the expected orange colour.
According to the Press Association, David Bowman, owner of the Lincolnshire pumpkins farm that is the biggest in Europe , says his harvest is 30% less than normal.
Food and drink industry magazine The Grocer reports that the pumpkin shortage and associated costs in ripening the pumpkins in time for Halloween meants consumers can expect a price rise of up to 15%.
Most likely, the scariest thing (to environmental activists) to happen this Halloween will be that growers are utilising heaters to ripen the green pumpkins to the expected orange colour.
Green Halloween in the UK this year
The traditional Halloween may be in danger as UK farmers warn that the soggy summer means that pumpkins are ripening a few weeks later than normal.
According to the Press Association, David Bowman, owner of the Lincolnshire pumpkins farm that is the biggest in Europe , says his harvest is 30% less than normal.
Food and drink industry magazine The Grocer reports that the pumpkin shortage and associated costs in ripening the pumpkins in time for Halloween meants consumers can expect a price rise of up to 15%.
Most likely, the scariest thing (to environmental activists) to happen this Halloween will be that growers are utilising heaters to ripen the green pumpkins to the expected orange colour.
According to the Press Association, David Bowman, owner of the Lincolnshire pumpkins farm that is the biggest in Europe , says his harvest is 30% less than normal.
Food and drink industry magazine The Grocer reports that the pumpkin shortage and associated costs in ripening the pumpkins in time for Halloween meants consumers can expect a price rise of up to 15%.
Most likely, the scariest thing (to environmental activists) to happen this Halloween will be that growers are utilising heaters to ripen the green pumpkins to the expected orange colour.
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