Leading players across the food industry met in London last month to discuss the continuing profitability and practicalities of staying competitive in the current environment.
Anglia Business Solutions hosted and chaired an exclusive breakfast debate for the food industry entitled Remaining Profitable in a Demanding and Highly Competitive Channel. Executives from a wide range of food industry organisations gathered for breakfast at the prestigious One Aldwych Hotel in London on June 25.
Organisations represented at the debate included Bakkavör; Deloitte Agribusiness; Diageo; Elisabeth the Chef; Ferndale Foods; the Fresh Produce Consortium; Microsoft; Montana Bakery; Reynolds Catering Supplies; Wealmoor and Vitacress.
The debate commenced with short introductions from guest speakers Peter Thornton, ceo of Noble Foods, and Michael Dudbridge from the Centre for Food Manufacturing at The University of Lincoln.
Thornton talked about his experiences and the challenges of working in the food industry and outlined the steps that he has taken to ensure Noble Foods operate as efficiently as possible while maintaining the highest levels of customer service. Dudbridge explained the changing trends and landscape of the food industry today and the role that information technology can play in ensuring an efficient supply chain.
The key themes covered during the debate were the challenges imposed by regulatory compliance; the importance of effective cost control mechanisms; the ever-present pressures of changing consumer and retail demands, and the emerging niche and consolidation opportunities in the food sector.
Event facilitator and managing director of Anglia Business Solutions, David Hurley, said after the event: “What was clear from this lively and informative debate was the commonality of business challenges faced by organisations serving the food industry. Margins are under pressure as supermarkets battle for market share. Compliance with traceability regulations coupled with tighter quality and delivery demands are making it difficult to generate acceptable returns.
“What also emerged was that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems had a key role to play in efficiently managing supply chains. There was general agreement that eliminating islands of data could help by providing an insight into events as they happen. “This event confirmed our view that the food and drink sector is becoming increasingly aware of the potential of well implemented business management solutions as a competitive aid.”
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