Out of Home sector news

Foodservice steps up to coronavirus challenge
Businesses have announced a raft of new measures as the food sector recalibrates to cope with the fallout from the spread of coronavirus. Across the country, restaurants are switching to delivery services of pre-prepared meals to cook at home after…
Scottish DRS delayed due to coronavirus
Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will not be introduced until July 2022 due to the impact of coronavirus. The Scottish Government has moved swiftly to delay the ‘go-live’ date by 15 months from the planned date of April 2021 following…
Reusables added to ONS basket
Reusable bottles and mugs have been added to the ONS’s basket of goods reflecting a growing number of people switching away from single-use products. The shopping basket of over 700 goods and services is used to measure consumer price inflation.…
Climate change and plant proteins will hit meat companies hard
The physical impacts of climate change and rapid growth of alternative proteins will put billions of dollars at risk for current food sector giants such as Tyson Foods and JBS, suppliers to household names such as McDonald’s, Walmart, Burger King and Marks & Spencer. According to…
Yum! Brands sets EPS packaging elimination target
Pressure from shareholders has reportedly led to the world’s largest quickservice restaurant company banning the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS). Yum! Brands said it will “accelerate efforts to remove styrofoam and expanded polystyrene globally by 2022 across all KFC, Pizza…
“Deep reductions” in consumption and aviation needed to meet net zero before 2050
Achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is possible but it won’t be easy, according to a new report by a government-funded research group. Energy Systems Catapult modelled hundreds of potential pathways to the UK government’s target date of 2050, ramping…
Fast-growing chickens are ‘false economy’ – RSPCA
Up to half of the fastest-growing chicken breeds are at risk of dying or needing to be culled due to welfare issues, according to a leading charity. Research by Scotland’s Rural College, commissioned by the RSPCA, compared the health, welfare…
Just Eat trials takeaway box made with seaweed
Just Eat has launched a seaweed-lined takeaway box that it says is fully recyclable and can decompose in four weeks in a home compost. The cardboard container, which is made from tree and grass pulp with a seaweed lining, has…
Food responsible for ‘more illness than previously thought’
Around 2.4m cases of foodborne illness occur every year in the UK, according to an analysis by the Food Standards Agency. This is more than double the number in 2009 (1m). The new figures do not indicate an increase in…
Time to up the ante for on-the-go recycling
On-the-go recycling must be “bright, bold and playful” to make it work, according to campaign group Hubbub. Speaking at this week’s Packaging Innovations show in Birmingham, the organisation’s co-founder Gavin Ellis explained how people spent “less than two seconds” looking…