Qualitaly_115

FEB. MAR. 2020 VI MAGAZINE communicate quality to customers, also through the appropriately trained staff. A CHANNEL TO CONSIDER Another of today’s customer wishes not to be overlooked is food delivery; home deliveries. The millions of people stuck at home in China have done what we would all do: they have turned to the web. To work from home through corporate platforms. For entertainment, so that films that were supposed to debut at the cinema did so online. And of course, to order meals and various goods. Obviously, we are no different. And if we’re afraid of the personal contact in the local restaurant we access the app and have dinner sent home. Activating the online delivery channel is a long-term investment: in 2019, according to the latest data from the Observatory of the Milan Polytechnic, Food Delivery grew by +56%, reaching 566 million euros and confirming itself as the primary segment in food. The psychosis will probably be short-lived and soon we’ll be back to business as usual. But sooner or later another emergency may come: an epidemic, a cataclysm, a riot or a terrorist attack. Because, whether we like it or not, we live in an interconnected and globalized world. So, running for cover and changing your perspective, equipping oneself online, communicating more to your clients and gaining their trust in the field - the keystone of any successful company - will still be a positive asset. ______________________________ BOX TIPS IN CASE OF CRISIS (AND BEYOND) Stay cool: avoid the worst instincts, hospitality is by definition inclusive and impartial. A matter of business. No to exclusions and unfounded alarmism Inquire and inform: absolutely. Follow the accredited sources: Farnesina and Ministry of Health. If in doubt, please contact the toll-free number. The customer must be informed about the origin of the food so that he or she understands that the restaurateur is on the case and knows what he or she is doing. Hygienic rules, as per usual: The WHO as a general precautionary measure recommends ordinary actions such as washing hands regularly, eating well cooked meat and eggs, handling raw meat, milk and internal organs of animals with care to avoid cross-contamination of food. Do not trivialize: according to economists, the medium-term impact will be on consumer confidence, which will need to be reassured and even a little pampered, perhaps with some ad hoc promotion. Also because, as happened after SARS, a contraction in consumption was followed by a positive peak. Online, a channel not to be overlooked: forced indoors, the Chinese have gone over to the web. And e-commerce has skyrocketed. But even in “quieter” times in Italy, food delivery is the first item of food e-commerce. We don’t have to pretend it doesn’t exist. ______________________________ BOX IS THIS ABOUT FOOD OR NOT? We should write a novel about the perception of this new epidemic. Linked to the theme of food, ancestral and visceral as the fear of an invisible evil can be. A relationship established since its birth: the epidemic was reported at the Wuhan fish market where hygiene conditions are not textbook and food is sold side by side with live wild animals. But the first case probably did not come from here, and the market may rather have spread the virus, transmitted from a bat to another animal and then to humans. Food, in fact, has little to do with it: as the Higher Institute of Health pointed out, the Coronavirus is not transmitted by food but by air, like a common cold. The connection, however, instinctive, irrational, remains. And also the awareness that those who leave home to enjoy themselves want to be calm and reassured. ______________________________ AT PAGE 18 IN THE KITCHEN Science and technology together in the kitchen Applying new cooking and food preservation techniques, available also for catering, can improve not only the safety and taste of food, but also its nutritional profile. Technique, knowledge and technology combine with benefits for the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of processes. By Elena Consonni “Science and technology work together to improve food quality, safety and well-being”. With this phrase Massimo Artorige Giubilesi, CEO Giubilesi & Associati, President FCSI Italia and President of the Order of Food Technologists Lombardy and Liguria, opened a conference on new technologies available to the catering industry, which was held as part of the last edition of Host. The new technologies allow chefs to guarantee food safety and nutritional value of food, meet new customer needs and improve the organization of professional cuisine. Food Technologists and Chefs represent a fundamental combination for the health and well-being of consumers. “Safety and nutritional value,” stressed Giorgio Donegani, Food Technologist, expert in nutrition and food education, Councillor OTA