The protein potential of plants

Plants and protein

Sir, I have just returned from The Protein Summit in Lille, hosted by Bridge2Food, where I chaired Track III. Much of the focus was on how we might balance consumption of protein between animal and plant-based proteins (‘Food companies urged to end meat over-reliance,’ thegrocer.co.uk, 26 September).

Among many challenges, it was clear there is a huge job to do around taste and communication. Many meat-free/vegetarian alternatives just don’t deliver enough on taste. And then, all too often, too few consumers appreciate that plants can be a source of protein. Government guidelines lack clarity and consistency in this area. Somehow a social movement needs to be created to generate the groundswell so urgently required.

Via thegrocer.co.uk



Glass door deterrent

Sir, The post-Brexit fall in the value of sterling against the dollar and the euro will further exacerbate the year-on-year rise in electricity prices. The exchange rate situation will also increase the cost of mineral resources, such as gas and coal, which we continue to import for our electricity generation plants. Faced with an inevitable increase in electricity, what can food retailers do to reduce energy consumption? Refrigeration may account for 30% to 60% of a store’s electricity usage, depending upon store format, size, food offering and environmental control systems employed, but it is generally accepted that in a typical supermarket 50% of energy consumption may be attributed to refrigeration. Therefore it is clear that increasing the efficiency of refrigerated display equipment provides a significant opportunity to reduce energy costs. But glass doors are not necessarily the solution.

There is evidence to suggest glass doors act as a barrier to shopping and particularly impulse purchases. In today’s competitive grocery retail environment it is impractical to introduce barriers that may negatively affect sales. In addition, there is the capital cost of fitting glass doors, together with the ongoing maintenance and cleaning costs.

There is room for more than one solution for the improvement of energy efficiency in refrigerated retail display cabinets, even within the same store. Glass doors are suitable for retailing areas with minimum footfall and low sales, while conventional open front multidecks will continue to be the answer for operations where merchandising flexibility and frequent changes to shelving configurations are required. Aircell provides all the advantages of the shopper-friendly open front multideck and is particularly suited for areas with high traffic and large volume sales, while delivering significant energy savings, tighter holding temperatures and a more comfortable shopping experience.

Ian Wood, MD, Adande