Foodservice prices again on the rise amid supply chain and climate pressures: Foodservice prices were on the rise again in April amid supply chain and climate pressures, according to the latest CGA Prestige Foodservice Price Index. The price of the index’s overall basket of goods rose by 2.3% year-on-year and by 0.6% month-on-month. The report indicates a combination of global commodity market volatility, persistent supply chain disruptions, escalating energy costs and the significant impact of adverse weather conditions are the primary drivers of these sustained price hikes. Several categories experienced significant increases, with the meat and poultry category seeing rises affected by strong demand for beef and ongoing challenges in poultry production. The oils and fats category is also rising, influenced by high demand for soy and rapeseed oil, while the mineral water, soft drinks and juice sector also saw higher levels of year-on-year inflation. The fish category, while showing a modest year-on-year increase of 0.4%, recorded a sharp 2.0% rise month-on-month. This is largely attributed to severe declines in hake stocks and significant quota reductions for cod in key fishing grounds, which are expected to lead to sustained high prices and a shift towards alternative white fish species. Furthermore, the driest spring in a century has begun to impact root vegetable yields, indicating potential price increases later in the season for this category, which saw a 0.6% annual increase. Prestige Purchasing chief executive Shaun Allen said: “While we've seen some seasonal variations, the underlying inflationary drivers remain firmly in place. While inflation has remained relatively low over the past 12 months, we are now seeing upward pressure coming through in a number of categories.” Reuben Pullan, senior insight consultant at CGA by NIQ, added: “News of an uptick in key food and beverage costs in April is another unwelcome development for hospitality operators and their suppliers. Alongside a sharp increase in labour costs from April, it ratchets up the pressure on both profit margins and menu prices for consumers.”

Consumers ‘continue to regard visiting the on-trade as an important part of their day-to-day lives’: Consumers “continue to regard visiting the on-trade as an important part of their day-to-day lives”, a new report has claimed. The report from DesignMyNight, a hospitality discovery platform with up to 3.9 million monthly users, also suggests there is a notable difference between what consumers consider fair and what venues charge for drinks. It said consumers feel the price of a pint of lager to be fair at £5.15, while operators believe an average of £6.12 to be acceptable. When it comes to adding value for customers, the report highlights opportunities for pubs and bars to diversify their offerings beyond food and drink by providing in-venue entertainment. Despite 83% of consumers finding live performances appealing, only 60% of venues hosted them in the past year. A further 60% of consumers find events appealing, and 66% of venues have already run at least one live event in the past 12 months, and a further 33% plan to increase the frequency of such events. Katie Houghton, head of brand at DesignMyNight said: “It’s clear that there is an opportunity here for venues to align with evolving consumer desires, particularly in areas like live entertainment and interactive experiences. Hospitality is extremely agile but there is still plenty that can be nurtured and capitalised on.”