With some commentators raising the issue of ‘greenwashing’ in the foodservice industry recently, suppliers have been highlighting the importance of effectively and accurately communicating the green credentials associated with their products and how they can benefit end users. FEJ speaks to suppliers to discover some of the latest ‘green’ or sustainability-focused products in their portfolios and how their features can help lead operators towards a greener future in real terms.

Henny Penny F5 fryer

With its low oil volume and three-minute filtration process, the latest F5 fryer from Henny Penny has been capturing the eyes of end users, says Michael Eyre, product director at Jestic Foodservice Solutions, which supplies the F5.

He said: “These products deliver brilliant performance first and foremost whilst also ensuring positive stewardship of resources. Using less oil and clogging up fewer pipes can only be a good thing for both business and the environment.

“Given the challenges of the market today, it can be difficult for operators to find the right message for their business. There are so many competing voices and demands on their time. At Jestic, we aim to simplify the process and share the right information with the right customers at the right time.

“Our demonstration kitchen in Paddock Wood, Kent allows our culinary team to host regular customer sessions where we can not only discuss the latest innovation but bring it to life with hands-on demonstrations.

“We can, for example, illustrate why the Henny Penny F5 fryer is the most technically advanced fryer on the market, using less oil to achieve brilliant results and minimising overall oil usage.”

Mr Eyre added that the hands-on sessions offer the team the opportunity to highlight just how sustainable the company’s products are.

Hupfer Easy Rider

Marc Sumner, sales and marketing director at Hupfer UK, said: “Sustainability-focused products can drive efficiencies to support green objectives in many ways. Hupfer’s range ‘makes work flow’ – driving efficiencies across catering operations, including direct energy savings and also efficiencies in output, speed and logistics to help deliver more sustainable operations.

“One of the best examples is Hupfer’s Easy Rider racking system, and more specifically, the Buy Back scheme the company offers on stainless steel shelving.

“Easy Rider raises the game for dry and cold room storage solutions, offering enhanced flexibility and up to 100% more shelf space with the same room size to make the most of all available space.”

Enhanced capacity means fewer deliveries, helping to reduce carbon footprints for operators, he added.

The product’s stainless steel shelving elements are also made from approximately 85% recycled stainless steel and can be recycled.

Valentine Vito

Valentine & CuisinEquip is the exclusive distributor of the Vito range of portable oil filtration equipment.

Steve Elliott, sales director at Valentine and CuisinEquip, said: “Without the need for any additional chemicals, the Vito range helps to preserve the optimal taste, colour and texture of fried foods, removing food particles and harmful carbon from the oil. What’s more, an operator can reduce oil usage and therefore associated waste by as much as 50%, contributing to a more sustainable, efficient environment by reducing a site’s carbon footprint.

“It’s true that the latest technology can work in conjunction with sustainable equipment to really deliver results in a professional kitchen environment.”

Working in conjunction with Vito, the team from Valentine and CuisinEquip launched VITOconnect – an intelligent cloud-based platform for commercial kitchens.

Mr Elliott added: “In a world of fully connected kitchens, operators have come to expect data and remote monitoring at their fingertips. The launch of VITOconnect takes monitoring to a new level, with operators being able to remotely access information about their Vito usage from a smartphone, tablet or PC, anywhere and at any time.”

Synergy Griddle

Having previously revolutionised the grilling industry and set the standards for all to aim for, Synergy Grill Technology has now turned its sights to providing excellence in the griddle market.

Justin Cadbury, CEO of Synergy Grill, said: “The Synergy Griddle offers superior cooking consistency and performance. The Synergy Griddle has a smooth or ribbed surface that is heated by integrated elements, which provides a precise, consistent temperature across the entire surface.

“The Synergy Griddle has a small temperature difference in thermostatic cycling temperatures (accurate to 5ºc) and hotter and cooler spots on the cooking plate are more even, providing a more consistent cooking environment that reduces the risk of undercooked or overcooked food. In testing, the Synergy Griddle provided 42% more usable cooking area for the same power output thanks to improved temperature consistency.”

The new product also has integrated elements that reduce thermal shock as well as allowing a smaller temperature difference.

Meiko M-iClean

Essential steps to being green include reducing energy, water, and chemical usage in dishwashing, notes Paul Anderson, managing director of Meiko UK.

He said: “Caterers can use heat recovery to generate free energy from the waste rinse water and steam generated by their dishwashing equipment to reduce carbon emissions. That makes a great point to highlight as part of a transparency campaign about ‘green’ catering – recycling where we can.

“Meiko’s latest M-iClean undercounter dishwasher cuts operating costs by up to 21% compared to the first M-iClean dishwasher. That machine was the first to introduce energy-saving heat recovery for this type of machine, and it provided a 15% saving compared to its predecessor, the Meiko FV40.2.”

The new M-iClean UM’s energy consumption now achieves under 5kW total connected load (@400V) compared to nearly 7kW total connected load for the earlier model.

Mr Anderson added: “Energy savings do not make a product green…it is how you use that product over its lifetime that makes a green catering operation.”

Winterhalter ConnectedWash

Sustainability has always been one of Winterhalter’s focuses as a manufacturer, whether it’s finding ways to improve the longevity of its product range, or through developing energy saving features, says Paul Crowley, marketing development manager at Winterhalter UK.

He commented: “Online connectivity has really started to come into its own recently with more operators looking for ways to cut energy use, or work smarter with their energy budget. The ConnectedWash system, which is available on all models in Winterhalter’s range, gives operators a deep insight into how their machine, or even their estate of machines, are being used.

“Live and historical views of full operational data can be accessed via an online portal. These can be used to help optimise each dish or glasswasher’s workflow. For example, if one is being turned on too early before its first wash it is using energy unnecessarily. Avoiding this could save at least £1 a day, which adds up, especially if multiplied over an estate of machines.”

Wexiödisk WD-6 DUPLUS

All of Wexiödisk’s communications centre around sustainability – it’s part of the company’s DNA and therefore a fundamental part of all of its dishwashers, according to UK and Ireland country manager, David Glover.

He said: “We are currently working with a pub chain that has installed our WD-6 DUPLUS dishwashers across their estate. Our research has been conducted against three other comparable models and the fact that our DUPLUS technology can reduce energy bills to the extent we have proven, will have a big impact for businesses. After installing water and electricity monitors on each dishwasher, we took data readings on consumption and extrapolated them out to an annual cost saving across the customer’s estate.

“The results are clear. The WD-6 DUPLUS uses considerably less energy per basket, resulting in significant savings per dishwasher compared to other brands/models, delivering substantial savings across an estate.”

Wexiödisk’s patented rinsing technology uses considerably less clean water than traditional final rinsing systems.

MKN FlexiCombi

Michael Eyre, product director at Jestic Foodservice Solutions, which supplies the MKN FlexiCombi, said: “It’s not unusual that today many of our customers demand products which can help enhance their sustainability credentials. This isn’t purely motivated by a desire to do good, because as technology has evolved, we are increasingly seeing that the ‘greenest’ products are also those which make the most business sense.

“Products which make better use of raw materials, oils and ingredients not only demonstrate care towards natural resources, but also help reduce raw material costs and help operators do better business overall.”

The FlexiCombi can come with an optional grease collection system from MKN, as well as the MKN combi’s Greeninside display which appears after each cooking process (on Magic Pilot electric appliances only), sharing the water and waste consumption before automatically filtering, removing waste oil, and draining the wastewater from the combi oven.

Adande Bora

The Adande Bora open-display cabinet powered by Aircell offers sustainability and efficiency benefits to businesses. With its super-efficient design, the Bora holds the cold air within the cabinet instead of pushing it out into the aisle, resulting in the most efficient energy rating among open-display multi-decks on the market.

This translates to significant cost savings for retailers and hospitality operators, as it can reduce their energy bills by a substantial amount. Additionally, Bora’s energy-saving capabilities contribute to a lower carbon footprint, aligning with environmental goals.

Adande said it aims to keep this transparent as its engineers test Bora cabinets in the firm’s testing facility in Lowestoft. Adande also compares energy costs with other multi-decks based on energy labels and pence per kW/h. Its drawers use up to 50% less energy than other competitor’s products in some cases, the company added. Additionally, up to three drawers can be run from a single three-pin plug.

Unox: Taking steps towards the ultimate goal

The importance of sustainable operations cannot be understated, notes Scott Duncan, managing director of combi oven supplier, Unox UK.

He said: “Without doubt, sustainability, to reduce a business’s impact on the environment, has become one of the most crucial elements to any foodservice business, while also being front-of-mind for customers. In general, the hospitality industry has embraced the movement towards net zero, with some significant steps having been taken in recent years to achieve the ultimate goal.”

He added that there is no doubt being seen as ‘green’ has a significant advantage in today’s industry.
Mr Duncan said: “While some are significantly more proactive and ambitious than others, the industry is becoming much more aware of so-called ‘greenwashing’, making it harder to simply claim a business is green without backing it up with clear proof.”

Source foodserviceequipmentjournal.com.