We’re making your food spend go further
and reducing its impact
sustainable and responsible food procurement
Overview
Food inflation currently sits at 3.6% (based on the latest figures published following January 2026 ONS data). While this marks a decline, it has yet to fully reflect ongoing pressures from global supply chain disruption and geopolitical instability, which we expect to become more evident in the soon to be published, latest figures.
Mike Meek, Director at allmanhall, gives you the pertinent facts to make your food spend go further and to ensure that good food doesn’t cost the Earth…
Forecasting food prices – weather plays a part
Changes in traditional weather patterns significantly affect crops and food systems. Extreme weather events make it difficult to predict yields, contributing to price volatility.
In the United Kingdom, water scarcity is increasingly challenging, especially in the Southeast and East of England, and poses a significant future risk to soft fruit production. Annual rainfall is well below the UK average and agricultural hubs require significant water extraction for crop production alongside increased water consumption from densely populated urban areas. April 2025 saw the highest temperatures at the earliest point in the year, on record – a dry spring has hampered the germination of cereal crops. And 2024 was the first year to pass the 1.5 C global warming limit.
It must be accepted that climate change will factor into food price increases over the coming months and years.
allmanhall are on a mission to ensure catering and foodservice operations have access to the pertinent facts to make informed decisions when it comes to both food spend and carbon impact. From waste reduction to best prices and quality, from supplier accreditations to menu engineering, allmanhall are helping.
You may have thought that using sustainable ingredients in your menus will cost you more money..
However, more sustainable doesn’t mean more expensive as demonstrated by allmanhall’s work with Epsom College. The School are saving money as well as seeing carbon impact reductions…
Click here for Epsom College Case Study.
As well as speaking to us for support, in partnership, like Epsom College, what more can you be doing to make your food spend go further?
- Effectively planning and managing recipes and menus can significantly support cost reduction. Exploring more cost-effective ingredients without compromising the overall quality of a dish or adjusting meat portions to increase pulses and vegetable content, can also help make menus more cost effective.
This doesn’t just improve the cost-effectiveness of a menu, but it also benefits the planet. Consider the carbon footprint of meat:
- A reduction in meat content is not only more sustainable but it increases dietary diversity. Mike explains that “Adopting a balanced diet with diverse ingredients which align sustainability and nutrition, is vital. Dietary diversity can improve overall health outcomes, reduce our reliance on a narrow range of crops, and help make our food systems more resilient.
- Change the dietary trend from more meat and dairy to less. By removing 50% of the beef in a cottage pie, for example, and replacing it with lentils, catering teams can reduce the carbon impact by 41% and achieve a massive 70% cost saving.
- Work with an expert to make plant-rich dishes delicious, inspiring, and tempting. allmanhall’s Registered Dietitian, Tess, has created sustainable and nutritious Hero Recipes for our client partners which taste fantastic – good for people and the planet!
- Reducing food waste – this is of key importance when food waste is estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to contribute 8 10% of total man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By considering ways the food is stored, prepared, and served, waste is minimised. It will also support a reduction in food spend as around 1/3 of all food bought ends up in the bin. That’s 33% of your food budget.
- Understanding the actual impact of your food supply chains working with a food procurement partner to manage supply chains and bring visibility through sustainability dashboards for full traceability and greater transparency. The food miles and local supply concept has been proven defunct but that doesn’t mean there’s not a way to ensure your suppliers are having the most positive impact and that you’re working with them, collaboratively, to do so. allmanhall will support exactly that!
And last but not least: innovation and new product trials…
How about trialling our brilliant Brighter Burger in your foodservice operation?
Our revolutionary burger only emits 0.34kg CO2e compared to 5.77kg CO2e in a standard beef burger. That’s a 94% reduction in carbon emissions, making The Brighter Burger a truly sustainable choice… and at a comparable price to standard beef patties.
Catering teams and foodservice operations often start working with allmanhall to achieve value. And then they stay for this reason and so many others besides!
