Organic more and more important
The share of organic food in the out-of-home market (AHM), i.e. in canteens, cafeterias, hotels, restaurants and catering, is just under one percent nationwide, estimates the Federal Organic Food Industry (BÖLW). It is not only clear today, on the day of sustainable gastronomy, that the out-of-home market plays a key role in the ecological restructuring of the agricultural and food industries. There is currently - also due to the pandemic - a trend towards more sustainability and organic certification among restaurateurs: Bioland already has 25 new catering partners this year. These include six companies from Bavaria and five each from Baden-Württemberg and South Tyrol.
“The trend is going in the right direction,” says Sonja Grundnig, Head of the Out-of-Home Market at Bioland, assessing the situation. “Many restaurateurs took advantage of the pandemic-related forced break to deal fundamentally with their concept and delivery structures. The topics of sustainability and regionality, which are closely linked to organic, have come into focus. ”The strong increase in consumer demand for local organic food when shopping - a strong increase in sales of 22 percent was recorded in 2020 - is now also making itself felt noticeable in professional kitchens.
"Bioland food comes from Germany or South Tyrol and is therefore fresh from the region," says Grundnig. “In addition, by processing local organic food, gastronomic establishments create trust with their guests in terms of sustainability and can fall back on an extensive range of organic products. The sources of supply are diverse and range from organic wholesalers to regional direct marketers to Bioland processing partners. "
The out-of-home market plays a key role in organic conversion
"The urgently needed organic conversion of the agriculture and food industry is mapped out on the political side with the definition of the ecological land targets at the EU federal and state level", says Gerald Wehde, Director of Agricultural Policy at Bioland. The out-of-home market can and must play a key role in this restructuring process.
“Not only in restaurants, but also in company restaurants and cafeterias, the organic share has to increase in order to be able to achieve the defined goals. Authorities, kindergartens, schools and hospitals need to be motivated and instructed to buy differently. ”Public institutions could take a pioneering role in organic conversion. In addition to advice and investment aid, binding organic quotas for food in the procurement process are needed.
New catering partner "Schwarzer Bock": work in harmony with nature
The 25 new Bioland partner companies are helping to increase the organic share in the restaurants. One of them is the “Schwarzer Bock” inn and boutique hotel in Ansbach, Bavaria. The Appel-Fuhrmann family is now supplying their guests with organic products at the start of the beer garden season.
“In our kitchen we create freshly prepared dishes with regional and seasonal ingredients in organic quality. These come from organic farmers in the region and from organic wholesalers, ”says managing director Christian Fuhrmann. “We want to use the best in the kitchen and know what's in the ingredients. That is why it is a logical step to become a Bioland gastronomy partner now. "
Owner Meike Appel-Fuhrmann adds: “The lockdown was a very intense time of reflection. Last year we saw historical plans of our 19th century inn: a chicken coop and a herb garden were drawn in. Back then it was a matter of course to work directly in the region and in harmony with nature. We want to go there again! "
Catering establishments have been able to obtain Bioland certification since 2000. This makes Bioland the pioneer in the industry. In 2018, a new gastronomy concept was introduced at the organic association, which marks the partner companies - depending on the organic content - with the status of gold, silver and bronze. Gold status is awarded from a share of 90 percent. Around 160 gastronomy partners are currently organized in the association. How exactly the certification works and who controls compliance can be read here: www.bioland.de/bioland-blog/kontrollierte-qualitaet-bis-zum-letzen-bissen. All information about the gastronomy concept on www.bioland.de/gastronomie. You can find the Bioland recipe collection here: https://www.bioland.de/rezepte
(Photo credit: Bioland / Sonja Herpich)
