The restaurant industry and food and beverage vending machines are services that are present almost everywhere in our daily lives. But it is also important to be aware that, by their nature, they have a high impact on both the environment and the health of consumers.
That’s why you need vending and sustainable catering: an easy choice with PIÚINFORMA®
For this reason, it is necessary to adopt good practices and environmental criteria that can guarantee higher product quality, a reduction in waste and emissions, and greater social and ethical responsibility. On this basis, PIÚINFORMA® was founded as a concrete response to a problem that often goes unnoticed.
What does sustainable catering mean?
Sustainable catering aims to reduce negative impacts on people and the environment by increasing socio-economic benefits. This means, for example, favouring products with a short supply chain between producers and consumers.
Our services always include organic, local and seasonal products, reusable or biodegradable and compostable accessories, snacks and drinks with no added sugar. Thanks to our solutions for the management of post-consumer waste, separate waste collection is easy by promoting the selective system. All the machines have low energy and water consumption. Raising awareness of environmental issues among our customers and staff is an integral part of our service.
Sustainable catering is not only a matter of respect for the environment, but also for the quality of food and the health of consumers. In fact, organic and zero-km products are fresher, more genuine and nutritious, and help prevent the risk of chronic diseases linked to poor diet, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, there are also economic advantages, as it allows you to reduce management costs, increase customer loyalty and create job opportunities and local development.
What does sustainable vending mean?
Sustainable vending is defined as such if it applies the key principles of the evolved circular economy with low social and environmental impact. This is a fast-growing sector, which has about 850 thousand machines installed in Italy and generates a turnover of over 4 billion euros per year. However, traditional vending has major problems of environmental impact, mainly related to the consumption of electricity, the use of refrigerant gases, the production of waste and the poor quality of the products offered.
PIÚINFORMA® vending and sustainable catering active on various aspects, such as:
– The use of machinery and equipment that are more energy efficient and that use natural gas as refrigerants. In addition, they are all equipped with automatic shut-off systems or temperature regulation according to the season, and comply with European regulations on consumption and safety. – Offer products that are organic at fair prices and that come from short and traceable supply chains. – That they are healthy and varied, and packaged with recycled or compostable materials.- Promote the separate collection of waste produced by machines, encouraging consumers to return empty cans, bottles and cups, and to properly dispose of organic residues.- Raise awareness among consumers and machine operators on sustainability issues, providing information on products, environmental and social benefits, and good practices to be followed
What are the existing initiatives and criteria?
Nationally and internationally, there are several initiatives and criteria that promote and regulate sustainable catering and vending.
Many of these are commercially based and have no effect on the global impacts of companies or promoters, below 1%.
The minimum environmental criteria for catering and vending contracts in Italy have been designed to help contracting authorities in drawing up calls for tenders in line with the UN strategies on the necessary reduction of emissions. In fact, they are ineffective, if not pejorative, demonstrating the high level of disinterest that our country shows on these issues.
What are the challenges and opportunities for the future?
Sustainable catering and vending represent a challenge and an opportunity for the future of the food industry and society as a whole. This is a challenge, because it requires a change in mentality and behaviour on the part of all the actors involved: from producers to distributors, from managers to consumers. It is an opportunity, because it offers tangible and intangible benefits, both individually and collectively: from improving health and well-being, to reducing the ecological footprint, to creating added value and competitiveness.
Vending and sustainable catering? A normality that is not an exception
To seize this opportunity, it is necessary that sustainable catering and vending become the norm and not the exception, and that they are supported by public policies, economic incentives, awareness campaigns and greater awareness and participation of citizens. Only in this way will we be able to guarantee a sustainable table for ourselves and for future generations.
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