The National Farmers’ Union has thrown down a challenge to the hospitality sector to become more involved in the debate about the future of British agriculture and the food supply chain. Phil Hambling, the NFU’s Head of Food and Farming, is joining the speaker roster at this year’s CGA Peach 2020 conference in London on November 20, to set out farming’s vision.
How pub, restaurant and bar businesses can, and should, have a louder voice in the future of food debate will be the theme echoed by Henry Dimbleby MBE, the co-founder of Leon and the man charged by the Government to create a new food strategy for England, when he too joins the conference discussion.
There’s a raft of research to show that the nation is becoming more engaged when it comes to healthy eating, the provenance of their food and drink and environmental matters in general. Peach 2020 delegates will be able to question Hambling and Dimbleby on their contributions to national policy, particularly in the shadow of Brexit, which will be central to how hospitality itself develops, and is allowed to develop, in the coming years.
Adding the broader political context will be the CEO of UK Hospitality, Kate Nicholls, who will be giving her annual campaigning up-date.
This year’s invitation-only event for the sector’s top executives and entrepreneurs will be held at The Brewery, Chiswell Street, London on Wednesday, November 20, when chef, food writer, TV presenter and Mowgli restaurant founder Nisha Katona MBE will team up with CGA vice president Peter Martin to co-chair the conference sessions.
The driving force behind the Mowgli brand will draw on her experiences as a relative industry newcomer, promoting Indian food and launching a restaurant business, to help shape this year’s conference narratives.
“As well as having that front-line experience, Nisha will also bring her barrister-training and media skills to our panel Q&A sessions. It’s going to be excellent day,” said Martin.
Other big name speakers signed up for the November conference roster include: new CEO of the Restaurant Group, Andy Hornby; chief executive of New World Trading Co, Chris Hill; executive chair of specialist caterer Bartlett Mitchell, Wendy Bartlett MBE; Brewdog’s retail director James Brown; commercial director of global food hall operator Time Out Markets, Jessica Parrish; Julia Wilkinson, group restaurant strategy executive with Shaftesbury, the real estate investment trust which invests in London’s West End; and Ollie Hunter, head of development at street food incubator KERB, which has just opened Seven Dials Market in London.
An underlying theme of Peach 2020, which is run by CGA, the industry’s leading research and insight consultancy, will be analysing the implications of what’s new and changing in this highest competitive marketplace, including food supply, premiumisation, consumer tracking, site optimisation and tactical pricing. CGA’s CEO Phil Tate and food & retail director Karl Chessell will showcase the latest data, insight and measurement techniques.
As ever, the conference will be followed in the evening by the annual Peach Hero & Icon Awards dinner, honouring the best in the industry, and hosted by Peter Martin and Phil Tate.
The awards will honour dozens of outstanding operators across the out-of-home eating and drinking markets, and will include the unique Icon awards, which recognise those individuals who have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the sector.
The conference and awards dinner are both strictly invitation-only events, with places reserved for senior executives in operating companies. To inquire about attending please submit your request here: https://www.cga.co.uk/peach-events/request-a-seat-peach-2020-november-20-2019/
