Organised by Reed Exhibitions, WTCE 2014 will take place at the Hamburg Messe in Germany from 8-10 April 2014.
Sustainability will be one of the key themes at this year’s World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) where international visitors will be able to view the latest initiatives and examples of sustainable practices from a wide range of exhibiting companies on the show floor. Organised by Reed Exhibitions, WTCE 2014 will take place at the Hamburg Messe in Germany from 8-10 April 2014.
2013 represented significant change for the travel catering and onboard services industry when Virgin Atlantic announced its partnership with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) in response to increasing consumer demand for sustainable dining that will see the airline’s entire global catering operation rated for its compliance.
During 2013, the SRA worked with Virgin Atlantic on an assessment of all of its global catering partners against a consistent set of wide ranging sustainability criteria and the two organisations are now collaborating on a set of minimum sustainability standards across the SRA’s three main pillars – Sourcing, Environment and Society.
Mark Linehan, Managing Director of the SRA, said: “We are very excited to be working with Virgin Atlantic and together we have now laid the foundations for sustainable in-flight catering across its global operation and, in doing so, we believe we have established the model which will help to set the standard for airlines around the world.”
The aim of the partnership is to provide passengers, whose dining choices are limited once on the aircraft, with confidence in the provenance of the food they are eating and how it was produced, just as they would in any restaurant that has completed the SRA’s Sustainability Rating.
Reuben Arnold, Director of Customer Experience at Virgin Atlantic, said: “We continue to be an industry leading airline on sustainability, driving solutions for the rest of aviation to share. Our adventurous spirit means we’re not afraid to push boundaries in following our sustainability agenda which is why we approached the SRA to work together on this project. Value for money and quality of product are of course hugely important factors, but our passengers now rightly demand that we look beyond that, and ensure we are making the most sustainable choices. The SRA ratings will allow us to understand how we and our global suppliers are performing on this front, and how to work closely together to drive improvements.”
At WTCE 2014, an international audience of over 1,000 visitors including more than 350 buyers and specifiers from 130 airlines and rail operators, will be able to meet with a wide range of exhibiting companies within the transport catering and onboard services sector. Key categories include beverages, food, food service equipment, hygiene, logistics, passenger comfort, packaging and transport. Sustainability and social responsibility is a major focus for a number of suppliers including Vivace and Cuisine Solutions.
Vivace will be making its debut at WTCE 2014 as the first and only producer of premium caviar extracted from living sturgeons. The company was founded in February 2010 to commercialise an international patent pioneered by marine biologist, Professor Dr. Angela Kohler, to develop a new method of obtaining natural caviar without killing the highly-endangered sturgeon species.
A key component of Vivace’s approach is natural harvesting as caviar sourced from aquaculture represents responsible sustainability in the face of decreasing wild sturgeon stocks. The fish, which include the Russian and Siberian Sturgeon, are housed in large pools or outdoor ponds and are fed according to their needs in contrast to conventional aquaculture which accelerates their weight for commercial gain.
“We are acutely aware that there are many demands on airlines to develop sustainable solutions for a wide range of stakeholders across many areas of business. In terms of onboard catering, there is no doubt that this is a complex process. However, by choosing our high quality and environmentally-friendly caviar, airlines can make a positive contribution to sustainability as they will be helping to protect 27 species of sturgeon threatened by extinction,” said Professor Angela Kohler, inventor of the Vivace patent at the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.
During the last two years, Vivace has harvested over 1,000 sturgeons in a test facility leading to a future yearly production of 14 tons of natural caviar. The eggs are released using natural environmental conditions such as light intensity, day length, feeding activity and seasonal changes in temperature.The belly of the fish can be massaged in a matter of minutes with no resulting harm.
With clean eggs, no preservatives and a long shelf life, Vivace offers a variety of caviar textures from “tender” (smoother texture) to the “perl” (deeper texture – also called the “Caspian snap”) which can be exclusively tailored for customers, e.g. flavour intensity and the age of the fish; the perl texture is a perfect fit for onboard menus. As Vivace harvests caviar all year round, the company can accommodate flexible delivery schedules depending on customer requirements.
Cuisine Solutions will return to WTCE in 2014, a company that prides itself on sourcing the highest quality ingredients available, particularly focusing on sustainably raised meats and vegetables.This includes grass-fed, free-range, all-natural beef and lamb, sustainably harvested wild salmon, all-natural, antibiotic-free turkey, and organic pimento peppers, amongst many others.
For the airline industry, the company has partnered with an aquaculture farm that raises and harvests amazon cod using certified sustainable processes and continues to be on the look-out for suppliers that provide sustainably sourced ingredients.
“Working with sustainable sources is important to us,” stated Gerard Bertholon, Chief Strategy Officer for Cuisine Solutions. “That’s why we recently travelled to the Amazon region to visit an aquaculture farm that raises and harvests the amazon cod under high quality standards and reliability. Not only are they able to meet the global health and safety requirements, but they do so with socially-just and environmentally-conscious practices. Ingredients that are sourced with the highest respect to both the environment and communities benefit everyone.”
Cuisine Solutions’ customers are demanding more sustainably harvested and prepared products to support their own efforts at being more environmentally and socially responsible. In addition, as with Virgin Atlantic, consumers increasingly want to know where their food comes from and the stories about the people making their food. This is reflected in the frequency with which foods are labelled “natural” and “local,” as well as in the rise of “food activists” on social media.
The company’s sous-vide cooking method naturally increases the sustainability of its products by extending their shelf-life due to them being vacuum sealed and fully cooked. This inherent advantage decreases waste in kitchens with the added benefit that all products are cooked at precise temperatures to help save energy.
Archana Sharma, WTCE Event Manager, said: “As the world’s largest travel catering event, there is no doubt that WTCE 2014 will again have its pulse on the latest industry issues such as sustainability, which as a result of Virgin Atlantic’s initiative, is a clear step change for both business and consumers alike. We’re delighted that visitors will be able to see for themselves a range of sustainable innovation on display which will include new exhibitors, such as Vivace, who recognise the international reach and appeal of WTCE to showcase their own sustainable credentials.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
