Time for Government action on smoking
I have just completed the Caterer.com survey on smoking in restaurants and hotels, and would like to share some practical experiences I have had regarding smoking legislation.
In the late 1990s I was executive officer to the Catering Institute of Australia, Western Australian Division. Many restaurateurs were privately in favour of a smoking ban because of the need to separate parts of the restaurant for smoking or non-smoking, which meant they were unable to maximise table usage. The issue of staff compensation for ill health owing to exposure to tobacco smoke was also an issue. As a result, the institute argued for radical legislation to ban smoking in all public places.
The Western Australian state government decided on a smoking ban at all food establishments and allowed smoking only outside or at the bar in restaurants that had them. Public houses, as long as they did not serve food, were excluded, but were warned that, if the first legislation were successful, the ban would be implemented in public houses and hotels as well.
Of course, there was an outcry from some restaurateurs and the Australian Hotels Association, which received funding from the tobacco industry to fight this legislation.
The legislation came into full effect in 1997, with a total ban in all restaurants, cafés and eating houses in Western Australia. After initial concerns the ban has been a great success. Hotel and public-house bars and casinos were exempt, but a total ban will come into effect shortly.
I will always defend the right of smokers to smoke, but they should not be allowed to inflict their habit on fellow diners or staff in restaurants. It would be helpful if the UK Government made the same commitment to public health.
Howard Bromley, Secretary-general, Confederation of Tourism, Hotel & Catering Management, London
Some precautions to take if buying equipment.
As a distributor of catering equipment, I was sad to read the letter "Commercial equipment keeps letting me down" (Caterer, 6 March, page 24). Are the products British-made or imported? Did the writer buy them new or were they inherited when he took over the business? He doesn't say if they produce 20 meals a day or 1,000.
When selling equipment I recommend the product to do the job, matched to the menu. Unfortunately, many people are interested only in price.
My advice is always try to source from a company you can talk to. Often operators are charged high prices for repairs not set by the supplier. It is wise to ask for quotes from more than one repairer. Ask the supplier to tell you any problems they have heard about. A good supplier will sell you a product that they want to last.
I don't believe the majority of manufacturers set out to rip anyone off. If they do, the suppliers will soon look elsewhere for products to sell.
Dudley Seale, Brook Catering Equipment, Minehead, Somerset
Temporary workers issue needs more discussion
I would like to voice my support for the UK delegation to the European Union in Brussels that is fighting our corner over the Temporary Agency Workers' Directive. I really hope they will be able, in conjunction with the German representatives, to persuade the rest of the EU community to spend more time on this issue.
The current proposals, which must be finalised by June, are designed to force caterers to give temporary workers the same rights as full-time staff from day one. This means each hourly rate for a temporary worker will have to be calculated to include the equivalent value of sick pay, pensions, etc - a move which the Confederation of British Industry believes could cost 300,000 temporary jobs, many in the catering industry.
The UK delegation wants a delay of at least six months before full benefits are paid.
As one of last year's delegation, I know how hard our representatives are fighting. There are still big political differences between the countries involved and areas that need more discussion.
Sarah Anderson, Chief Executive, Mayday Executive, London
Debate over school meals rumbles on|
Comments by Sue Kilbey, chairman of the Local Authority Caterers Association, about school meals (Caterer, 13 March, page 8) are very wrong.
You can change the eating habits of children very easily by offering interesting options, and you can do this by taking school meals back in house and employing a catering manager to run them. We did this recently in a local school and we have seen a 25% increase in school meal take-up.
I have been in the catering industry for more than 25 years, and a school governor for over 10, and have found that one of the biggest problems is allowing contract caterers to run schools catering.
Companies need to make a profit to survive, but should not be allowed to make a profit from schools. There is enough money in the system if schools just have to break even and not have to pay thousands of pounds to contract caterers.
Mark Goldberger, Managing Director, Amark Catering Equipment
No one will win the battle to persuade children to stop eating junk food. You can try, but we are dealing with thousands of individuals determined to eat only the foods they like.
However, there is another serious point about offering fresh-food alternatives, especially with imported foods grown without the strict guidelines enforced in the UK - the presence of pesticide residues.
Once we could receive vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates from normally grown foods that were not treated with chemicals or drugs. But these days, dangerous levels of pesticides can destroy the very nutritional balance of the foods they are designed to protect.
John Coduri, Pontypridd, Glamorgan
Who is responsible for food education?
If it's the school, then by all means extend the lunch hour to include a lesson. Teach pupils about eating, buying, preparing and cooking meals to eat at lunchtime. Involve colleges, local chefs and local restaurants; draw on local banqueting expertise used to dealing with volume.
Enough talking about the problem - how about doing something about it?
Edwin Cheeseman, Thieves Kitchen, By E-mail
Healthier approach but allergy dangers continue
Since McDonald's is making efforts to introduce healthier food ("McDonald's UK Happy Meals are healthy too", I, 6 March, page 7), may I suggest that the company goes a step further and removes the sesame seeds from its burger buns, or at least labels the product with a health warning.
Sesame burger buns are high on the list as a cause of severe allergic reactions in children, and there is now considerable evidence to suggest that exposure of young children to sesame is directly associated with an increase in the prevalence of sesame allergy.
Because of the frequency and severity of allergic reactions to sesame, sesame seeds have been included on an EU list of foods known to trigger severe allergic reactions.
Maggie Spirito Perkins, Radlett, Hertfordshire