Common F&B Issues
What Are The Challenges?
The F&B industry is rife with obstacles, including:
High Staff Turnover
A booming industry means that there is always a demand for good talent. Employees can go wherever they want, whenever they want. Consequently, the food and service industry is experiencing a turnover crisis with shortages in manpower. Generally, F&B companies can expect to lose 74.9% of staff over a year*
* “Hospitality industry turnover rate ticked higher in 2018” by National Restaurant Association (May 2019)
Abundant Food Wastage
Overbuying raw ingredients and poor planning can cause food wastage in the F&B industry. In South East Asia alone, it is estimated that 33% of food is wasted in the region.* Furthermore, leftovers from meal preparations are accumulated throughout the day and are often discarded at night. For example, suppose a specific dish requires half a pumpkin. In that case, the restaurant may find it impossible to store the other half while assuring its freshness and safe use. Challenges like this call for a better alternative to food preparation.
* “Food Waste in Malaysia: Trends, Current Practices and Key Challenges” by Siti Wahidah Abd Ghafar in the FFTC Agricultural Policy Platform (July 2017)
Shortage of Ingredients
Today’s global supply chains are interlinked and easily affected by disruptions such as climate change, weather, international conflicts, et cetera. Ingredient shortages and fluctuating costs make it crucial for F&B companies to manage potential inventory challenges and maintain the right balance of ingredients.
Storage Issues
Apart from needing a high level of hygiene and sanitisation, most food products must be refrigerated or frozen. F&B companies need sufficient space and skill to handle many ingredients and ensure proper storage. Businesses with storage issues will find it difficult to simultaneously manage a large inventory, cater to customers’ requests and guarantee high-quality food products.
Fragile Operations
The outbreak of COVID-19 showed that the overall operation of kitchen staff can be easily jeopardised. When there are many different ingredients and preparation methods, F&B companies have to establish various safety protocols and best practices for the correct
handling of each ingredient. However, having premade pastes could smoothen the process of setting up food SOPs.
