How does using seasonal produce save your business money?

Seasonal food is a good idea to incorporate into your menus because it’s often cheaper. Why? Because it’s less effort to produce in season being grown naturally, without the need of expensive forced cultivation like greenhouses. That extra cost would normally be passed on to you. However, seasonality enables a producer to work naturally with the peak of their supply.

 The savings to a business can be even more significant as you are in a position to work with your supplier to take advantage of gluts in supply when abundance means prices will be lower.

And according to Eat Seasonably; “One of the main benefits in sourcing in-season produce is the cost – in general fruit and veg sourced from the UK when it’s in season is better value. Our research has shown that a basket of in-season fruit and veg bought in the supermarket can be as much as a third cheaper than the same basket out of season.”

If your business works with your suppliers you can make even greater savings by taking advantage of gluts in supply that lead to lower prices.

Reduce Waste and Your Carbon Footprint

According to Siobhan O’Niell of the Green Hotelier “it only takes a little ingenuity with the menu to incorporate more seasonal ingredients and this type of planning also reduces food waste.”  And don’t forget that food waste is also a cost to your business, as you have to pay to get it removed by your waste contractor.

If you buy locally rather than buying imported out of season produce, you will be using less food miles which will mean a smaller carbon footprint, less transport and import costs, and reducing cold storage and refrigeration costs.

These are all savings for your business and your customers, and good for the planet, as well.

Seasonal can mean local

Shop Locally

Shopping locally means that you will see that the costs of many product lines are cheaper, due to plentiful supply and less transportation costs. There is also the additional benefit of higher nutritional value as produce is moved from farm to plate quicker.

Business should be just about cold hard cash, especially in a hospitality business. By forging links with local farmers and producers you promoting a sense of community in your local area, and, also investing in your local economy rather than into some faceless multinational company. There has been research by local authorities that shows that for every £1 spent with a small or medium sized business 63p stayed in the local economy, compared to only 40p with a larger business.

Working with local producers means that you know the provenance of your supplies and you can promote each others businesses to both your customers. More and more consumers are concerned as to where their food comes from, so buying local seasonal produce can also be a selling point for your business.

Siobhan O’Neill elaborates on how this can help prop up local economies and also reduce waste: “Particularly in rural areas, producers are often struggling to get good market prices for their commodities, and supermarkets create food waste at the point of production by rejecting non-uniform produce. Meanwhile, local hotels and restaurants may find it hard to source reasonably priced, high quality ingredients.