Consumers are spending more and more money on food prepared outside of the home; they are mainly looking for convenience and they like to try out new things. Food is also increasingly associated with lifestyle.
Foodservice in the United States is in a state of flux, which is reason enough to follow these developments more closely. HZPC food service specialist Paul Oomen will take us into this sector and discuss the possibilities for potatoes. But who is Paul Oomen? And what does the foodservice industry look like?
‘I am Paul Oomen, I’m 30 years of age, and I grew up on a farm in the Noordoostpolder in Holland. After studying at Wageningen University, I started as a trainee at HZPC in 2015. I then worked for HZPC Germany for two years as a retail fresh product manager. Since July 2017, I have been working as a business development manager within the SBDA department on the development of the North American market.
Foodservice is one of our most important spearheads and our focus at the moment is trying to learn how we can successfully create even more demand for our varieties. I work closely with my American SBDA colleague, Jeff Scramlin, and the team at HZPC Americas Corp. in Canada.’
Over the past year, HZPC carried out a thorough analysis of the foodservice industry in the United States. This sector consists of all companies and organisations that `are involved in offering meals that are prepared outside the home’ (Technomic, 2017). This includes both restaurants and bars, as well as so-called `beyond restaurants’. As shown in the figure below, restaurants and bars are further subdivided on the basis of service level, menu focus, and location, among other things.
If we look at the structure of the food service industry, we can see three important parties: the producers, the distributors and the operators (the restaurants).
An interesting lesson to be learned from North America is that the distributors, especially the culinary team, are responsible for many decisions about the composition of the menu in restaurants. They also often deal with the introduction of new products, such as new potato varieties, products and concepts.
The distributor operates as an independent party between the producer and the operators (the restaurants). The distributor is responsible for the purchase, storage and delivery of a wide range of products. These are often purchased per pallet or in bulk and then distributed to the operators in boxes and small packages.
Facts about Sysco
- 425,000 customers
- 51,700 employees
- 197 distribution facilities
- 9,600 delivery vehicles
- Assortment of approximately 15,000 products
- Market share, frozen: 16%
- Market share, fresh produce: 11%
There are different types of distributors. There is also a distinction to be made between broadline distributors – who often offer many non-food items in addition to food – and specialist distributors who, for example, only offer fresh produce. In addition, there are national and regional distributors.
North America has a total of around 16,500 distributors. Market leader Sysco is responsible for 17.7% of the total market, with sales of $265 billion (Technomic, 2017).
Soon, we will tell you more about the most important developments and growth segments within the foodservice industry. But we would also love to answer questions that you might have and hear about any experiences that you would like to share.
Email them to: info@inzpire.com / paul.oomen@hzpc.com
