Bidfood encourages operators to incorporate health & wellness into menus

Tapping into the growing health & wellness trend was the focus of the latest instalment of Bidfood Kitchen, the wholesaler’s virtual customer development session.

Accelerated by the pandemic, consumer’s attitudes and behaviours have dramatically shifted towards a stronger focus on wellbeing, with mental health very much top of mind, reports Bidfood.

A total of 75% of consumers say eating a healthy diet is important to them and over two-thirds say the pandemic has made them more concerned about their health overall (Bidfood/CGA).

Focusing on the trend ‘wellness my way’, the session highlighted how operators could develop healthier food choices for these consumers when eating out, through insights, guides and recipe ideas.

Craig Miles, development chef at Bidfood, showcased recipes exploring functional ingredients and mood-boosting foods. The recipes spanned across all day parts and included a hidden veggie beetroot brownie, a baked vegetable bhaji, and coconut fluffy pancakes, alongside a lighter lunch option using Bidfood’s new Pier 7 fish range and a grab-and-go healthy chicken wrap using Farmstead products.

Commenting on the virtual event, senior customer marketing manager David King said: “From a recent survey, we can see that three-quarters of consumers feel their food choices affect their energy levels and moods, so will therefore affect their diet and lifestyle choices. Reflecting on this, we wanted to support our customers as best we can, by giving them insight into ways in which they can appeal to this consumer mindset when designing their menus.

“These are really challenging times for everyone, so we wanted to provide customers with the tools needed to ensure they leverage the trends to help drive footfall, whilst showcasing our passion for food and trend-led ingredients in an engaging and fun way.”