You know it’s important to stay up-to-date with foodservice trends and news. However, in your busy work environment, you may not have time to read every relevant article, attend every trade show or navigate every foodservice-related website. And, maybe you don’t have to. The Dish recently surveyed 30 of your foodservice industry colleagues from across Canada to find out which magazines, trade shows and websites that they rely on to help them stay current. Here’s what we learned.
(note: in some cases, numbers will not add up to 100 since respondents could choose more than one answer).
About 80 percent of survey participants said that they spent one or two hours a week catching up on trends. This is good news – it shows that staying current is not too time consuming and should easily fit into even the most hectic schedule. About 10 percent of respondents said that they spend three or four hours reviewing news, but only a mere three percent said they spend more than four hours each week. Plan for an hour or two of catch-up news time and that should suffice.
What are the most popular places for gathering the latest news? Almost 80 percent of respondents said that they attend trade shows, which was the most highly ranked answer. The most popular events to attend are distributor trade shows (85%), followed by the annual Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association show (CRFA) (42%). Most respondents, about 65 percent, also said that they attend seminars or conferences, browse websites and read industry-related magazines to stay current.
When it comes to websites, the CRFA site (www.crfa.ca), was voted most popular by 72 percent of respondents. It was followed closely by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (www.inspection.gc.ca) site, with 64 percent of respondents visiting it regularly. Both of these sites contain up-to-date Canadian information and should be bookmarked on your computer and consulted often. Other sites that respondents rely on include:
- Dietitians of Canada: www.dietitians.ca
- Canadian Society of Nutrition Management: www.csnm.ca
- Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals: www.cafp.com
The most well-read industry magazines, as cited by roughly 75% of respondents, are:
- Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice News (subscriptions available at www.foodservicenews.ca for $57/year)
- Foodservice and Hospitality (subscriptions available at www.foodserviceworld.com: 3 years for $98; first year free)
About 50 percent of respondents also indicated that beyond industry publications, they also find ideas in mainstream cooking and lifestyle magazines.
The survey ended by asking respondents “What is your one most indispensable source of foodservice news?” Not surprisingly, the number one answer we received was “trade shows.” Since trade shows are somewhat seasonal and may not occur exactly when you can attend them, don’t forget that your hourly catch-up sessions can also be spent with the foodservice websites and magazines mentioned above.
Many respondents suggest networking is also helpful. Meeting a colleague or your sales representative for coffee is a great way to catch up, stay current and spend an hour of your day. Several respondents said that their number one source of insightful and timely foodservice was none other than their foodservice sales rep!