Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, food businesses have faced profound challenges. As they have adapted to the ‘new normal’, business owners have had to balance COVID-secure operations with changing business models and shifting consumer demand.
Throughout coronavirus, the Food Standards Agency has listened to feedback from district councils, local authorities and food businesses. This includes the difficulties food businesses were experiencing in remaining operational and adapting their business to meet customer needs. The Here to Help campaign was developed to provide guidance and help promote best practice to support food businesses impacted by COVID-19.
In Northern Ireland, the Food Standards Agency chairs a Knowledge Provider Working Group. This is made up of representatives from local colleges, universities and organisations. They provide specialist knowledge, expertise and resources to support food businesses. This group has been working hard to ensure that local food businesses remain operational during the COVID-19 pandemic and are able to future-proof their business models.
Throughout this uncertain and tumultuous time, many businesses were able to take advantage of support from the further education colleges, the College of Agriculture and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) and universities, through Invest Northern Ireland’s Innovation Voucher Programme and Department for the Economy (DfE) ‘Innovate Us’ programme.
Diversifying business models
COVID-19 has forced many established food businesses to diversify, with many now offering food delivery, takeaway or online sales in order to continue operating. For food businesses changing their business model, it is important to understand the additional safety risks introduced by any changes.
In the 6 months since the pandemic began, the North West Regional College Food Innovation Centre (Foodovation Centre) has supported 18 local food businesses to diversify their offering and find new opportunities.
This included assisting restaurants to convert to takeaway services, as well as finding new ways to connect with their customers. They supported businesses to produce new retail products and develop baking or meal DIY kits.
The college provided advice to businesses to help them remain operational. Their advice focused on scaling manufacturing processes, maintaining food safety during food delivery, meeting nutrition and allergen labelling requirements, and packing solutions for new products.
Selling online
The Southern Regional College supported local food businesses throughout COVID-19 through a range of programmes. These included a series of live webinars for all sectors of the food industry, helping businesses to adapt their operations. Webinars addressed topics such as ‘the opportunities online selling presents for businesses’, ‘best practice guidelines to selling online’, ‘COVID 19 trends’, ‘how to innovate in a pandemic’, and ‘how to make products retail ready’.
The training supported food businesses in adapting to online operations and finding the most suitable platforms to sell their food. This included remote technical and nutritional analysis expertise to support local food businesses launching products online and in the retail environment
Technical Support and Training
In March 2020 the College of Agriculture and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) adapted many of their training programmes to a blended delivery model. They have continued to support a range of companies, from start-ups to larger processing companies with their training needs.
Technical Support has included supporting food processing companies to develop comprehensive food safety documentation, providing shelf life and microbiological guidance, and assisting companies to implement process changes.
Business continuity
For a number of businesses, COVID-19 interrupted projects and plans that had been in progress before the pandemic. Belfast Metropolitan College supported local businesses to resume and progress these projects initiated pre COVID-19.
The college provided advice and support to companies, including one looking to produce a range of authentic vegetarian and vegan Caribbean dishes for corporate, public and private functions.
Pre-COVID-19 the company had found that there was significant consumer demand for a wider range of vegetarian and vegan options on their menus, including sweet and savoury dishes. However, the business owners lacked confidence in producing vegan and vegetarian options and approached Belfast Metropolitan College to improve their menu development skills, produce scalable recipes and introduce a repeatable methodology to their product development.
To overcome the challenges of COVID-19, Belfast Metropolitan College provided 50 hours of online training in real-time from an experienced Belfast Metropolitan chef. The project also focused on improving the existing methodology and production processes as well as improving the presentation of the existing dishes. The support meant businesses were still able to access support and develop skills during this uncertain time.
The work of the Knowledge Providers speaks to the aims of Here to Help, supporting the food industry throughout COVID-19.
Darparwyr Gwybodaeth – Cefnogi diwydiant bwyd Gogledd Iwerddon yn ystod COVID-19
Mae busnesau bwyd wedi wynebu heriau dwys yn ystod pandemig COVID-19. Wrth iddynt addasu i'r 'normal newydd', bu'n rhaid i berchnogion busnesau gydbwyso gweithrediadau COVID diogel â newidiadau i fodelau busnes a galw cynyddol gan ddefnyddwyr. Gwrandawodd yr ASB ar adborth gan awdurdodau lleol a busnesau bwyd a chydnabod yr anawsterau yr oedd busnesau bwyd yn eu profi wrth barhau i weithredu ac addasu eu busnes i ddiwallu anghenion cwsmeriaid. Datblygwyd yr ymgyrch 'Yma i Helpu' i gynnig canllawiau a hyrwyddo arfer gorau i gefnogi busnesau bwyd sydd wedi dioddef oherwydd COVID-19.
Yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, mae'r ASB yn cadeirio Gweithgor Darparwyr Gwybodaeth sy'n cynnwys cynrychiolwyr o golegau, prifysgolion a sefydliadau lleol sy'n darparu gwybodaeth, arbenigedd ac adnoddau arbenigol i gefnogi busnesau bwyd. Mae'r grŵp hwn wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed i sicrhau bod busnesau bwyd lleol yn parhau i weithredu yn ystod pandemig COVID-19 ac yn gallu diogelu eu modelau busnesau ar gyfer y dyfodol.
Drwy gydol y cyfnod ansicr a chythryblus hwn, llwyddodd llawer o fusnesau i fanteisio ar gefnogaeth gan y colegau rhanbarthol, CAFRE a phrifysgolion trwy gyllid o Raglen Talebau Arloesi Buddsoddi Gogledd Iwerddon a rhaglen 'Innovate Us' Adran yr Economi (DfE).
Modelau busnes amrywiol
Mae COVID-19 wedi gorfodi llawer o fusnesau bwyd sefydledig i arallgyfeirio, gyda rhai bellach yn dosbarthu bwyd, gwerthu bwyd tecawê neu werthu ar-lein er mwyn parhau i weithredu. Ar gyfer busnesau bwyd sy'n newid eu model busnes, mae'n bwysig deall y risgiau diogelwch ychwanegol a gyflwynir gan unrhyw newidiadau. Yn y 6 mis ers i'r pandemig ddechrau, mae Canolfan Arloesi Bwyd Coleg Rhanbarthol Gogledd Orllewin Gogledd Iwerddon (Canolfan Foodovation) wedi cefnogi 18 o fusnesau bwyd lleol i arallgyfeirio eu busnes a dod o hyd i gyfleoedd newydd.
Roedd hyn yn cynnwys helpu bwytai i ddechrau cynnig tecawê, ynghyd â dod o hyd i ffyrdd newydd o gysylltu â chwsmeriaid. Fe wnaethant gefnogi busnesau i gynhyrchu cynhyrchion manwerthu newydd a chreu bocsys ar gyfer pobi neu goginio prydau bwyd gartref.
Aeth y coleg ati i gynghori busnesau i'w helpu i allu aros ar agor. Roedd eu cyngor yn canolbwyntio ar raddio prosesau gweithgynhyrchu, cynnal diogelwch bwyd wrth ddosbarthu bwyd, labelu maeth ac alergenau, ac atebion pecynnu ar gyfer cynhyrchion newydd.
Gwerthu ar-lein
Cefnogodd Coleg Rhanbarthol y De fusnesau bwyd lleol yn ystod COVID-19 trwy gynnal amryw raglenni gan gynnwys cyfres o weminarau byw ar gyfer pob sector o'r diwydiant bwyd i helpu busnesau i addasu eu gweithrediadau. Aeth y gweminarau i'r afael â phynciau fel 'y cyfleoedd mae gwerthu ar-lein yn eu cyflwyno i fusnesau', 'canllawiau arfer gorau ar gyfer gwerthu ar-lein', 'tueddiadau COVID 19', 'sut i arloesi mewn pandemig', a 'sichrau bod cynhyrchion yn barod i’w gwerthu'.
Roedd yr hyfforddiant yn cefnogi busnesau bwyd i addasu i weithrediadau ar-lein a dod o hyd i'r llwyfannau mwyaf addas ar gyfer gwerthu eu bwyd. Roedd hyn yn cynnwys arbenigedd dadansoddi technegol a maethol o bell i gefnogi busnesau bwyd lleol i lansio cynhyrchion ar-lein ac yn yr amgylchedd manwerthu.
Cefnogaeth a Hyfforddiant Technegol
Ym mis Mawrth 2020 addasodd y Coleg Amaethyddiaeth a Menter Wledig (CAFRE) lawer o'u rhaglenni hyfforddi i gynnig model cyflenwi cyfunol. Maent wedi parhau i gefnogi ystod o gwmnïau, o fusnesau newydd i gwmnïau prosesu mwy â'u hanghenion hyfforddi.
Mae Cymorth Technegol wedi cynnwys cefnogi cwmnïau prosesu bwyd i ddatblygu dogfennaeth diogelwch bwyd gynhwysfawr, darparu canllawiau oes silff a chanllawiau microbiolegol, a chynorthwyo cwmnïau i weithredu newidiadau yn eu prosesau.
Parhad busnes
I nifer o fusnesau, fe wnaeth COVID-19 amharu ar brosiectau a chynlluniau a oedd wedi bod ar y gweill cyn y pandemig. Cefnogodd Coleg Metropolitan Belfast fusnesau lleol i ailafael a datblygu'r prosiectau hyn a gychwynnwyd cyn COVID-19.
Cynigiodd y coleg gyngor a chefnogaeth i gwmnïau, gan gynnwys un busnes a oedd yn ceisio cynhyrchu ystod o brydau llysieuol a figan Caribïaidd traddodiadol ar gyfer digwyddiadau corfforaethol, cyhoeddus a phreifat.
Cyn COVID-19, roedd y cwmni wedi canfod bod galw sylweddol gan ddefnyddwyr am ystod ehangach o ddewisiadau llysieuol a figan ar eu bwydlenni, gan gynnwys prydau melys a sawrus. Fodd bynnag, nid oedd gan berchnogion y busnes hyder i gynhyrchu dewisiadau figan a llysieuol ac aethant at Goleg Metropolitan Belfast i wella eu sgiliau datblygu bwydlenni, i gynhyrchu ryseitiau ac i gyflwyno methodoleg y gellir ei hailadrodd i'w proses datblygu cynnyrch.
Er mwyn goresgyn heriau COVID-19, darparodd Coleg Metropolitan Belfast 50 awr o hyfforddiant ar-lein mewn amser real gan gogydd Metropolitan Belfast profiadol. Canolbwyntiodd y prosiect hefyd ar wella'r fethodoleg a'r prosesau cynhyrchu presennol ynghyd â gwella cyflwyniad y prydau presennol. Roedd y gefnogaeth yn golygu bod busnesau yn dal i allu cael cefnogaeth a datblygu sgiliau yn ystod y cyfnod ansicr hwn.
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