European Modern Restaurant Association

Roundtable on ObesityBest Practice WorkshopBrussels, 29 October 2004

Who are we?

Established 1995 Present in all member states of the EUSome of the best known high street brands: Autogrill, Yum! Brands Europe, Nordsee, Quick, Burger King Europe, Goody’s, McDonald’s Europe, Whitbread, Starbucks

Some statistics

More than 15 000 restaurantsSome chains franchised up to +70%12 000 000 transactions every dayMore than 800 000 employees

Mission

Enhance dialogue with European policy makers and opinion leaders

Objectives

Promote the Modern Restaurant sector’s point of view on EU policy re food safety, nutrition, franchising, employment, training standards, environmental responsibility, taxation, ...

Simple organisation

Nine companies working together in a cross-functional structureRapid feedbackFast decisionsAccess to a powerful communication channel

Where do we stand in the nutrition debate?

Social responsibility in view ofglobal obesity pandemicContribute to educating about balanced lifestylesTasty, convenient and fun nutritiousfood choices for our customers

A tradition ofcommunicating

As consumer-driven companies, thebrands represented by EMRA have a tradition of responding to consumer needs and communicating about themWith regards to nutrition alone thishas led to a myriad of tools to communicate about the products wesell and responsible ways ofconsuming them

Consumer information tools

Instore leaflets, posters, place mats about products, nutritionalinformation and education, allergens, diabetes and celiacdisease, GMO’s, environmentalimpact and practices, CSR practices…

Consumer information tools

Customer service center hotlinesWebsites with dedicated interactive pages regarding the nutritionalcontent of products, nutritionistadvice

Websites

Nutritional valuescalculator

Nutritional info for parents and kids

Nutritional information for customers in form of leaflets, posters, tray-liners and on the web (varies by country)

Consumer information tools

Continuous staff training renutrition, food safety and foodqualityMass media initiatives promotingnew products designed to satisfynutrition conscious consumers andeducate others to make responsiblechoices

Staff training

Where do we go?

Stimulating balanced behaviourthrough choiceHelping towards change throughmenu review and productinnovationMass media for powerful impact

Choice

KFC UK provides for swap-out possibilities (vegetables like corn, coleslaw or beans against fries) KFC Germany/Netherlands display fresh salads at the front counter to ensure higher visibility and choice by customersPizza Hut France has introduced logos on its menu, describing menu items which “fit in a balanced and healthy diet”Pizza Hut UK has introduced a “half-cheese”option on all its pizzas

Children’s choice

Menu review

Fruit and vegetables becomemore prominent on all menus

New products

New products in line with a more balanced nutritional behaviour

Mass media

Mass media

Power of mass media

What EMRA can do

Responsible contribution to a joint effort in search of a solution

Access to a powerful communication network (+15 000 points of sale)Communication channel with 9 major foodservice sector companies and their decisionmakers

Questions?

This paper was produced for a meeting organized by Health & Consumer Protection DG and represents the views of its author on the subject. These views have not been adopted or in any way approved by the Commission and should not be relied upon as a statement of the Commission's or Health & Consumer Protection DG's views. The European Commission does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper, nor does it accept responsibility for any use made thereof.