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NewsFEA celebrates busy and successful year with 10% membership growth

FEA celebrates busy and successful year with 10% membership growth

New initiatives underline changing needs of dynamic ‘foodservice’ equipment industry

As FEA approaches its financial year-end it is celebrating a highly successful 12 months that have seen the launch of several new initiatives, key partnerships with important bodies, positive lobbying and collaboration with government departments, and the enhancement of members’ benefits. In addition, the association membership grew by around 10%. 

John Cunningham is chief executive of FEA.  He says, “The growth in our member numbers is especially satisfying, since it underlines how the industry values the work we are doing. Significantly, the new members have come from across all sectors, including distributors, consultants, light equipment, fats oils and grease equipment, ventilation, and cooking and warming.” 

It’s been a busy 12 months, with the launch of new initiatives such as the NextGen project, which is designed to encourage young people into the industry; the FEA members’ spotlight zone at HRC, which provided a cost-effective way for companies to exhibit at the UK’s key foodservice equipment show; and Tabletop Trends Live, a new event for the light equipment and tableware sector. 

On the training side, FEA has been hailed for its work on embodied carbon and wider sustainability issues.  The association’s technical and policy director, Luke Slater, has led the ‘Navigating the Carbon Landscape’ tour, which kicked off with a sell-out session at the industry conference in November. This was followed by events around the country, and demand is such that FEA is planning more in the coming months. Other new programmes will cover areas such as fats, oil, grease and starch, kitchen design, and technician skills. 

‘Stronger together’ has been a core message from FEA and it is highlighted by its collaborations with critical bodies, including EURIS, UK Hospitality, and Unifrog. The association is also working closely with government bodies such as the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Following its lobbying with the Foodservice Standards Agency, the dates for the planned BPA ban have been put back to allow for the supply chain to adjust. 

Amongst the areas FEA has worked on in terms of enhancing benefits, FEAStats - its regular industry data insight - is being relaunched as a free product  for members, rather than being a paid-for option. The association has also made it easier for smaller companies to join, by removing the joining fee and lowering the entry point cost. 

“All these new initiatives underline how dynamic the foodservice equipment industry as a whole is, how diverse its requirements are, and how we, as its main trade association, need to respond and adapt to ensure we continue to support members,” says Cunningham. “However, it’s important to remember FEA is still running those events and programmes which have been cornerstones of our industry for some time – we had a very successful conference, our training programmes such as CFSP go from strength to strength, and our product groups actively shape best practices and influence standards across all foodservice equipment categories.”

To find out more about the FEA membership schemes contact the association via the website or email the business development consultant, Rob Gibson, rob.gibson@fea.org.uk.

FEA members can fill in their Annual Member Data Return survey here, and let us know what areas would you like the FEA to focus on, and provide any further comments or suggestions as how we are performing.

 

The Foodservice Equipment Association (FEA) is the independent, authoritative voice of the foodservice equipment industry, representing over 160 companies who supply, service and maintain all types of commercial catering equipment - from utensils to full kitchen schemes.  For more information on FEA visit www.fea.org.uk

Are you looking for a particular foodservice equipment product or service?

FEA members operate across all of the product categories below:

  • Beverage
  • Cooking
  • Dealer / Wholesaler
  • Food Waste
  • Light Equipment and Food Preparation
  • Refrigeration
  • Servicing
  • Software
  • UK Fabrication and Manufacturing
  • Ventilation and Fire Suppression
  • Warewashing

You can search all FEA member products and services using our Meet Our Members filter. Simply filter by 'Product Type'.

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