>>A golden evening tarnished by food and health debate
On Wednesday night, the great and good of the grocery industry could all be found at The Dorchester Hotel in London for The Grocer Gold Awards 2004.
It was a fitting venue for what was a fantastic evening; a heady cocktail of serious networking and serious fun.
As I have said before in this column, the idea behind our awards is simple enough: highlighting business excellence right across the grocery industry. And this week’s dinner was a great opportunity to celebrate the success of the many companies who made it onto our various shortlists, as well applauding our winners who truly were the best of the best. Our awards also served as a timely reminder that grocery is a fantastic industry in which to work. True, it’s tough. But it is also innovative, competitive and highly efficient. Above all, it’s an industry that is truly focused on the consumer.
You would be forgiven if you forgot all of that given the current debate about food and health in which retailers and manufacturers find themselves under relentless attack. To have one senior food company executive tell me on Wednesday night that he was concerned about the effect this constant negativity was having on the morale of his business - with people asking whether they should really be working for a food company - is truly awful to hear.
But, seeing as how I was enjoying myself at the year’s best party, I put his comments to the back of my mind. Until, that is, I woke up to yet more headlines about how ministers were going to sort out the recalcitrant food and drink industry once and for all.
Well, I think it’s high time the industry started fighting back. And if the government persists in refusing to listen to what you have to say - and refuses to engage in a truly balanced debate - then I would suggest it’s also about time you started to fight dirty.
I’m not clear in my own mind what tactics you could, or should, use to knock some sense into Blair & Co. But given that food and drink manufacturing and retailing are the biggest employers in the land, I don’t think it would be unreasonable if you, and your employees, started reminding politicians that there’s an election looming. And if you did, I bet you would soon find quite a few MPs with marginal seats taking much more interest in your points of view.
It’s Time to fight dirty
On Wednesday night, the great and good of the grocery industry could all be found at The Dorchester Hotel in London for The Grocer Gold Awards 2004.
It was a fitting venue for what was a fantastic evening; a heady cocktail of serious networking and serious fun.
As I have said before in this column, the idea behind our awards is simple enough: highlighting business excellence right across the grocery industry. And this week’s dinner was a great opportunity to celebrate the success of the many companies who made it onto our various shortlists, as well applauding our winners who truly were the best of the best. Our awards also served as a timely reminder that grocery is a fantastic industry in which to work. True, it’s tough. But it is also innovative, competitive and highly efficient. Above all, it’s an industry that is truly focused on the consumer.
You would be forgiven if you forgot all of that given the current debate about food and health in which retailers and manufacturers find themselves under relentless attack. To have one senior food company executive tell me on Wednesday night that he was concerned about the effect this constant negativity was having on the morale of his business - with people asking whether they should really be working for a food company - is truly awful to hear.
But, seeing as how I was enjoying myself at the year’s best party, I put his comments to the back of my mind. Until, that is, I woke up to yet more headlines about how ministers were going to sort out the recalcitrant food and drink industry once and for all.
Well, I think it’s high time the industry started fighting back. And if the government persists in refusing to listen to what you have to say - and refuses to engage in a truly balanced debate - then I would suggest it’s also about time you started to fight dirty.
I’m not clear in my own mind what tactics you could, or should, use to knock some sense into Blair & Co. But given that food and drink manufacturing and retailing are the biggest employers in the land, I don’t think it would be unreasonable if you, and your employees, started reminding politicians that there’s an election looming. And if you did, I bet you would soon find quite a few MPs with marginal seats taking much more interest in your points of view.
It’s Time to fight dirty
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