The topic of sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in the area of contract catering. Efforts to reduce waste, the increasing focus on vegetarian and vegan cuisine, and the reduction of food-related CO₂-emissions and the pursuit of carbon neutrality underscore this movement.
That’s why we at qnips decided to make our contribution to sustainability more than a year ago and embarked on an exciting journey to carbon neutrality. We’ve been busy scoping our CO₂-emissions and coming up with measures and strategies to offset and reduce them. Now we are happy to say – qnips is carbon neutral! (at least for the year 2021)
Supporting projects to achieve carbon neutrality
Together with our partner Cozero, we have chosen a portfolio solution to offset our CO₂ emissions. We will explain in this blog post what exactly this means:
We offset the total of 175t of carbon emitted in 2021 via The Gold Standard Foundation. The Gold Standard manages best practice measures in the areas of climate and sustainable development and promotes projects to offset emissions caused by companies. “Proyecto Mirador” is a project we have chosen that promotes the use of environmentally friendly cooking stoves in Honduras.
The “Proyecto Mirador” project provides families in Honduras with heat-efficient, low-smoke cooking stoves that require 50% less fuel to heat than conventional cooking stoves. As a result, families have to collect less wood – this counteracts deforestation and the time saved can be invested in the children’s education.
And these are our next steps:
Now that we have offset our emissions for last year, we can call ourselves carbon neutral (at least for this period). But we also know that this is not the end of the road when it comes to climate neutrality – on the contrary, it is only just beginning.
We are currently tracking our emissions for 2022 so that we can offset our CO₂-emissions at the end of this year.
We can also support you with the digitization of contract catering or you have questions about further features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
The expectations and requirements of employees with regard to company canteens and the organisation of their lunch breaks are growing continuously. In line with the work-life balance, a lot of attention is paid to a relaxing lunch break and eating together with a sense of togetherness. Digitisation is also becoming more and more important in contract catering. Guests want to quickly and easily find out what’s on the menu and don’t want to waste their precious lunch break standing in line. At the Centre for Applied Aeronautical Research (ZAL) in Hamburg, Aramark Holding Deutschland GmbH therefore operates a modern staff canteen using the qnips platform.Among other things, the digital signage system from qnips provides a central and attractive menu display in addition to the app and web portal.
Modern company canteens – a combination of design and functionality
In a short interview with operations manager Sarah Nerrlich, we talked about the innovative integration of qnips’ digital signage system into the design of ZAL’s company canteen: “We are very proud of the innovative design of our company canteen, which fits in perfectly with the location and ZAL. The technical character and the aircraft theme are picked up in an discreet way,” emphasises Nerrlich. Two large digital signage displays, which are connected to the qnips system, inform the guests about the current daily specials directly above the food counter. Their design is resembling the luggage rack of an aeroplane.
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In addition, the location uses the People Counting feature of qnips, as well as the Mein-Restaurant-App and the Catering Portal. This means that ZAL staff can also view the week’s menu from their workplace or while on the move. In addition, guests are shown the current occupancy rate, as well as the average number of visitors on each day of the week. In this way, a visit to the company canteen can be planned in advance.
The digital signage solution especially for company restaurants!
“The great thing about qnips is how easy it is to use. After a short introduction, you can easily add new content, update menus and create an alternative channel for marketing communication. In addition to menu offers and ingredients, we can also easily advertise in house and inform our customers about news and offers, such as our Christmas boxes,” explains Nerrlich.
With the digital signage solution from qnips, you can automate the menu promotion in your company restaurant. With just a few clicks, you can display menus, news and offers not only for the app and the web, but also reach your guests directly on site. qnips offers you the use of digital menu boards, ePaper displays, touch steles and much more. The system adapts flexibly to the conditions on site. The digital signage system is complemented by the people counting feature. This provides you with data on the current occupancy rate and the average number of visitors on the individual days of the week. You also have the option of controlling the flow of visitors directly on site via a traffic light system.
We can also support you with the digitization of your contract catering and our digital signage feature or you have questions about the features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
The non-profit campaign #veganuary has been encouraging people around the world to go vegan in January (or longer) since 2014. The organization advertises that the Veganuary is more than just a nutritional program. A vegan diet helps to protect our environment, counteract climate change, avoid existing animal suffering and improve the health of many people and is now considered one of the most effective methods.1
So why is a vegan diet so important for our environment?
According to the agricultural organization of the UN, livestock farmingcauses more greenhouse gasesthan global traffic – meaning all cars, trucks, ships and airplanes together!2 The greenhouse gases emitted from livestock farming are composed on the one hand of the considerable amount of feed that the livestock consume and on the other hand of the amount of methane that the animals produce in their stomachs and later release into our air. Methane is 23 times more effective on the climate than CO2; Accordingly, dairy products such as eggs, meat and milk products have a bad climate footprint.6
In Germany alone, eleven tons of greenhouse gases are released per capita and year.3
However, if you live vegan, you can counteract this and thereby reduce your personal balance by about two tons per year. Figuratively speaking, this corresponds to around eight economy class flights between Berlin and London.3
What are the pros and cons of a vegan diet?
In general, not only the advantages, but also possible disadvantages of a vegan diet should be examined and included.
A vegan diet supports animal welfare and protects the climate; however, the risk of nutrient deficiency – especially for vitamin B12 – should not be ignored. A purely vegan diet is therefore not suitable for everyone. This applies in particular to people in extraordinary phases of life, such as pregnancy, breastfeeding or childhood.4 Therefore, the decision to go vegan should be an individual decision and, if necessary, coordinated with a doctor.
Furthermore, health risks arising from meat consumption, such as cardiovascular diseases, can be minimized with a vegan diet. Similar results could be achieved with a vegetarian diet. After all, it is not just a healthy and balanced diet that plays a role in health but also additional health-promoting lifestyle factors, such as not smoking, physical activities and lower alcohol consumption.5
On the one hand, there is now an extensive range of vegan (alternative) products on the market plus their development is increasing at an ever faster pace. On the other hand, these products have a high proportion of added fat, sugar and salt and should therefore be viewed critically.4, 5
In the end it’s up to you!
Whether omnivore, vegetarian or vegan diet – how you eat is ultimately up to you. The points listed above serve only as information and as a thought-provoking impulse.
Product labelling & eaternity
The qnips system already offers the option of obtaining product labels such as “vegan”, “vegetarian” or e.g. “with chicken”. This operates manually in the dashboard or fully automatically via the enterprise resource planning (ERP). Among other things, this feature gives guests the option of using a filter in the (web) app to easily see which dishes correspond to their own dietary preferences. Even on site in the company restaurant, such labeling can make the purchase decision easier for guests as part of a digital advertisement via screen or stele.
In addition, an interface between eaternity and the ERP can provide further relevant data on the sustainability of a dish. In this way, the company restaurant can communicate the climate, water and/or vita score of a dish and much more.
Veganism at qnips
There are also some vegetarians or vegans hiding among the qnips employees.
Julia tells us that she has recently become a huge fan of homemade vegan Bolognese. Julia describes herself as a vegetarian, but still likes to use vegan alternative products, such as in the following recipe:
Her insider tip: A good shot of wine is a must!
So that the vegan alternative is in no way inferior to the “real Bolognese”, she uses vegan minced meat. – “You don’t notice any difference to the real minced meat.”
We can also support you with the digitization of your contract catering or you have questions about the features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
How does a software development company become carbon neutral? What measures are used for the compensation or reduction of CO2 in the digital sector?
In the middle of this year, we started to focus more intensively on the topic of CO2-neutrality. Before that, we had already implemented smaller projects with our clients regarding sustainability and climate protection (such as the carbon cloud from eaternity). How we as a company could concretely contribute to these topics was still an open question until then. Together with our partner Cozero, we started to measure our carbon emissions of the past years and to identify their causes. We have already talked about the results of our scoping in#qnipsgoesgreen – our journey to CO2 neutrality | PART 1. But where do we go from here?
CO2 compensation or reduction – that is now the question!
We were able to identify the main source of our carbon emissions in Scope 3. More specifically in the use and purchase of digital products and services (such as administrative programs). As a result, there are several possibilities to get one step closer to our goal of CO2-neutrality. Firstly, we can try to reduce the emissions we emit. Reducing means replacing processes and products with climate-friendly alternatives to save emissions. On the other hand, we can try to compensate or offset our emissions. Offsetting means compensating processes and products that cannot be replaced with other measures.
Since it is difficult for us to stop using digital tools and services in our daily business as a software development company, the aspect of offsetting comes into focus for us. Our partner Cozero has therefore recommended various providers for offset projects to us: “The Kyoto Protocol has established climate protection projects that are the basis for most of the carbon offsets available today. Projects – which are supposed to contribute to carbon savings – are evaluated, quantified and the impact is financed via certificates in offsets on the market. As the purchaser of such a certificate/offset, you receive a share of the carbon savings that you can use to offset your own footprint“, says Fabian from Cozero.But before you start offsetting, you should research exactly which standards the projects use to reduce emissions.
How do you find offset projects with the right certification?
When we do something, we do it right. It is very important to us not to support just any project that advertises that it can offset carbon emissions. Unfortunately, greenwashing is becoming more and more of a trend. We want to clearly distance ourselves from it and stand up for a truly sustainable impact. That’s why we have taken a close look at the certification of such projects beforehand.
Climate protection projects that finance themselves by reducing carbon emissions and selling this added value to companies are subject to internationally recognised standards. There are strict regulations for the issuing and registration of such CO2-certificates. The verification is carried out by a third-party provider. There is the Gold Standard, the Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), the Social Carbon and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards (CCBS) or standards verified by the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). The Gold Standard, for example, is a standard that sets requirements for designing projects that have the most positive impact on climate and development and for measuring and reporting the results of these projects as credibly and efficiently as possible.
Our tips & learnings for the selection of offset projects
Besides certification, we also had to think about what kind of projects we would like to support. In addition to conventional climate protection projects (such as the reforestation of forest areas) that serve to reduce/avoid CO2 emissions, there is also the option of so-called carbon removal projects. These serve to compensate for emissions and have set themselves the task of removing emissions that have already been emitted from the atmosphere.
When selecting suitable projects to offset one’s own emissions, it is not only relevant to know how they are certified, but also to choose the one’s that suits the company’s purpose. At qnips, our software solutions are primarily used in the contract catering sector and it was therefore important to us, that the projects we support have a positive impact on the catering industry in some way. This selection process involved a lot of time and intensive research. But we can say it was worth it!
Read more about which projects we chose and why in Part 3 of our journey to carbon neutrality!
We can also support you with the digitization of your contract catering or you have questions about the features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
During lunch breaks, fast payment in the company restaurant is essential. Long waiting times can be avoided and break times become more effective. With the new Panorama app from qnips and the interface to the payment service provider Bluecode, guests can pay for their lunch even more easily and quickly using contactless payment.
Since September 2021, Panorama Catering has been offering the Panorama app, which was developed together with qnips. The app is in use in over 25 company restaurants all over Germany. Over 1000 orders have already been processed via the qnips system and paid mobile with the Bluecode integration. Employees use the Panorama app to view the current menu. They get news about current discount promotions, can pre-order meals and pay directly via the App.
Preordering and contactless payment with the Panorama app from qnips
“We have been working with qnips since 2015. It started with interactive 32-inch screens that display our weekly menu plans and give our guests the opportunity to find out about ingredients, allergens, prices, promotions and much more. Later, ePapers were added to highlight the offered items and ingredients at the food counter. On September 6, 2021, our Panorama app went live and has since been available in the Apple Store and Google Play Store”, says Thomas Neumann, authorized signatory at Panorama Catering.
With the help of the qnips whitelabel system, Panorama not only communicates daily updated menus with information on ingredients, nutritional values and allergens via its own app. In addition, news and current offers are also displayed to guests via in-app and push notifications. In a digital cookbook, guests can find their favorite recipes to recreate. By integrating Bluecode into the Panorama app, guests can now easily make contactless payments without downloading another app.
Easy contactless payment via Bluecode integration
For qnips, Bluecode is a useful addition as an interface in the platform for the digitization of contract catering. In the mobile payment portfolio, Bluecode represents a cost-efficient alternative to the well-known payment providers. Low transaction costs are particularly attractive for customers in contract catering, as they often have to deal with very small payment amounts between €1 and €5.
How it works:
The Bluecode integration generates a blue barcode in the Panorama app, which guests simply present at the cash register. The cashier scans the barcode completely contact-free and the payment is made. There is no need to enter a PIN at a payment terminal. The qnips system recognizes the individual employee prices and subsidies defined via the company ID card. These are thus automatically included in the payment process with Bluecode. The payment data is forwarded anonymously to the customer’s bank via the uniquely generated Bluecode. Bluecode is never in possession of customer data. All other order and transaction data can then be managed in the qnips dashboard.
“Another advantage of Bluecode is that the system can be used with the qnips platform equally for point-of-sale payments as well as enabling online payment transactions in app and web. This is particularly relevant as we are already in the planning stages with Panorama Catering to implement an online ordering system. In addition, we are pleased to finally be able to support a European mobile payment solution. We hope that Bluecode will continue to establish itself so quickly in the European market in the future”, says Christian Brützel, Managing Director qnips GmbH.
We can also support you with a mobile payment solution for the digitization of contract catering or you have questions about further features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
Over the last 10 years, we as a team and the qnips platform have constantly evolved. We have followed new trends and technologies and were always on the lookout for the latest innovations. Together with our customers, we have taken on new tasks and challenges and allowed ourselves to be inspired. Our team has now more than doubled in size and with this development we also take our corporate responsibility even more serious. Therefore, we would like to make a positive contribution to climate protection and start our journey to CO2 neutrality!
Sustainability also has an important meaning for us
For our customers in contract catering, the topic of sustainability has long been an important factor for future orientation. Thanks to their input, we have been able to implement several projects together, with which our customers have already been able to take steps towards carbon neutrality. Now, with qnips as a company, we would also like to take concrete responsibility in terms of sustainability. We want to become climate neutral and reduce our carbon footprint, or rather offset it. To this end, we want to achieve this goal as a company in the first step, in order to subsequently also make our products carbon neutral.
How are carbon emissions measured for CO2 neutrality in the first place?
The so-called “GHG Protocol” is used to guide the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions. As early as the 1990s, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) began working with corporate partners to develop an action plan for climate change and GHG emissions measurement. In 2001, the first version of the GHG Corporate Standard was published and has been supplemented with additional guidelines and calculation tools to this day. The GHG Protocol (GreenHouseGas) establishes comprehensive global and standardized frameworks for measuring and managing GHG emissions in the private and public sectors, from value chains and from mitigation actions. (cf. https://ghgprotocol.org/standards)
How can a company measure its own carbon footprint for CO2 neutrality?
We start our journey by scoping and collecting important data on our current carbon footprint. How do our employees get to work and what fuels do they use? What about supply chains for office supplies and how much carbon is generated by the use of software and computers? With Cozero, we have found a partner that helps us with exactly these questions. We can clearly and transparently track all our emissions and at the same time make an initial assessment. The Cozero dashboard helps to clearly implement the GHG protocol for measuring the company’s own emissions and divides the scoping data into three areas.
Scope 1 includes all carbon emissions that qnips as a company causes directly, i.e. those emitted by our office building and our company cars.
Scope 2 includes all additional emissions that we cause, e.g. emissions caused by purchased electricity, district heating and refrigeration technology for our own use.
Scope 3 includes all emissions that we cause in addition to our actual business activities, such as business trips, IT, parcel shipping etc.
Our experience with scoping carbon emissions
When we started to take an in-depth look at the emissions we cause as a company, it was not so easy at first to differentiate exactly which data is relevant for us as a company in the first step and is not caused by the use of our products. In addition, our colleagues from the back office in particular were faced with the task of searching through all the receipts and invoices from last year for the corresponding scope. The data in Scope 3 was also a challenge, as it only indirectly relates to us as a company and we had to do research at many points with service providers and partners to determine the corresponding quantities and required data.
Additionally, we had to look in depth at how we were going to manage the internal coordination for maintaining the data. Many contracts and billings don’t always have the same billing periods, so the data in the dashboard has to be continuously updated, which can also change the amount of carbon emissions. For items such as electricity consumption or energy, however, scoping was easier than expected because we were able to track the calculated totals from the incidental cost statements. So we are on a constantly changing optimization process and are happy to have reached a first intermediate goal with the completion of the scoping.
qnip’s CO2 emissions last year – where do we go from here?
With the completion of the scoping process, we now have a first certainty about our carbon emissions and thus a basis on which we can now build measures for CO2 neutrality. About 115 tons of carbon dioxide we emitted as a company in the period January 2020 until now. That is as much as two-thirds of the emissions emitted by a fully occupied airplane on a flight from Frankfurt to South Africa. The main sources of this were the fuel use of our leased vehicles and the use of purchased digital services e.g. such as internal management programs. People often underestimate the carbon footprint of digital products and tools such as computers, laptops and internet use. How we now deal with this carbon footprint and develop measures for neutralization and compensation you will learn in PART 2 of our journey to CO2 neutrality!
Privacy on the internet has been a highly debated topic for years. Numerous experts regularly comment on it in public. However, really important questions often remain unanswered for users. Is personal data really stored and protected by internet services? Or is it deliberately passed on to third parties for marketing purposes? When it comes to data protection, things get interesting, but also often complicated, when it comes to the security of mobile payment processes.
The most common concerns about mobile payment
Despite the increasing number of possibilities for mobile payments with smartphones, the opinions of many consumers on the use of mobile payment methods still differ greatly. Scepticism about questions of security and the processing of personal data remain.
What is behind pages and pages of data protection policies that are almost always simply accepted by users anyway?
And how do companies deal with extremely sensitive data such as private bank details?
In addition to these data protection fears, there are also security concerns. Many users are afraid that companies will process more than the data necessary for the transaction. They also fear that mobile payment transactions offer a target for cybercrime.
As a result, many users are hesitant to use mobile payments. They stick to the usual methods of cash or credit card payments to maintain their anonymity. Users also say that they have much more control over payments when paying by cash or card.
The possibilities of mobile payment
There has long been no talk of a breakthrough in mobile payment methods in the technology industry, as many payment solutions have been established on the market for a long time. The period of the lockdowns and the Corona pandemic have also boosted this development. Nevertheless, the number of Germans using mobile payment is still quite low.
There are numerous ways to pay with a smartphone. For example, many banks have already developed their own apps. These apps not only enable online banking, but also have a direct payment function via an NFC interface. In addition, there are various interfaces that offer payment services such as Google Pay, Apple Pay and PayPal (Verbraucherzentrale NRW e.V., 2021).
Our qnips platform also offers you the possibility to integrate your preferred payment service provider. In addition, we already offer a pool of payment providers tested by us from which you can choose.
qnips acts as a marketplace for numerous payment service providers and interface to your preferred payment provider
The most important regulations & guidelines for secure payments via smartphone
Overall, the topic of mobile payment and data protection is quite extensive and complex from the user’s point of view. As a user, you often go through two registrations, as many mobile payment providers work together with other payment services. Customer data on the web is stored everywhere by developers today, but the motives behind are different. Not every provider reserves the right to use collected information for marketing or advertising purposes to make money. There are also significant differences between the types of information collected.
Mostly, however, data collection is the price the customer must pay if they want to enjoy free services. To protect consumers, the EU Commission has issued numerous guidelines for mobile payment providers. From 2022, the uniform catalogue of requirements “Dora” is to ensure even more data security. Currently, among other things, the second payment services directive PSD2 is in force (Springer Fachmedien, 2021).
Security procedures for mobile payment
From now on and in the future, the recommendations on payment security and data protection will be directed at mobile payment providers and will particularly serve the security, rights and information of the consumers.
SCA (Strong Customer Authentication) as part of PSD2 is designed to increase security for mobile payments and reduce opportunities for cyber fraud. This is a two-factor authentication in which users must confirm their identity e.g. by fingerprint or SMS code. 3D Secure as a security method is increasingly used to implement the requirements of the SCA and to automate a second authentication step.
In addition, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) contains further specific regulations when it comes to the rights of individual users regarding the protection of their personal data.
With the mobile payment solution from qnips, your customers can easily keep track of transactions and credit balances
Data protection in mobile payment at qnips
The data protection at qnips concerns personal data such as name, email and postal address, telephone number and login data. In principle, customer data is not passed on without the consent of the respective user. There are only a few cases defined by law in which qnips is obliged to do so. These are listed in detail and comprehensibly in our privacy policy. You can also find out which user data is stored when and in which cases. In most cases, however, this only serves to optimise the usability of the app.
qnips does not encounter sensitive information such as credit card data. The data is processed by the respective payment service provider and is subject to PCI-DSS, or is processed with 3D-Secure. The PCI Data Security Standard is a global security standard for the processing, storage and transmission of cardholder information and authentication data.
We can also support you with a mobile payment solution for the digitization of contract catering or you have questions about further features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
The last one and a half years have once again rapidly accelerated the digitalisation of the catering industry. Many contract caterers have had to react to the changing demand of guests with new concepts and ideas. We spoke with our client and partner Mr. Michael Milde about how he and his team at Dussmann Service Deutschland GmbH have responded to these changes and what his prospects are for the future of the catering industry.
Mr. Milde, you are the head of the Competence Center Experts Catering at Dussmann Service Deutschland GmbH. Please briefly introduce yourself and Dussmann Service’s activities in catering:
“My name is Michael Milde and I am 43 years old. I am originally a trained chef and have held several management positions in catering at Dussmann Service since 2013. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to get to know and accompany Dussmann Service’s international catering offer. We see ourselves as an in-house service provider and driver for process optimisation, product development and further development of (customer-specific) tools.”
For just under a year and a half, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on the catering industry. What changes have you noticed specifically, also with regard to the digitisation of the industry?
“The biggest advantage for our guests in contract catering is that they can get something to eat quickly and without much effort while they are at work. Since many company restaurants had to be closed due to Covid-19 and work will probably increasingly be done in the home office in the future, the question arises as to how the food gets to the customer. The demand for mobile catering solutions has risen sharply in the meantime. Therefore, offers that reduce contacts and waiting times have been successfully digitalised. For example, pre-ordering and payment via app or smart pick-up solutions.”
What specific measures has Dussmann Service taken in the last one and a half years to address these changes?
“We have tested and introduced mobile food concepts. These include, for example, smart fridges filled with fresh and popular products for self-service. The “Smart Fridge” automatically recognises which products have been taken out. Payment is made via app, without a cash register or staff. We also offer popular dishes as a to-go option in sustainable jars, so that guests can also enjoy their favourite food at home.”
“In terms of communication, we are increasingly using digital interaction with our guests to stay in touch with them. We just launched our new series “Knowledge Morsel”, which provides background information on seasonal foods and their contribution to a healthy lifestyle: Read more. We also use the qnips app and digital signage monitors in the restaurants as channels.”
Dussmann has been cooperating with the software developer qnips for several years. This cooperation has already resulted in the launch of the Delightful app. How did the decision for the qnips system come about and what do you benefit from most?
“We had high requirements for a digital meal plan display. All relevant data must be available quickly, flexibly and individually and must be able to be displayed in a visually appealing way on different end devices. At the same time, the system must not unnecessarily tie up resources in operations during regular operation. qnips met these requirements best. We benefit most from the individual functions that can be switched on and off for each location and the high degree of autonomy of the data flow in regular operation.”
What features and benefits do you currently offer your table guests by using the Delightful app?
“We use all available modules, individually adapted to the needs of the respective customer. In the app and on the catering portal, we clearly display our dishes with all relevant information. These include nutritional values, CO2 balance, allergens and additives as well as current photos. This photo function is integrated in such a way that our teams on site can easily photograph dishes with their mobile phones. This way, the customer does not see a deceptive package, but the actual meal.”
“With the digital signage players, we can individually control and display our meals and graphically prepared content on displays and screens. We answer the still well-demanded function of the printable meal plan with the help of PDF-Templates. The pre-order and payment function allow us to satisfy the rapidly growing demand for mobile catering solutions. And with the automatic translation function, we relieve the operational staff on site.”
Are there already other projects planned in cooperation with qnips?
“Yes, we have some smaller functional extensions and also larger projects and ideas that we are pursuing together with qnips.”
What do you think the future holds for the catering industry in terms of digitisation and what specific goals are you and your team pursuing?
“Digitisation is successful when existing processes are simplified in the long term or new functions offer real added value for the customer. The main task of catering is to make catering easily available for everyone and to take care of the necessary processes in the environment. This also includes picking up employees and training them in the use of new software.”
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Dussmann Service recently opened “FoodBreak 20” in Hanover. What is the concept behind the store, what can clients expect on site and which qnips technologies are you using?
“The “Foodbreak 20″ in Hanover, which opened in mid-June, is both a production location and a company restaurant for lunch breaks. Menus are freshly cooked on site and delivered to kindergartens. However, meals are also offered in the cook & chill/freeze process, so that deliveries over further distances are possible.”
“Guests can choose from three lunch menus daily between 11:30 and 13:30. The “Heimatliebe” menu stands for regional and national dishes, exclusively with meat from the Hanover region and seasonal vegetables from local producers. The vegetarian line “Gartenglück” also scores with regional products, and the menu “Reiselust” includes international dishes. In addition, there is a wide range of snacks such as sandwiches made from homemade bread, sandwiches, salads and desserts. Coffee lovers will also get their money’s worth with products from the Hanover-based roasting company Machwitz. The “Foodbreak 20″ uses digital signage monitors, the Dussmann Delightful app and a digital info terminal to display menus and entertaining content on the topic of wholesome and sustainable catering.”
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and for your assessment of the current situation and future for the catering industry!
qnips GmbH
The qnips system helps contract caterers to improve the customer experience at each location. This is done with the help of modern online & mobile communication channels. The qnips system combines features such as online pre-ordering, mobile payment, customer loyalty and content management in a modular solution for app, web and digital signage. As an interface to various merchandise management and cash register systems, the qnips platform can be flexibly adapted to your needs. We believe that customised services and usability are the key for our customers to increase customer satisfaction, develop new revenue streams and optimise the use of resources. Learn more.
Can we also support you with our qnips platform for the digitisation of contract catering or do you have questions about further features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
Since the end of 2014, the so-called Food information regulation (FIC) has been intended to ensure improved and consistent labelling of food in the EU. Since 2016, the labelling of nutritional information has also been standardised. As “food business operators at all stages of the food chain […] whose activities relate to the provision of food information to consumers”, the regulation also applies to contract catering.
Allergen labelling according to the Food information regulation
The following 14 allergens and the respective products derived from them are considered to be subject to labelling requirements:
With our qnips dashboard, you can simplify food labelling by adding allergens and nutritional information with just a few clicks. Use your own icons or the allergen icons provided by qnips for free.
Clear labelling of food
According to the Food Information Regulation, obligatory information must continue to be printed in a font of at least 1.2 mm. Unless the packaging is smaller than half a postcard, in which case a size of 0.9mm applies. The labelling of the food is clearly regulated and should clarify the exact nature and specifications of the product.
Details of ingredients
Ingredients should be listed by quantity – including additives and flavourings with class name and clear name or E-number. The 14 allergens must be printed in bold type or highlighted by a different font or style or background colour.
Since the LMIV came into force, a nutritional value table with the “Big 7” has also been mandatory. These include calorific value, fat, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugar, protein and salt. If vitamins and dietary fibres are indicated on the packaging, they must also be listed in the nutrition table.
Food imitations must also be labelled. Likewise, refined vegetable oils and fats, including their origin. In the case of alcoholic beverages, the actual alcohol content, also in % vol., must be indicated if the alcohol content exceeds 1.2 % vol. For beverages containing caffeine, a warning must be visible unless the food name contains the words “coffee” or “tea”.
With qnips you simplify the labelling of allergens and nutritional values!
Further indications
According to the Food Information Regulation, mandatory information also includes the net filling quantity, a best-before or use-by date and the company address and name. The origin of the food must also be indicated if, for example, the packaging could otherwise mislead the consumer. All types of pork, sheep, goat and poultry meat must always be labelled. If the meat is frozen, the date of freezing must also be indicated. Since 1 April 2020, the origin of the primary ingredient must also be indicated if it does not correspond to the stated place of origin of the food. For foods where it may not be possible to ensure safe use (for example, baking mixes), instructions for use must also be clearly printed on the package.
As you can see, there are numerous labelling obligations to be respected! If you are looking for more detailed information on the LMIV, you can find it here. It is also supplemented by the Food Information Implementation Regulation.
Last updated 06.07.2021; Source: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture Germany
We can also support you with our qnips platform fpr the digitization of contract catering or you have questions about further features from qnips? Then get in contact with us today. We take questions and appointments via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
On May 6, 2021, the German parliament passedamendments to the packaging law, as well as an obligation for reusable packaging for the catering industry, which comes into effect in 2023. In this article, we will show you which relevance the topics of reusability and sustainability have for food services and contract catering and which ways the qnips platform offers for a sustainable future.
350,000 tons of waste due to disposable dishes and to-go packaging
A study by the Gesellschaft für Verpackungsmarktforschung (GVM) (Society for Packaging Market Research) and NABU (Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union) already examined waste production by the catering industry in 2018. In 2017, almost 350,000 tons of waste were generated by the use of disposable tableware, disposable cutlery, straws and to-go packaging. 64% of this waste consisted of paper, cardboard or carton and around 30% of plastic. System catering, restaurants and canteens are responsible for just under 37% of the waste in circulation. So there is no question that for a sustainable future still a lot has to happen.
Statutory prohibition of single-use plastic products as of July 3rd, 2021
On July 3, 2021, the prohibition on the production and trade of many single-use plastic products will come into effect across the EU. From that date on, products such as plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons and chopsticks), plastic tableware (plates, bowls), plastic drinking straws and packaging for hot food and drinks made of styrofoam (polystyrene) will be prohibited. In addition, a new single-use plastic labeling regulation will go into effect for products containing plastic. As of this date, products containing plastic must feature a warning label that has to be clearly integrated into the layout of the packaging. The label consists of a pictogram and a text identifying the respective product category and has been submitted by the EU for use.
Obligation for reusable packaging for the catering industry from 2023
The obligation to use reusable packaging in the catering industry is intended to help reduce waste, save raw materials and thus protect the environment. So from 2023, caterers, delivery services and restaurants across the EU will be required to offer reusable dishes for takeaway food and beverages alongside disposable ones. This is intended to encourage the development of sustainable reusable packaging systems and alternative packaging materials.
The qnips system for a sustainable future in the catering industry
Legislation and pollution show the relevance and importance of reusable packaging systems for the catering industry. In the future there will be no way around reusable dishes! For us at qnips, the topic of sustainability also plays a major role in the further development of our platform and interfaces and we are always happy to have a dynamic exchange with our partners. Only then can sustainably valuable ideas be created.
With the interface to the reusable system of VYTAL, qnips offers a first and fast solution for the implementation of reusable packaging. Via an integrated QR code, reusable dishes can easily be borrowed at the food counter, free of charge and without deposit. For more information, visit https://www.vytal.org/
Looking into the future, company-specific reusable packaging solutions are particularly exciting, both for us and for our clients and their guests. That’s why we’re very pleased to be working with Crafting Future GmbH. With this young company from Hanover, we have gained a competent partner for the manufacturing of reusable products in the food environment. Together, we want to respond to the individual needs and wishes of our customers and help shape a sustainable future. More information at https://www.craftingfuture.de/
We can also support you with our qnips platform or do you have questions about other features of qnips? Then it’s best to get in touch today. We are happy to make appointments and answer questions via info@qnips.io or via +49 511 165 899 0.
qnips promotes the topic of sustainability in contract catering. The implementation of the project “Use of a digital reusable system in business catering” is supported by funds from the European Regional Development Fund.
