Uniliver chef Mark Bayliss, Ms Saxelby and Mr Daruwalla

Here at Lunch Magazine we welcome any news on the most important meal of the day and it would seem lunch is still the meal most people have outside the home, according to the Unilever Food Solutions World Menu Report.

Sure, that’s pretty obvious because most of us are at work during the day but we completely agree with Unilever’s suggestion that lunch presents the biggest opportunity for restaurateurs to lift their game.

For starters, here at Lunch we would suggest restaurants need to be more lunch-friendly and keep their kitchens open longer for those who want to linger or for those who can’t escape the clutches of the workplace at the same allotted time every day. We suggest turning lunch into dinner and doing away with the end of day eating ritual when everyone’s harassed and harried and just call it supper – a slice of toast and a cup of tea should suffice.

Actually, the real point of the World Menu Report is to highlight how people want to know more about what they are eating.

Unilever Food Solutions Managing Director and former chef, Yezdi Daruwalla recently told Lunch Magazine that lunch is probably the largest opportunity for food service operators to lift their game as 80 per cent of Australians eat lunch away from home two or three times a week.

The survey also found that over 70 percent of consumers are calling for more information about the nutritional content of their meals when they eat out and will choose to eat at food operators who are more transparent about the ingredients.

Unilever Food Solutions World Menu Report global survey found that when dining out of home, Australians are most interested in knowing the fat (64 percent), MSG (50 percent) and sugar (49 percent) content of their meals.

Leading nutritionist, author and Unilever Food Solutions ambassador, Catherine Saxelby said the World Menu Report findings highlight a growing need within the Australian food industry.

“Seventy six per cent of Australians stated there should be more information about the content of their meals when eating out and a further 50 percent, stated they are most likely to choose a healthier choice the next time they eat out, if they knew the nutritional value and content of their meals.

“It could be as simple as an icon or “healthy choice” logo on four to five dishes on a menu so that healthier items are highlighted, and in turn empower diners to make healthier choices.

“While cafes and restaurants are not required by law to display nutritional information in the same way that manufactured foods are, a staggering 88 percent of Australians did not see nutritional information the last time they ate out of home.

“It was also interesting to see that lunch is the meal most frequently eaten out of home. This insight poses an undiscovered opportunity for cafes, restaurants and nutritionists to further explore people’s eating habits and nutrition around lunch,” she said.

The research also found that when dining out of home, Australians are most concerned about the cleanliness of the kitchen, the ingredients used in the meal and how it was cooked.

Mr Daruwalla, said Unilever Food Solutions hopes the global World Menu Report is the first step in encouraging the food service industry to engage in the debate about food transparency.

“More than half of Australians (55 percent) think restaurant and canteen operators should be responsible for providing nutritional information when they’re eating out, and a further 49 percent would like to see this available on the menu.

Mr Daruwalla said Australians enjoy cooking and eating.

“They treat eating out of home as an experience and an opportunity for socialising.

“I don’t think Australians in this study are saying they don’t want to cook at home or they don’t have the skills to cook at home – it’s just if they reach things they feel that are beyond their competencies or outside their repertoire they will go out.

“What stands out is a very high percentage of the respondents will make more nutritionally responsible choices if that was displayed on the menu. Deep down Australians want to be healthy if given the chance.”

The global World Menu Report is based on findings of a BrainJuicer survey conducted among 4500 global respondents who eat out at least once a week from nine countries: Australia, New Zealand, US, UK, China, Germany, Russia, Brazil and Turkey. Five hundred respondents were surveyed across Australia.

China market booming ... Tourism Australia head Andrew McEvoy

China is on the move or at least its burgeoning middle class is as rising incomes in the Middle Kingdom translate into more leisure time and the ability to take a holiday.

The challenge for tourism organizations globally is how best to meet the needs of the new class of Chinese traveler and how to attract them to a particular destination because at present most Chinese choose to stay at home, especially as the country rapidly develops its own tourism infrastructure.

Moreover, the Chinese over time have been reluctant travelers. An old Chinese proverb states, “You can be comfortable at home for a thousand days, or step out the door and run right into trouble.” This is despite the Chinese diaspora being one of the most far-flung on the planet. Besides migration, it was only in the late 1990s that the Chinese government started to allow its citizens to venture into other countries.

The good news for Australia was we were one of the first nations approved for visits and we have now been reaping the rewards for over 10 years. Yet although Chinese tourists are stepping onto our soil, we still have a way to go when it comes to engaging their minds. Polls undertaken in China indicate Europe ranks as the number one dream destination. Interestingly, the Chinese head to Europe for the history, the scenery and the luxury goods shopping (even they are wary of their own knock-offs) and not for the casinos of Monte Carlo. Reason being is there are plenty of gaming tables in Asia and more to come.

Earlier this year as the chairman of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, Sheldon Adelson opened the $5 billion Marina Bay Sands development in Singapore, he suggested there were more such fully-integrated resorts to come in Asia and he cited Vietnam, India and Thailand as potential destinations. All of them are in easy reach of China and its gamblers as is Macau on China’s doorstep, which now ranks as the world’s largest gambling destination.

It’s not good news for Australia’s casinos but the good news is the vast majority of Chinese tourists coming Down Under aren’t arriving to sit around gaming tables.

According to research undertaken by Tourism Australia, their primary interests are nature and the iconic sites of the east coast capital cities and surrounding areas such as Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley as well as Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

Tourism Australia says China is now the nation’s fourth largest in terms of visitor arrivals and the total inbound value of the Chinese market represents more than $3 billion. This is forecast to grow to over $9 billion by 2020 making China Australia’s largest inbound tourism market.

The potential and importance of the Chinese market will be discussed in Cairns in June when many of Australia and China’s tourism industry heavyweights will gather for the Australia – China Tourism Summit to discuss the bilateral relationship and the industry going forward.

Federal minister for Tourism Martin Ferguson was joined by the Vice Chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) Dr Du Jiang, Chinese airline bosses, the head of Tourism Australia, Andrew McEvoy and key representatives from across the industry for a three-day conference.

Tourism Australia’s Andrew McEvoy says the tourism growth the nation has seen would not be possible without the support of our partners in China.

In a recent speech he said this begins with the CNTA, whose support from the outset has been the catalyst for tourism growth to Australia from China.

“Then there are our airline partners who give us the access we need to bring people to our country to experience our tourism offering. Another important partner in the mix for Tourism Australia is our Aussie Specialist travel agents.

“China accounts for 14 per cent of the global Aussie Specialist agents,” he said.

Mr McEvoy has also acknowledged recent criticism surrounding the quality of some of Australia’s tourism offering and says these are being addressed.

“We simply cannot afford for quality factors to devalue our tourism experience. Australia is not a mass tourism destination and word of mouth is powerful.”

He also outlined a number of key areas that are critical to achieving China’s tourism potential and winning market share including a geographic strategy to ensure effective use of resources; building customer focus and knowledge so that Australia’s offering is competitively differentiated; industry development, to ensure industry is educated on the needs of Chinese visitors and ease of access for both aviation and visas.

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