At Fine Food Australia in September, more than 650 exhibitors will showcase the latest products, technology and services from foodservice, hospitality, distribution, and manufacturing.
Fine Food Australia is on 5-8 September at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Anticipated presentations include 'There’s a Robot in My Kitchen' by Food Industry Foresight director Rod Fowler, which will deliver insights into the food industry.
Fowler devised the line-up for the business-inspired Talking Trends section, and the presentation will cover food service automation.
Fowler says there are currently over 100 robot waiters in service at restaurants across Australia, with numbers set to increase.
“Given we’re being challenged in the hospitality industry with a labour shortage, automation in robot waiters and robotic kitchen equipment is one way we can work smarter.
“For generations robots and computers have scared people thinking they will lose their jobs. However, the reality is they can offload menial tasks so humans can do the more important or complex jobs.”
Fowler said foodservice in Australia has been slow to take on new innovation concepts due to the industry structure. The majority of foodservice outlets in Australia are independently owned and are small businesses, whereas in the US, most are part of a chain.
“It may be seen as a gimmick by some, but robots are doing the jobs of servers, baristas, bartenders and more in the US, this is forecast to be a $150 billion industry by 2025.
“There is an outlay to rent or buy a robot waiter, but it can work out cheaper than hiring extra staff,” said Fowler.
Two robot exhibitors will also be on the floor – Bear Robotics and JNS Robotics. Bear Robotics has had several major investment rounds totalling over $140 million.
Bear’s John Ha will also be presenting the topic 'Robotics in Foodservice' discussing their Servi robot models, launching at the event. So far, the models have accumulated over 400,000km serving restaurant diners across the globe.
Fowler said the concept of remaining agile is a focus this year across Talking Trends.
“It was tough during Covid, but those who survived found ways to do new business and adapt. We need to constantly look to how we can improve and where savings can be made,” said Fowler.
Core business hurdles and opportunities facing the industry in a ‘post’ Covid world, will also be a central theme in the Talking Shop presentations.
Meanwhile, The Source Kitchen, convened by Straight to the Source, a business that connects industry professionals to gourmet food and drink producers throughout Australia and New Zealand, will discuss ingredients and techniques.
Fine Foods Australia product and event manager, Andrew Lawson, said the information gleaned, and connections made has always been one of the most invaluable aspects of the show.
“For some it’s helped transform their business. And often just being around trailblazers and networking with peers can inspire a marketing or creative burst,” said Lawson.
