There is – and there will continue to be – more and more food delivery. Foodservice is changing and going digital all over the western world and Spain is no exception. The past year has seen a huge rise in meals delivered to people’s homes in the country: the service is now available in 1,700 municipal areas, from over 11,000 restaurants, 33% up on 2019, according to data published in JustEat’s Gastrometer 2020. The internet database Statista forecasts that this year total sales made through this method will exceed one billion USD (up 29.8% on 2019) and 10.7 million Spaniards will make use of a delivery service (+24.2%). The channel mainly attracts 18- to 34-year-olds and, rather surprisingly, 66% of orders are placed by couples. The food delivery phenomenon gives us an interesting glimpse into lifestyle trends. Italian has now overtaken oriental as the kind of cuisine for which there is greatest demand. Pizza heads the list, the top three being Barbacoa pizza (a variation on the Margherita, with bacon and barbecue sauce), Carbonara pizza and Quattro Formaggi pizza). Meanwhile there has been a 25% rise in the popularity of Korean cuisine. Other trends include vegetarian hamburgers, the highly successful area of “sweets and desserts” and a huge growth in home deliveries of breakfast (+143%) and pancakes (+135%).

Spanish foodservice companies have picked up on the trend and provided support to establishments that have had to adapt for takeaway and delivery services often in a very short period of time. One of these is García de Pou. “as a supplier to the sector,” the firm says, “we have created a special catalogue just for takeaway and delivery in record time, and devised a range of new ideas to make the most of this new consumer trend. Of course customers now want a guarantee that everything is safe and hygienic, and our products do indeed also satisfy this new demand.” The main changes are in the area of packaged products: “napkins, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers and spoons are now supplied in wrappers to prevent contamination during sales and transportation. Seals reassure customers that the product has not been tampered with at any stage. We also supply a new range of hydro-alcoholic wet wipes so people can clean their hands quickly and conveniently, also while at the table.” And to meet the need to reduce plastic, cartons are being made of card or bagasse (the fibrous matter left over after the production of sugarcane), and studies are also under way to make disposable cutlery from a sturdy kind of cardboard.

The subject of sustainability is keenly felt also in refrigeration equipment, which has become extremely important in all sectors, from pastries to, of course, gelato. ITV, a manufacturer of ice-making machinery uses 80% ecological refrigerants on its machinery, and these have a lower level of consumption while giving a higher yield.

Another interesting idea from the firm is a cream-whipping machine that is easy to use and keep clean, and also elegantly designed, with technical features that dispense a dense whipped cream with a greater volume and a stable structure.