Outdoor catering is big business

THE blanket ban on smoking in Ireland, now being copied to varying degrees in other countries, has led to a new trend in food service in Europe and elsewhere - outdoor catering.

And it is being featured at Anuga, the biennial international trade fair for food and beverages, which opened in the German city of Cologne at the weekend and continues until Thursday.

External trading in beer gardens, restaurants and trendy cafés is the focus of much interest by some of the 6,294 suppliers from 108 countries who are expected to attend the exhibition, expected to attract over 160,000 visitors.