Food sector firms to hire more staff

The booming food sector is continuing to be one of the bright spots of the economy, with 40% of people in the sector planning to hire more staff this year.

A survey conducted ahead of the Irish Foodservice Suppliers Association (IFSA) flagship event CATEX 2013 found that four out of 10 businesses are likely to increase employment levels in 2013 and nearly half of respondents said they planned to increase investment.

Key to this job creation was the 9% Vat rate with 46% of respondents claiming the Vat rate was a deciding factor in helping to sustain as well as create jobs in their business.

In total, 86% of the respondents expressed their support for this measure.

IFSA chairwoman Julie Morrissey said the success of the sector would be good for the overall economy as the majority of the food sector buy their raw materials from Irish producers.

“We are also delighted to see that a very large percentage of respondents have increased their purchase of local rather than imported produce in the last 12 months,” she said.

“In fact a total of 54% of businesses we surveyed in the industry state that they have increased the amount of Irish produce purchased in the last 12 months.”

The focus at Catex 2013 will be to promote the use of the best of Irish products although the survey found that already 70% of respondents said that they actually prioritise the of Irish products over imports.

“The focus with Chef’s Choice @ CATEX, is on the need for chef’s in Ireland to choose local produce rather than imported produce.

“To promote the best of these suppliers, we have a dedicated area for small artisan producers to allow them impress key industry decision makers,” said Ms Morrissey.