Kafoodle 2024: Bringing Transparency to the Table
Tarryn Gorre, CEO and Co-Founder of Kafoodle, enlightens us on the solutions this award-winning technology company provides anyone who operates a commercial kitchen.
What does Kafoodle offer its clients?
The name Kafoodle is derived from the expression “the whole kit and caboodle,” which means “the whole lot.” Kafoodle covers everything when it comes to the food sector.
It offers recipe and menu management, Natasha's Law compliance, label printing, procurement, payment processing, nutritional information, costings, and a supplier database. It’s all-encompassing. It’s a software solution for anyone who operates a kitchen and works with food – from large-scale caterers to kebab shops.
We have the Essentials package, which is a good value basic package, and then the more advanced Kitchen package, which is for larger-scale caterers, restaurant chains, and care homes. We partner with the NHS in the UK, for example.
Did Natasha’s Law inspire the creation of your company?
In the UK, Natasha’s Law requires food companies to list all ingredients and allergens on prepackaged food.
This new law didn’t inspire the company, but our roots lie in allergens. One of our co-founders' husbands suffers from multiple food allergies. They were on holiday in Greece a few years ago and were eating out at a restaurant. He had a very bad reaction to something he ate, which nearly resulted in death.
As a result of this, Kim Antoniou wanted to make a solution that clearly identified allergens in order to save lives and prevent similar scenarios from happening. The company started out this way and expanded over the years into what it is today – an all-around solution.
How common is cross-contamination?
We don’t have the exact figures, but we do work with suppliers, caterers, and restaurants that have their Food Standards Agency of approval. Cross-contamination does happen but I feel that people are becoming more and more vigilant, and more so now with the implementation of Natasha’s Law.
A lot more transparency is emerging when it comes to how food is prepared and how food is transported, particularly with advancements in blockchain technology.
Just how precise is your tracking technology when it comes to “may contain”?
We currently rely on the supply chain for information. We’re looking to partner with other service providers who verify the supply chain through cutting-edge methods, such as blockchain for example.
We’re working towards a categoric “does not contain” but we’re not yet there. This is, however, something that technology is moving quite rapidly towards and we aim to be at the forefront of these developments.
How do you see the future of the food industry as a whole?
There will be a considerable increase in the digitization of processes across sectors. An example is the Health Care sector, which still remains a pen and notebook setup.
A move towards more localized suppliers will also take place, and in fact, throughout the pandemic and the supply chain crisis, we’ve seen a localization of communities and food production.
We’ll see the appearance of more local suppliers, and a streamlined supply chain through the advent of technologies such as blockchain, QR Codes, and Smart Contracts, etc.
We’ll see greater transparency on ingredients, allergens, nutritional information, and the ability to authenticate whether food is organic, free-range, fair trade, or additive-free. We’ll be able to authenticate whatever claims people are making.
Are there many competitors out there offering a similar service?
There are competitors who offer some of the services that we offer, but none that offer the full package. We like to think that we offer the best package at the best price for a complete food solution.
What does the future hold for Kafoodle?
We look forward to developing our product to create greater transparency and accountability in the food sector as we work towards healthier, more sustainable solutions.
