The ncass story

In the run up to what was undoubtedly the UK’s biggest ever mobile catering event, Bob provided invaluable advice to Jenny Morris, head of Environmental Health at the 2012 London Olympics. He consulted on waste, water, health and safety and food safety issues, outlining how best practice standards should practically be applied in any given scenario. His influence helped make the food offering at the Games the true success that it was.

As one of six Trade Association’s invited by the Department of Business to form a Co-ordinated Primary Authority Partnership, NCASS consulted on the development of Primary Authority’s, having an impact on the way independent hospitality businesses are regulated and inspected, ensuring that the voice of the trader is central to all discussions and developments. This was a step towards validating the sector as a viable means of trade and safe outlet for customers to choose from in the eyes of government.

• The online risk assessment system was put together to address a need to allow businesses to complete such necessary documentation at their fingertips, and in their own time. Moving this function online enabled businesses to professionalise their approach towards safety management, and this positive drive to increase standards rippled throughout the sector as businesses became more competent with completing these documents in relation to the specifics of their business.
• Consistent with our commitment to affect positive change for our members and represent their voices by standing up for the rights of our members and the wider sector of independent hospitality businesses, NCASS successfully lobbied European Parliament to provide an exemption for member businesses from levied hygiene inspection chargers. This acted to save businesses hundreds of pounds per year.

• Eighth Plate was launched – a sustainably minded charity venture working with other organisations to the tune of salvaging 30 tonnes of food waste per year from food events and festivals and redistributing the food waste to those that need it, as well as cutting down on the amount of carbon produced at festivals and events.
• There are long standing concerns around the safe use of LPG in catering applications. To ensure best practices are established to keep both caterers and consumers safe, NCASS began campaigning to increase the focus on LPG safety within the industry. Passionate about driving standards across the sector, this work aimed at safeguarding the future of the industry and highlighting the efficient safety-led principles that NCASS members adhere to.
• Bob was heavily involved in making sure the rules were created in a reasonable and safe way, and assisting mobile caterers in complying with the new, more stringent rules. He made sure that the NCASS allergen toolkit was free for all mobile caterers so that every caterer is given the opportunity to comply, whether they’re an NCASS member or not.

The Show Must Go On report was conceived as a festival industry response to the Paris climate change talks in 2015. The report brings together all known UK research and analyses the most comprehensive datasets available on the environmental impact of festivals, with a view to improving sustainability and make festivals less harmful for all involved. This report is updated periodically.

In collaboration with Erasmus + we spearheaded the Street Food Opportunities for Youth project, enabling young people the chance to develop entrepreneurial skills through exploring the business opportunities presented by street food. The project served to offer loads of young people a pathway in hospitality, underlining both the importance of educating young people as to what street food can do for them, also how accommodating the sector can be and how it can provide legitimate career opportunities for all.

The onset of Covid-19 saw NCASS advocate for the needs and interests of the industry during a constantly challenging climate. We sat on the Hospitality Recovery Group board advising on how independent hospitality could help the economy recover, safeguarded the interests of our members and provided endless advice on how to comply with the everchanging laws, we advocated and enabled members to secure day trading opportunities, shining the light on how resilient and flexible the independent hospitality sector is. We also became part of the Covid-19 Hospitality Taskforce.

• We launched the #EmpowerIndependents campaign to frame our lobbying work during the pandemic to create change at government level and influence policy creation to reflect the reality of independent hospitality businesses and to ensure the sector was being accounted for in lawmaking that may affect it.
• We fought hard to make BEIS and the Hospitality Taskforce aware that mobile, events & festival caterers need to be supported by Covid grants and as a result the ARG (additional restrictions) grant was created.

• During Covid, NCASS focus shifted to financial support for the sector, and critically, trading safely and legally from private land. NCASS worked with Off the Beaten Truck, Lacey’s Solicitors and East Cambridgeshire Council to challenge and re-write street trading regulations that would allow businesses to operate with confidence – and permission. This is an initiative we continue to push across the country as it gives businesses options so they’re not tied to one way of trading or become reliant on the festival and events industry. This is part of trying to shift the balance towards individual traders.
• NCASS joined with associations across the event and festival sectors, forming One Industry, One Voice to lobby government to support the sector through the pandemic.

We knew that there was scope for the mobile catering industry to support those businesses without a food offering that may be forced to close; primarily pubs and bars. Being part of the Hospitality taskforce meat that we consulted with the Government on a weekly basis; highlighting industry issues, voicing your concerns and identifying possible solutions. Since the new rules were announced for tier 3, we pushed for caterers to be able to work with wet-led pubs and bars that would otherwise be forced to close.

• After our ongoing efforts to lobby against inclusion of small businesses in the HFSS rules (High Fat Sugar Salt), the government accepted the concerns of industry around sweeping new HFSS advertising rules and gave our members and small businesses like them an exemption to the rules.
• NCASS joined the Hospitality Sector Council, stating: “We represent a sector that is full to the brim with entrepreneurial spirit, drive, resilience and innovation and our work with the Hospitality Council will be focused on the opportunities they want and need. It’s vital that the innovative, agile and often under represented independent hospitality businesses in the UK are heard by government.” NCASS executive board.

Natasha’s law was introduced in October 2021 as an amendment to the Food Information Regulations. This ushered in additional requirements relating to the preparation of food and drink which is prepacked for direct sale (PPDS) to be labelled in a specific way. We worked with the FSA to support the new laws and helped our affected members adapt to the changes as smoothly as possible.

• Launch of Future Festival Tools, an Erasmus+ project we contributed towards that aims to provide training and tools to support the festival industry in delivering sustainable shows.
• NCASS lobbied for businesses with fewer than 250 employees to be made exempt from Calorie Labelling Regulations 2021 and received an exemption for members and the wider sector.

• Work on a regeneration pilot demonstrator scheme in Bootle with Sefton Council begins.
• NCASS, Digbeth Dining Club CIC, Aston Villa Foundation and South Birmingham College collaborated to launch a Midlands focused hospitality regeneration scheme.

The NCASS Gas Safety Forum was created to raise LPG safety. Over 18 months, we researched the challenges that the use of LPG brings; these challenges range from a lack of LPG support and training for mobile traders, event organisers and EHOs, a lack of industry consistency and interpretation, the issuing of illegal gas certificates as well as a shortage of qualified gas engineers.

• NCASS continues to lobby government to raise the profile of independent hospitality and the cost of operating challenges that members and the wider sector face, meeting MPs across the UK and being a voice for our members.
• Hospitality Action becomes NCASS charity partner and took part in Hospitality Action’s Walk for Wellness.

• Salt and Tar in Bootle launches, a government supported regeneration project that aims to reinvigorate an area particularly through the attraction of independent hospitality. By creating destination events and incorporating aspects of experiential economy, this pilot project acted to create ample trading opportunities for independent businesses, while exposing them to new audiences and bringing new eyes and ears to the sector.
• We became a founding member of the Independent Hospitality Alliance, aiming to focus government attention on the small and micro businesses that make up the vast majority of the hospitality sector and ensure they are valued as such and their needs are taken into account.

• Launch of NCASS Gas Engineer Partnerships to support the NCASS LPG Safety Initiative, giving members access to properly qualified gas engineers to ensure the safety standards are being met.
• The NCASS Safe Use of LPG in Mobile and Outside Catering training course and LPG safety training workshops were launched to support EHOs, members and event organisers. This saw us work closely with Local Authorities, acting to increase awareness around LPG gas safety and drive up standards across the sector.

• Advocacy lies at the heart of our mission and has become a key benefit and reason for members and the wider sector. For over three decades, NCASS has stood by small businesses, advocating for our member’s interests and post-election, we are focused on meeting MPs and campaigning for our sector, continuing this work in our #EmpowerIndependents campaign.
• Launched the NCASS Digital Safety Management System, allowing mobile and bricks & mortar businesses the capability to manage their compliance from the convenience of their devices. This digitises our comprehensive safety management system, giving users greater control over the daily upkeep of their businesses and underlines NCASS’ commitment to keep raising the level of the sector and working benefit of our members.