Thousands of pub landlords may be forced into strike action in an attempt to reduce the burden on the amount of money they have to pay to large pub-owning companies.
The GMB union said landlords working on ‘tied’ contracts with pubcos including Marston’s, Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns would be balloted on industrial action.
The GMB union said it was campaigning to secure cuts of £12,000 in payments to the pubcos, which lease thousands of pubs to landlords.

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A newly created Government team is to “crack down” on employers who repeatedly refuse to pay their workers the National Minimum Wage (NMW).
The hospitality industry is alleged to be one of the worst offenders when it comes to underpaying staff, with HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) clawing back over £640,000 worth of wage arrears from employers in the sector since April 09.

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Restaurants and takeaway’s will have to provide health warnings on menus as part of a new Government drive to prevent obesity, climate change and global food shortages.
The first major food strategy to be published since the Second World War establishes a new "Healthy Food Code of Practice" that will request that restaurants and fast food outlets to clearly identify the amount of sugar and fat in unhealthy meals.

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The Food Standards Agency is making available a support package for local authorities that adopt the Agency’s national 'Scores on the doors' scheme.
As part of the support package, the Agency has secured funding of £0.5m to assist early adopters of the scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland with the start up activities needed in preparation for launching and running the scheme. The Agency is inviting local authorities to apply for grant funding.

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Minimum pricing will not reduce alcohol consumption, according to new research published last month.
The Wilson Drinks Report found that if the price of alcohol was increased, only 21 per cent of adult British drinkers would purchase less alcohol, continuing to spend the same amount as they do now.

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CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has announced it will issue a legal challenge to the Office of Fair Trading's decision to reject its super-complaint on anti-competitive practices in the UK pub market. CAMRA is pledging funds to the appeal, but is depending on consumers helping to raise further funds to ensure this vital legal challenge can stand the best chance of success.

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THE Pheasant in Keyston, Cambridgeshire has been crowned Best British Restaurant by Gordon Ramsey's television programme, The F Word.
Beating stiff competition from The Swan in Kent, executive chef and owner, Jay Scrimshaw, together with head chef, Liam Goodwill, wowed diners with their delicious festive menu which included saddle of rabbit roasted and stuffed with homemade black pudding alongside creamed mashed potatoes, spinach, mustard sauce and bacon.

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A new study in America has revealed that displaying nutritional content such as calorie information, levels of fat and salt helps prevent restaurant diners eating too much.
In the study, entitled 'Impact of Menu-Labelling: People Eat Less When They Know More', researchers found varying results between the two groups of participants. Those who saw calorie labels ate 14% fewer calories than the group that did not see calorie labels.

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The UK drinks industry has made a major commitment to tackling alcohol misuse by providing increased funding for alcohol education charity Drinkaware.
The funding, coupled with an updated Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Health, the alcohol industry and The Drinkaware Trust*, will make it possible for Drinkaware to step up its activities while continuing its valuable work providing independent, medically evidenced alcohol education for consumers. The additional funds will be used to amplify current campaigns targeting adults, young adults and under-18s, build its digital presence, and develop more compelling education and information programmes.

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Restaurateur Jamie Barber, proprietor of the Villandry and Kitchen Italia brands, has called for large restaurant companies to do more to persuade the government to support the industry, believing the larger chains have a duty to act over issues such as VAT.
“I think the big boys need to take more responsibility because they’ve got the biggest voice,” he told Restaurant magazine. “It’s almost like when you become a film star and you have to sign autographs, I think when you’re a big boy in this industry, you have to take on a bit of political lobbying for the benefit of everybody.”

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The Good Food Guide has predicted which chefs will be the most fashionable over the next decade, after declaring that Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal dominated the “noughties”.
After Nico Ladenis and Marco Perre White’s dominance of the restaurant scene during 1990s, Ramsay’s eponymous Chelsea restaurant scored a 10 out of 10 in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 guides, and Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Bray achieved the top score in the 2009 and 2010 editions.

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A campaign calling on the Government to reduce VAT for tourism businesses to 5% has met with a lukewarm response from the hospitality industry.
The British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (Balppa) has launched the campaign following of Germany’s decision to cut the VAT rate on overnight stays in hotels from 19% to 7% from the start of next year.

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