HOST

187,602 guests attended the 40th International Exhibition of the Hospitality Industry (HOST) in Milan in October. The massive event covered 16 huge trade halls at the Fiera Milano exhibition site and showcased food service, retail, large-scale distribution and hotel industry products from 2,165 exhibitors from 52 nations.

Both professional (catering) and commercial (retail) refrigerators were on show. For the first time at HOST energy labelling of professional cabinets was a legal requirement (energy labelling has been a legal requirement since July 2016 if selling professional cabinets in Europe). The majority of the professional cabinets displayed energy labels, which for similar products varied widely from A+ to G. Premium produces tended to have the best (most efficient) energy labels indicating that manufacturers saw energy labelling as a valuable tool to market products, especially those at the top end of the market. Many of the chillers on display were ‘A’ rated and many of the freezers ‘B’ rated.

The new challenge for manufacturers of commercial (retail display) refrigerators will be energy labelling of these products. A number of new test standards have been developed to be used as part of future energy labelling. Although the final draft of the energy labelling regulation is not yet available it is possible to still test cabinets and make an assessment of their performance. This can be extremely valuable as manufacturers can either benefit from knowing their cabinets are likely to achieve a high energy label or can make improvements in a structured and planned way.

If you would like further information on energy labelling of professional of commercial cabinets please contact us at RD&T (j.a.evans@rdandt.co.uk).

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