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News“One Family”: FEA brings Europe together at EFCEM’s General Assembly in London

“One Family”: FEA brings Europe together at EFCEM’s General Assembly in London

“One Family”: FEA brings Europe together at EFCEM’s General Assembly in London

Hosting its first EFCEM event in over ten years and post-Brexit, FEA’s European Federation of Catering Equipment Manufacturers General Assembly in London celebrated UK and Europe’s shared community despite “turbulent times”

It’s been over ten years since FEA last hosted the EFCEM General Assembly and much has changed. The agenda of the event tackled this head-on. From market status in light of US tariffs to issues surrounding embodied carbon for equipment manufacturers, the challenges ahead are vast and varied. Nonetheless, the overall mood remained positive.

“Even with all these worldwide challenges we remain optimistic for the future,” says Martin Ubl, the current president of EFCEM. “It’s a pleasure to be here; a sunny day in London. We are a strong industry and we will prepare ourselves for the future.”

Regarding FEA and the UK sector more broadly, Martin commented: “We’ve had a long relationship with the FEA and a good network here in the UK.  The FEA is important within the EFCEM network. It’s a strong association and always has good contributions to important matters and topics on a European level.

“We need the FEA and we therefore really appreciate being hosted by them here in London.”

FEA’s strong position as both a voice for the wider industry and an apt host for pan-European events was a view shared by the Secretary General of EFCEM, Iain Munro.

“FEA has always been viewed as a key partner and, over the years, has been a leader within EFCEM, helping the industry face its challenges,” Iain said. “The change from Brexit has made no difference to that.”

Taking place on June 17th and June 18th, the EFCEM 2025 General Assembly featured representatives from countries all across Europe. Meetings were held at FEA’s office, located in London’s historic Tower of London area, along with a celebratory meal at the Oxo Tower. Before the dinner, the majority in attendance met at Tower Bridge for a walk along the River Thames, passing many iconic London landmarks. The evening was capped off with drinks on the Oxo Tower terrace, overlooking the river and city lights. While the good weather and quality of food played a part in making FEA’s hosting of the event a resounding success, an overriding message of the two-day event was, as FEA’s Chief Executive John Cunningham puts it, “Post-Brexit, the UK and Europe remain one family.”

“It’s been really nice to show our European neighbours our town,” said Emma Brooks, chair of FEA. “We really wanted them to see the best of London and I certainly think we’ve done that. The view, locations, it’s just been fantastic!”

On the strength of previous events, hosting the general assembly is no mean feat. As Iain Munro reflected: “Last year we were in Athens, with the historic backdrop there. Prior to that Paris. John Cunningham and his team knew they had a big challenge! The selection of the venues has been perfect.

“Thank you, FEA. Great job!”

“Politically it’s really important for the UK to be engaging with Europe in this way,” said John Cunningham. “I’m absolutely delighted that the General Assembly was such a success.”

For John, while providing a good event for the EFCEM community was an important part of the hosting mantle, it was critical to address the key challenges facing the foodservice sector at large, not just on a European level but globally, too.

“We’re all facing the same turbulence and difficulties, and therefore it’s really important as a European community that we’re all talking to and engaging with each other,” he said. “International trade has been high on our agenda. We’ve also been talking about talent, and bringing new people into the industry. Education, training, sustainability, embodied carbon and lifecycle assessments, and how we measure and report consistently on the sustainability of equipment.

“Working together to overcome these challenges is at the heart of EFCEM and this event, and long may that continue. There’s comfort and strength in knowing we’re all in this together.”

FEA hosted the EFCEM General Assembly on June 17th and 18th 2025 at its London office in Thomas More Street, including a three-course meal on the evening of the 17th at the Oxo Tower restaurant in London’s Southbank.

 

The FEA Industry Conference will be taking place on 12th & 13th November at De Vere Cotswold Water Park. Make sure you have the dates in your diary.

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