Trapped by efficiency

Domestic demand for Hungarian agricultural produce dropped substantially in the early 1990’s. The privatisation of land resulted in a decline of coordinated farming. Suppliers of the catering sector had no tradition of providing quality produce. It has been a fairly recent development that competition in the catering sector reached a level, where demand for premium quality fruits and vegetables exists. Requirements in the catering sector are very diverse. According to Mrs. Kéri, Márta Tasnádi, managing director of AGRAGENT, restaurants with reliable suppliers can guarantee constant quality. – We usually receive orders one day in advance from our clients, as they are not able to store large quantities. – she explains. – We continuously request feedback from our customers and are open to constructive criticism. Our assortment is expanded continuously – adds Géza Nyers, managing director of Rapid 92 Kft. It is a contradiction that purchasing power is not sufficient to support quality restaurants in the rural regions where good quality fruit and vegetables would be easiest to purchase. Public catering is still the largest consumer of fruits and vegetables and quality is not a requirement in this segment. As a result of the substantial quantities absorbed by this segment, many supplier have no real motivation to produce better quality products. The situation is similar in restaurants where daily menus are served for less than HUF 1,000 – guests accept that they are not getting the best quality carrot in their soups for this price. Most HoReCa units have regular suppliers, even if they are located near a marketplace. – It is not only more convenient, but also cheaper to buy vegetables from a supplier, rather than from the marketplace – says Endre Justin, owner of the Submarine sandwich bar. – We often get inferior quality. This is when I make a phone call and it is replaced. Some restaurants work with several suppliers, depending on the way fruits and vegetables are processed in the kitchen. Fruits and vegetables for „Három testvér” Turkish restaurant are supplied by the largest agricultural co-operative in the country. Regional organisations like this can do a lot to improve the quality of supply in the market.
At the moment, premium quality fruits and vegetables are so scarce that they are practically invisible in the market. Only fine-dining restaurants like Csalogány 26 can afford to go searching for small agricultural producers who offer perfect quality. Demand for salads and cleaned products is growing. Cleaned vegetables are sold in vacuum packaging, without preservatives. However, demand for bio products remains modest. Bio fruits and vegetables are generally regarded as being too expensive t for the HoReCa sector.