the contract catering market | France

Collective catering is an industry that refers to the preparation and distribution of meals within local authorities, companies or public institutions. It differs from commercial catering in that it is moderately priced, has a rather large public and is partly paid for by the employer and not entirely paid for by the customer.

Inaugurated in 1934, the collective catering service in France was set up at the Banque de France. Since then, there have been 3.8 billion meals served each year in France by catering companies [ NTS ]

The market is divided into two major management families: direct management on the one hand, where the client manages the catering, the teams... and the management granted on the other hand, where a service provider ensures the above-mentioned points. [INSEE] Our study will therefore focus on the latter segment.

The contract catering market is extremely concentrated, since three groups share 75% of the market. Regulations imposed on nutritional quality and food hygiene, as well as new eating habits, govern the market [ Themavision ].