Foodservice Cateys 2021: Supplier Excellence Award: Navitas Safety

Navitas was set up as European Safety Bureau in 1988 as an auditor and consultancy for foodservice businesses. Revamped as Navitas in 2012, it has become an all-encompassing food safety and health and safety support network for customers thanks to an innovative approach and customer-centric mindset.

Made up of a “bunch of foodies, environmental health and hospitality enthusiasts”, the team recognises that exceptional customer experience is key for foodservice businesses to thrive. The aim is to allow operators to focus on taking care of customers eating at their premises.

Navitas acts as an extension of each foodservice brand and tailors its services to that brand. Trey Williamson, director of food safety and quality assurance at Five Guys, says: “We have been working with Navitas to develop a new global food safety auditing programme and learning platform. Navitas has been a key player in ensuring our reporting and learning tool is functionally sound, technology-driven and innovative. Navitas has been very responsive to our needs. They are constantly refining the platform not only to meet the needs of Five Guys, but those of many other restaurant and retail foodservice establishments.”

Navitas estimates an average foodservice business saves about 21 hours of work a month by using its digital food safety solution. Its aim is to offer total food safety peace of mind so that the business can nail its five-star food hygiene and safety and wow its customers.

The Navitas service includes staff training and free resources such as guides, tips and webinars (including one on allergen management) to top up the training courses. More than 250 foodservice individuals attended Navitas webinars on the safe reopening of their premises, and its Covid-19 awareness training was delivered to over 1,000 people.

The service is fully digital, with partners’ food safety and health and safety processes visible and traceable. It includes a combination of hardware and software (temperature monitoring pods and sensors, and digital hygiene and maintenance checklists), along with personalised audit and consultancy services.

With a team of 49, the business has shown incredible adaptability and dedication in the past year. Even while supporting its partners during the pandemic it has managed to achieve an impressive turnover of £1m for the last financial year, with a predicted turnover of £6m for the 2021/22 financial year.

With 4,500 partners to date, including Welcome Break, Twickenham Stadium, WSH, ISS, Netflix, Deliveroo and Five Guys, Navitas Safety has shown that technology and audits don’t have to be intimidating, and that health and safety doesn’t have to be hard work.

What the judges said

“This award entry really brought this company to life, with evocative wording such as ‘beloved Leicestershire values’, ‘bunch of foodies’, and ‘we brewed up a new strategy’, which made reading it very interesting and engaging. The content was credible, with tangible examples of how value was delivered – ‘an average foodservice business saves about 21 hours of work monthly by using our digital food safety solution’. The example of making interactive food safety courses is a good one, and the client testimonials are strong and impressive.”

Melissa McMinn

The shortlist

• Aubrey Allen
• Foodari
• Marren
• Navitas Safety

Past winners

• 2019 JJ Foodservice
• 2018 HIT Training