3 Questions to our partners
Jean-François Loiseau, President of ANIA
Spotlight on L’ANIA, partner of the Vending Show!
What is ANIA’s contribution to defending the interests of the Vending sector?
ANIA, which I have had the honour of chairing since June 2024, plays a decisive role in defending the common interests of the food industry and the vending sector.
Faced with regulatory challenges such as EPR for professional packaging and deposits, we are working closely with NAVSA to ensure that our positions are heard with a unified voice by the various stakeholders in our ecosystem:
– Discussions on overhauling/reorganising the French EPR system;
– Discussions on the levers that need to be put in place to improve the performance of collection, sorting and recycling operations in a context where the increase in eco-taxes is uncorrelated with changes in performance;
– The arrangements for introducing the recycling deposit, made compulsory by the European PPWR regulation from 2029 if France fails to achieve 80% separate collection for plastic bottles and aluminium cans (today we are at around 50%);
– The over-transposition of European texts, which places food manufacturers in a situation of legislative instability that is detrimental to their ability to invest in the circular economy, as well as to their competitiveness.
ANIA also supports the vending sector in its transition towards a more diverse and responsible food offering, while advocating for a regulatory and fiscal framework that encourages rather than hinders innovation. Our coordinated actions have enabled us to maintain a constructive dialogue with public authorities, particularly on critical issues such as the environmental transition, which significantly impacts our sectors.
What major food trends do you think will influence vending in the years ahead?
Several trends will shape the future of vending, all aligned with the overall evolution of eating habits.
Firstly, the rise of more plant-based products in response to growing consumer demand.
Next, naturalness and transparency, with consumers paying ever greater attention to the composition of products and their environmental impact.
Nutritional convenience in the vending sector is also a determining factor, with complete and balanced meal solutions adapted to new hybrid working patterns.
I also note the importance of personalised offers, made possible by the digitalisation of machines.
Finally, the eco-design of packaging represents a major area of innovation for our industries, particularly in the context of packaging EPR. These developments represent opportunities to expand our offer beyond coffee, which accounts for 83% of volumes distributed.
Is there a meeting or a moment you’re particularly looking forward to at this year’s Vending Show?
As NAVSA so rightly points out in its communications, ‘behind the machines, there are men and women’. Promoting the value of vending jobs is fundamental to the attractiveness of this sector and, more broadly, to that of our industry. That’s why the job competition organised at this year’s Vending Show to promote the best Vending supplier is a key feature of this great event, which will undoubtedly contribute to its success.
