The food service market here will not return to the levels it was at prior to the Covid-19 pandemic until the end of next year, according to Bord Bia.
The Irish food promotion board says that the prolonged lockdown in the first half of this year and gradual reopening has meant the recovery has been slower than it had forecast in November.
However, it still expects a bounce in the second half of the year that should lead to an 11% growth in sales across 2021 compared to a year earlier, down from the 16% worst case growth scenario predicted by it in November.
This will bring the total value of the market to almost €5bn the new research by Bord Bia predicts. The sector here has displayed resilience in the face of the most prolonged shutdown in