By Anita Murray, CEO, William Murray PR & Marketing 

Foodservice has always been a demanding environment. But it is rare for the industry to be under this level of sustained, multi-directional pressure.

Rising input costs have become a permanent feature of pricing conversations. Labour shortages continue to reshape menus, skills and service models. Sustainability expectations are accelerating faster than the systems and data needed to support them. At the same time, availability remains fragile and trust across the supply chain is being tested.

In response to these pressures, we’ll shortly be publishing new research exploring what foodservice operators actually want from suppliers – and why so much supplier marketing and PR is failing to build credibility, partnership and growth in this environment.

Against a tough backdrop, suppliers are investing heavily in innovation, sustainability programmes and brand marketing. Yet many are frustrated that this effort isn’t translating into stronger relationships, influence or long-term partnerships, despite significant investment in marketing and communications.

That gap, between effort and impact, is what prompted our research.

Over the past few months, we’ve spoken in depth with chefs, caterers, wholesalers, procurement specialists, sustainability leads, trade bodies and industry media. We explored: what helps supplier communication land credibly when operators are under this much pressure?

The answers were strikingly consistent.

Operators are not asking for louder messaging or more product launches. They want transparency over pricing, supply and sustainability. They want proof rather than promises. They want relevance to real kitchen and commercial pressures. And they value suppliers who help them lead conversations and remove complexity, rather than add to it.

Too often, they experience the opposite: generic product-led messaging, corporate sustainability narratives disconnected from operational reality, and “innovation” that feels abstract or impractical. As one editor put it bluntly, suppliers need to deliver a simple, value-led message: “Why do I need this product in my operation?”

What’s emerging is what I would describe as a credibility moment for foodservice suppliers.

Many businesses are doing good work – investing responsibly, improving quality, innovating with purpose. But that work is frequently undermined by how it is communicated through marketing and PR. Overclaiming, vague commitments and polished narratives create distance at a time when relevance and proof matter more than ever.

Our forthcoming report sets out what operators, wholesalers and media actually want from suppliers in 2026 – and how marketing and PR leaders can respond. It explores why credibility is built through operational reality, honest sustainability communication and evidence-led insight, rather than volume or visibility.

Want to receive the report first? Sign up to the William Murray newsletter to receive the full report when it’s released, alongside practical insight on how marketing and communications can build trust, influence and long-term relevance, by aligning more closely with operational reality.