The new service tracks sales of food, drink and non-food and has secured the co-operation of 10 major wholesalers including 3663, Booker, Blakemore Foodservice, Brakes, DBC Foodservice, and Woodward Foodservice. Graham Northfield, senior client manager, ACNielsen UK Out Of Home Team, said more wholesalers were preparing to join, and he would welcome interest from others.

The sales data is supplemented by a sample-based audit of catering outlets and turnover information for remaining delivered catering wholersalers, and Northfield said it gave 100% coverage of this route to market.

Releasing the first information gathered by the service, ACNielsen valued the delivered catering wholesale route to market at £6.4bn a year, and said it was growing at 3.1% a year.

Pubs and bars were the key customer segment, accounting for 18.5% of total purchases and contributing most to value growth year on year.

Northfield said: "This service will provide insight into the fragmented foodservice market. Further initiatives will continue towards ACNielsen's goal of tracking 100% of foodservice to enable us to add value to clients' businesses."

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