Catering giant Compass has cheered a boost in sales and profits as more businesses opt to outsource food services in the face of complex regulation and the risk of allergies. The business, which is the world’s biggest catering group with around 590,000 staff, generated revenues of 25 billion US dollars (£18.4 billion) for the six months to the end of March. This was 9% higher than the same period a year before, at constant currencies, and was partly driven by a 2.7% increase in prices. Compass said sales were boosted by it winning new business contracts worth 4.1 billion dollars (£3 billion) over the period, which was 14% higher than the previous year, with around half coming from clients who were outsourcing catering for the first time. Dominic Blakemore, the group’s chief executive, said the company was operating in a “highly attractive” market and it was targeting new sub-sectors for growth and tapping into the “AI ecosystem”.…