New food-labeling legislation would standardize expiration language
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) on Wednesday announced the Food Date Labeling Act, which would standardize consumer food expiration labels to indicate “Best if used by” to indicate when shelf-stable foods will be at their tastiest, and “expires on” for riskier foods like raw meat, fish and eggs, The Washington Post reports. Since these labels aren’t federally regulated, states presently are able to choose their own wording and length of freshness.
What it means for operators: National Restaurant Association spokeswoman Rachel Sabales told FoodService Director in May that the group encourages its members to adhere to the Food and Drug Administration Food Code, which reads: “The day or date marked by the food establishment may not exceed a manufacturer’s use-by date if the manufacturer determined the use-by date based on food safety.” While the Food Date Labeling Act as written only applies to consumer food products, it could have a trickle-down effect on other areas of the food industry. Currently, states are in charge of determining the appropriate use-by or expiration dates of foods from eggs to meat—if a nationwide standard comes into the conversation, it could have a huge effect on the amount of food waste in noncommercial operations.
Philadelphia schools’ sustainability plan targets waste reduction, health
While K-12 districts from Denver Public Schools in Colorado to Cherry Hill Public Schools in New Jersey have had actionable sustainability plans in place for years, The School District of Philadelphia’s GreenFutures, announced Monday, is a first for the eighth-largest district in the nation. The five-year sustainability plan includes action in the areas of Education for Sustainability, Consumption and Waste, Energy and Efficiencies, School Greenscapes and Healthy Schools, Healthy Living, according to a news release.
What it means for operators: While the district’s goals of reducing landfill contributions by 10 percent and energy consumption by 20 percent will be notable in the arena of food waste, the Healthy Schools, Healthy Living area will focus on developing a plan for access to clean drinking water. It’s intriguing that water is a primary health focus for the district rather than nutritious menus, and Philadelphia’s solutions could serve as a model in areas like Chicago, Detroit and Flint, Mich., which all are embroiled in controversy over safe lead levels.
Starbucks selling $496 million in sustainability bonds
Starbucks last week announced plans to sell nearly a half-billion dollars in bonds specifically earmarked to fund sustainability projects, The Huffington Post reports, a first for the coffee giant. In 2008, Starbucks announced its plans to serve 100 percent “ethically sourced” coffee by 2015; in 2014, about 96 percent of coffee sold met the company’s sustainability standards.
What it means for operators: Could FSDs use a Kickstarter-like model to fund sustainability projects like gardens, solar energy or composting programs at their own operations? This seems like the most logical translation of “bonds” in a noncommercial facility. K-12 CSA, here we come. Operators who source Starbucks products in their operations also can use this latest announcement as a sustainability marketing point for consumers concerned with the environment