There’s rarely a dull moment in the foodservice industry, and this year was no exception. Read on for a look at some of the notable news developments from 2019.
As labor woes continue to roil the foodservice sector, the Department of Labor in September announced a new salary threshold for overtime pay eligibility, upping the amount under which workers qualify to $35,560 from $23,660. Foodservice operations could see a jump in labor costs come Jan. 1, when the new threshold takes effect. Earlier this year, the DOL predicted that 1.3 million workers would see an increase in compensation as a result of the change.
This spring, six states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration over its rollbacks to the school meal standards established under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The suit took issue with the potential health effects of easing the whole-grain and milk requirements as well as how the new rules were enacted. (Though the changes have created some controversy, in a recent FSD survey of K-12 operators, 75% of respondents said they were in favor of the latest rollbacks.)
Calif. banned alternative meals for students with meal debt
Though a number of states and municipalities have taken measures to mitigate lunch shaming in their schools, California went ahead and banned the practice of providing alternative meals altogether. Lunch shaming continues to be a contentious topic, with a number of districts seeing meal debts pile up. Some districts have even set up GoFundMe pages with the hopes of recouping a portion of that debt.
The major contract management company announced a change in leadership this fall, bringing back company veteran John Zillmer as CEO amid a period of growing activism from a large stockholder. Zillmer had previously spent 18 years at Aramark before taking CEO posts elsewhere.
School-based therapy company, ProCare Therapy ranked which states have the healthiest school meals based on five different factors, including NSLP participation and participation in farm-to-school.
More is more with these sporty menu items, from the LA Cheesesteak Dog to the Milwaukee Brat Burger to Steak Elote Empanadas to Stuffed Concha Bread and Smoked Meat Rings.