The lodging industry recovers from an economic recession from the top down. High-end travelers return first, followed by business travelers. Dad, mom, the kids and the snorkels come back last. That may explain why the lodging industry focused first on improving amenities valued by frequent travelers as the recession eased. Unlike vacationers seeking unlimited buffet […]
More than 37,000 Texas restaurant owners and operators now have access to health insurance and related products and services through the Restaurant Health Care Alliance, a joint project of the National Restaurant Association and UnitedHealthcare. The Alliance, partnering with the Texas Restaurant Association, provides a suite of health care products that will help Texas restaurant […]
The National Restaurant Association (www.restaurant.org) today announced a month-long initiative to encourage restaurant and foodservice operators to participate in the 17th Annual National Food Safety Education Month (NFSEM) this September. The campaign focuses on the importance of food safety education and training, while continuing to raise awareness of the industry's commitment to food safety. […]
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is releasing the Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Interactive Resource Disc for use by foodservice establishments and retail food stores in preventing transmission of foodborne pathogens that are often transmitted by sick food employees. The disc includes an interactive tool to assist the persons in charge of these establishments […]
Muscle Maker Grill, a chain of casual eateries that serves “great food with your health in mind,” announces plans to add 16 restaurants to its existing locations by the end of the year. This marks two years in a row of 100 percent growth in new unit openings for Muscle Maker Grill. As part of […]
September marks National Rice Month and the start of the USA Rice Federation’s annual “Healthy Rice Bowls Contest” for kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) school foodservice directors and menu planners. Meeting a variety of school foodservice needs, rice bowls encourage healthier eating habits in students, help schools meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines’ recommendation for more […]
A new Culinary Visions Panel survey finds more evidence that casual restaurant diners are enticed by invisibly healthy menu items that sound delicious and indulgent. Chicago-based Olson Communications created 16 invisibly healthy menu concepts and asked consumers to rate how likely they would be to order each item. Although every item was healthy by design, consumers rated […]
Nestle Waters North America, on behalf of its six sparkling regional spring water brands – Arrowhead, Deer Park, Ice Mountain, Ozarka, Poland Spring, and Zephyrhills – announced the findings from its recent survey. The survey complements a new breakthrough online and social media campaign called Nature's Fix, promoting Nestle Waters' sparkling spring water and encouraging consumers to get hooked on healthy […]
The August 2011 issue of Health Affairs included a study leaving Americans wondering if they can afford to eat healthy. Produce Marketing Association (PMA) sheds some light on the issue and shares research pointing to fresh fruits and vegetables as a key to eating healthy on a budget. The article “Following Federal Guidelines to Increase […]
The Cheesecake Factory expands its offerings with a newlow calorie menu named SkinnyLicious. “We are very happy to introduce our new SkinnyLicious menu to our guests,” says David Overton, founder of The Cheesecake Factory. “We wanted to create a menu that delivers an exceptional dining experience to our calorie-conscious guests, without compromising the delicious taste […]
Ecolab Inc. has been named to Forbes magazine's "The World's Most Innovative Companies" list, which appears in the August 8 issue of Forbes. Ecolab ranks 28 out of 100 companies on the global list. "Our purpose — to make the world cleaner, safer, and healthier, everywhere it matters — drives our commitment to innovation," says Douglas […]
With obesity rates on the rise, the Carnegie Mellon University School of Design's Fitwits project and Pittsburgh-based Eat'n Park Restaurants are joining forces to help fight the epidemic. Fitwits is a fun, hands-on program designed to inform kids and families about healthy eating and active living. The game encourages families to interact with each other, […]
Portion control is a tenet of healthy eating, and it appears that consumers are increasingly aware of the importance of managing the portion size of the foods they eat, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. For a recent report entitled Healthy Eating Strategies by Generation, NPD compiled a list of 30 […]
ClearEdge Power, a manufacturer of high-efficiency stationary fuel cells, today announced that Stone Edge Farm, an organic farm and winery located in California’s Sonoma Valley, is leveraging the ClearEdge5 system to advance its energy efficiency and sustainability goals. The ClearEdge5 system enables Stone Edge Farm to significantly reduce the energy costs required to run a […]
A recent Cintas Corporation telephone survey conducted by Harris Interactive among more than 1,000 U.S. adults, ages 18 and older, revealed that 94 percent of U.S. adults would avoid a business in the future if they encountered dirty restrooms. “Dirty restrooms cost businesses lost sales, customers, referrals, and repeat business,” says Mike Thompson, senior vice […]
Georgia-Pacific Professional, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s David J. Sencer Museum and the CDC Foundation, has selected six diversely talented artists to be featured in the upcoming exhibition, Watching Hands: Artists Respond to Keeping Well. Opening September 24, 2011, at the David J. Sencer CDC Museum (formerly the Global Health […]
Two healthy announcements came during America’s largest gathering of K-12 school foodservice directors at the School Nutrition Association’s Annual National Conference at Nashville’s Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center: Windsor Foods’ Fit Kids program and Red Gold’s launch of eight new tomato-based products. Windsor Foods announced a Fit Kids program that ties new, healthy Child […]
One quarter of diners would not complain to a manager if they felt the restaurant they were eating in was unhygienic. They would, however, feel free to pass their negative review on to others, either by word of mouth, or social media. This is according to a report, Healthy People, Healthy Planet, by cleaning and […]
US restaurant sales were hit hard by the recession, and not surprisingly, foodservice purveyors tried to maintain sales and attract customers by promoting value. However, noticeably absent from these value menus are healthy dishes with fresh vegetables, fruits, and other nutritious ingredients. According to the latest research from Mintel Foodservice, 41 percent of restaurant-goers think […]
The National Restaurant Association today is filing comments regarding the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) draft menu labeling regulations. The Association was a primary advocate for the menu labeling law, passed in March 2010, which will require restaurant chains with 20 or more locations operating under the same brand to provide detailed nutrition information to […]
The July 1 California Food Handler Card law compliance deadline is nearing, as more than 900,000 affected foodservice workers seek foundational food safety training. The law, SB 602, was authored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and enacted Jan. 1 to create a statewide standard for safe food handling practices in California’s restaurants. It requires food […]
The expanding waistlines of U.S. consumers have created a flurry of governmental and restaurant industry actions aimed at getting Americans to eat more healthfully. Consumers are slowly getting the hint, but they don’t want to pay more for healthier restaurant food, according to a recently-released report by The NPD Group, a leading market research company. The […]
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) applauded the federal government’s new food icon, MyPlate, which is designed as a guide to help Americans make healthful food choices. “The National Restaurant Association applauds the work to create an icon that gives consumers a clearer idea of how to think of their everyday meal options. The industry will continue to […]
Cintas Corporation, the leader in specialized facility services, and Diversey, Inc., a leading global provider of commercial cleaning, sanitation, and hygiene solutions, announced a strategic alliance to provide custom cleaning and hygiene products and services to Cintas customers. Branded Signet Cleaning Chemical Service, the new foodservice offering combines a portfolio of industry-leading green chemicals with […]
U.S. Foodservice, one of America's leading foodservice distributors, donated 25,000 pounds of food to Chicago-area Feeding America member food banks. The donation is valued at approximately $50,000.00. The food will be split equally between the Norther Illinois Food Bank, located in St. Charles, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository, located in Chicago. The donation marks […]
According to Mintel Foodservice, Chicago, the “local” claim on U.S. restaurant menus has grown by a healthy 13% in the past year. As identified in the 2011 Mintel Menu Insights, there’s a push toward indigenous ingredients, taking the local trend a step further. “This extends the idea beyond geography to include other important attributes such […]
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