Hyperlocal food has become a key trend in the foodservice industry.

Some states and municipalities around the country have announced that they are in the process of implementing or considering implementing bans on the use of natural gas in new building projects now and into the future. This will likely have a direct impact on kitchen design and equipment selection.

For college dining services, it’s a brave new post-pandemic world

The National Association of College & University Food Services named the gold, silver and bronze winners of its 2022 Loyal E. Horton Dining, Nutrition, and Sustainability Awards.

Five foodservice equipment manufacturers were among the more than 200 organizations and businesses honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with its 2022 Energy Star Awards.

Menus expand with fusion mash-ups, plant-forward elements build, and operators seek equipment efficiencies now more than ever.

Green initiatives continue to generate notice among consumers.

Restaurants and foodservice accounts continue to sit up and take notice what customers want from their food packaging. Over the past 18 months, with more takeout and to-go orders than ever, materials that keep food hot (or cold) and retain its quality and integrity have been increasingly in demand.

With health and sustainability at the forefront, plant-forward concepts and offerings continue to blossom.

As takeout options continue to increase, eco-friendly packaging options come into question in terms of balancing sustainability goals with costs, availability and new normal realities.

Over the course of two years, FE&S has continually followed the Kitchen of the Future project led by the PG&E Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) in San Ramon, Calif., along with utility partners Southern California Edison and SoCalGas. The project started off by first identifying a diverse group of operators, from smaller, independent restaurants to larger-scale catering, healthcare and other institutions with outdated kitchens that could benefit from an investment in energy- and water-saving equipment.

Pre-consumer composting — the method of composting waste in the kitchen before it reaches the consumer — can be a great first step toward improved waste management. However, post-consumer composting — waste management after consumption — represents the next step toward reducing even more contributions to landfills.

The most recent update from the Food Service Technology Center’s Cookline Project finds faster returns on equipment investments.

With real estate growing tighter, more restaurants and foodservice operators are carving out space on their rooftops to grow vegetables, fruits, herbs — and even manage beehives.

The University of Colorado Boulder and the University of San Diego pledge allegiance to sustainability.

Start saving energy costs on one of the most energy-intensive appliances in commercial foodservice facilities: water heaters.

Today's kitchen efficiency efforts focus on maximizing workflow from dock to dining.

Case Study: A PG&E Cookline Project Update

Solutions being put into practice include donations, animalfeeding and technology.

From farmland to an epicenter for sustainable education, Chatham University’s year-old Eden Hall Campus in the North Hills of Pittsburgh serves as the LEED Platinum-certified, sustainable setting for the Falk School of Sustainability that continues to recruit the next generation of change-seekers and policy makers.

Ever wonder if there is some sort of certification out there to demonstrate proficiency in energy efficiency and sustainability knowledge?

After launching a multifaceted corporate responsibility initiative and new energy-saving steps four years ago, Arby’s saved more than $20 million and achieved its goal to reduce energy consumption by 15 percent by 2015. The sandwich chain has also achieved an 8.6 percent reduction in water consumption in its company-owned restaurants.

Last July, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a series of new rules prohibiting certain refrigerants because of their high global warming potential (GWP). The announcements, however, started a flurry of rumors, worries and myths in the foodservice community because of the confusion about which refrigerants would be banned and how that might affect existing equipment and future selections.

Sometimes it seems there’s a plan for everything. A plan for the day. A plan for the weekend, when you might meet up with friends or go on a family outing. A plan for the kitchen, so you know what needs to go where. A plan for the project, with goals, actions and assessments.

The kitchen of the future has long been a topic of discussion for David Zabrowski of PG&E’s Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) and Don Fisher of Fisher Consulting. This modern day cookline, they say, would feature all energy- and water-saving appliances as well as optimal design, enhanced operator education and maintenance that could get us closer to the unthinkable in our industry: net zero energy.

For this special Green Tip article, FE&S caught up with five champions of sustainability to hear their thoughts on the state and future of green in the foodservice industry.

Panda Restaurant Group, operator of Panda Express, Hibachi-San Japanese Grill and Panda Inn, a modern Asian concept, has been on a steady path toward sustainability for the last decade.

Legendary Hospitality with a Softer Carbon Footprint

Want to know whether a piece of foodservice equipment can back up the manufacturer’s claims of being both energy efficient and high performance? Make one simple request: show me the data.

This month, FE&S examines two Northeastern hospitals with foodservice programs managed by Unidine Corp., which continues to take steps toward enhancing sustainability programs at these and other healthcare facilities.