Monthly Archives: July 2008

Reshaping Restaurants

As discussed in this article, mid-tier casual restaurants are starting to suffer due to rising food costs and dropping consumer spending. Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale restaurants are closing their doors. My empathy goes to the restaurants’ now unemployed workers, but maybe that pain will reap some greater good. I have an idea for restaurants: […]

July 31, 2008 | Posted in Restaurant | Comments closed

Waste, Bagged

You know the whole “greening your kitchen” thing has hit the mainstream when the AP writes about BioBags. That means these compostable food waste bags appeared in publications North and South. I haven’t used these corn-based bags, mostly because I figure why buy something that’s not entirely necessary. But I can see their usefulness in […]

July 30, 2008 | Posted in Composting | Comments closed

Conference Waste

Many of you have concluded a conference and thought, ‘What a waste.’ But you probably weren’t referring to the food. Last week I was walking through a hotel conference center after lunch and was amazed by what I saw: About 50 excess boxed lunches. It was nearly 2 p.m. and a hotel staffer had started […]

July 29, 2008 | Posted in Events | Comments closed

Tomato Tally

This week, tomato farmers will ask Congress for aid to offset their losses stemming from the incorrect assertion that tomatoes were causing salmonella. (It was Mexican-grown jalapeño peppers.) And farmers are considering a few other options, too. The off-target warning effectively killed the market for tomatoes. By the time the FDA rescinded its original warning […]

July 28, 2008 | Posted in Farm, Food Safety, General | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

If a farmer harvested inefficiently, would you say it was a criminal act? In light of the mounting food shortages, the Belarusian president thinks it’s a prison-worthy offense. — — I’d love it now, but I guess I can wait two years for a waste-powered car. — — Why spend $1,350 to do the wrong […]

July 25, 2008 | Posted in Composting, Farm, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, International | Comments closed

Breaking News: ARAMARK Trayless Study Out

ARAMARK studied trayless dining at 25 college campuses and has just published a white paper on its findings. As you’ll see in the press release, food waste decreased by 25 to 30 percent when trays were removed from dining facilities. What’s even more exciting is that the food service provider estimated that more than half […]

July 24, 2008 | Posted in College, General, Trayless | Comments closed

News Day

Across all media, yesterday was a big day for food waste news. First, CBS’ The Early Show had a segment on food waste, echoing an earlier one on The Today Show. Then (MS)NBC ran an AP story on how Americans waste produce. The story had some useful tips on how to avoid losses amongst your […]

July 24, 2008 | Posted in Household, Trayless | Comments closed

Sloppy (Joe) Compost

The Gonzales, Calif., school system just announced that it will convert its food waste to fertilizer, thanks to a company called Converted Organics. This effort comes on the heels of Converted Organics’ July 1 start to process food waste at its Woodbridge, N.J. facility. Here, the company’s enclosed aerobic composting technology has a more specific […]

July 23, 2008 | Posted in Composting, School | Comments closed

Eating Contests: Where Everyone Loses

Eating contests: fun, folksy ritual or waste of food? This article from Singapore raised that question and forced me to revisit the topic I’d previously considered. Sorry to play the wet blanket here, especially in the summertime, but I’m gonna say it: eating contests seem silly. Dare I say…gluttonous. Now this may just be that […]

July 22, 2008 | Posted in History and Culture, International | Comments closed

Priced to Waste

Yesterday, I made a five-hour drive on I-95 from DC to Carolina. At a gas stop, I was tempted by a sign: 99 cent Icees. I don’t usually buy that kinda stuff, and I’m more of a Slush Puppie actually, but the intense traffic and heat weakened my defenses. Inside the store, I couldn’t believe […]

July 21, 2008 | Posted in History and Culture, Personal | Comments closed