In 2015, Aramark and American Heart Association (AHA) came together when they realized they shared not only goals to improve eating habits nationwide, but a motivation to make measurable change before 2020. For years, Aramark had been working on health and wellness, with an army of 750 dietitians and its Healthy for Life® program in place.
Read MoreGreen Monday is a movement to promote and enable “low-carbon plant-based living.” In 2014, Fast Company named it one of the 50 most innovative companies in China. It was founded in Hong Kong in 2012, and in just the last three years, the percentage of the seven million residents of Hong Kong who consider themselves “hard core meat lovers” has dropped by a third, from 27 percent of the population to 17 percent.
Read MoreIn February 2014, the governor’s office of California hosted a meeting welcoming investors, food industry veterans, and other stakeholders, to pose a pie-in-the-sky question: How can we adapt the best practices of Silicon Valley around supporting innovation and entrepreneurship to have a direct impact on the health and sustainability of our food system?
Read MoreThe standard business model for scratch cooking with high-quality ingredients involves passing on the costs to the diner by marking up the price of the item to compensate. But at Modern Market, they apply an engineer’s concern for operational efficiency to the fast casual food experience. Why? To bring the price point down and make great tasting, healthy food options accessible to the masses.
Read MoreMenus of Change is deeply committed to the measurement of change: What impact is the initiative having on the foodservice leaders who engage with it, and on the industry as a whole? The CIA aims to find out how operators use the initiative’s guidance throughout the year.
Read MoreWhen walking into Luke’s Lobster, a “taste the source” chalkboard on the wall indicates the exact harbor where the lobster in the lobster roll was caught. The server at the counter will then explain that, for example, Stonington is located in Downeast Maine, and it is named after old rock quarries, which used to be a big part of the economy that today relies more on lobstering.
Read MoreWhen it comes to selling food to American consumers, fruits and vegetables don’t get the lion’s share of the marketing budgets. That’s a problem, because Americans on average aren’t eating nearly enough fruits and vegetables compared to the daily recommended level. But an unprecedented new partnership is betting on the potential of a powerful tactic in Hollywood: product placement.
Read MoreStanford University is known for many things: academic rigor, an idyllic campus dubbed “the Farm,” and a pipeline of innovation to neighboring Silicon Valley. It is also an athletic powerhouse. NCAA student-athletes are provided a specific meal each day through the university’s Training Table program, which is designed to maximize athletic performance through proper nutrition.
Read MoreThe Washington, D.C.-based José Andrés, known for a wide range of successful restaurants in his ThinkFoodGroup portfolio, launched the first of a vegetable-centric quick service restaurant with the tongue-in-cheek name “Beefsteak” (as in the tomato) and a tagline that proclaims “vegetables, unleashed.”
Read MoreAccording to the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot in 2015 survey, which bases its annual forecast on input from these chefs, nearly all of the Top 20 Food Trends relate to health and sustainability. Locally sourced animal proteins and produce make the top 10, as do sustainable sourcing, transparency about point-of-origin, and healthy, minimally processed foods.
Read MoreCompass Group USA, the leading foodservice management and support services company, announced in February that it has adopted four new initiatives based on the Menus of Change Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus. Compass Group posted $13.6 billion in revenues in 2014, and has made commitments towards health and environmental imperatives over the years.
Read MoreIn 2006, three childhood friends, Ike Grigoropoulos, Ted Xenohristos, and chef Dimitri Moshovitis, all children of Greek immigrants, opened Cava Mezze, a full-service restaurant that emulates the mezze style (small plates) of dining prevalent in Greece and throughout the Mediterranean. Cava Mezze now has three locations.
Read MoreFarm-to-table has been taken far beyond just restaurants to a wide range of institutions. In April, thanks to a $50,000 grant from USDA, Farm to Institution New England (FINE) held its first Farm to Institution Summit at University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A public-private network across six states, FINE brought together advocates to increase the amount of local and regional food served in schools, colleges and universities, and hospitals.
Read MoreWhat would Menus of Change be without measuring the change that the initiative catalyzes? In January, the CIA surveyed past attendees of the Menus of Change Annual Leadership Summit to ask what use they make of the information they are throughout the year.
Read MoreThe venture capital community is backing a host of new restaurant companies that emphasize plant-forward menus, scratch cooking, and carefully sourced ingredients, as well as a group of food companies that are looking to replace animal proteins with plants, from Beyond Meat and Hampton Creek, which are coming up with plant-based replacements, to Amazing Protein, which is finding ways to reduce the amount of meat used in processing plants.
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