In September, John Turenne, president and founder of Sustainable Food Systems, and fellow of the Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability, spoke at the Society for Foodservice Management national conference.
Many of those in attendance were from corporate dining operations, which was refreshing to Turenne as corporate dining operations historically have not been on the front lines of sustainability. While they are not as active in sustainability programs as their healthcare and education foodservice counterparts, corporate dining operations are beginning to take sustainability seriously because it has a direct impact on their sales and revenue.
Turenne explains that corporate dining facilities, as well as other foodservice operations, often take a narrow-minded approach to sustainability.
“When implementing or operating a sustainable foodservice program, many individuals only focus on providing local or healthy food,” he says. “While this is important, they must not neglect other areas of focus.”
According to Turenne, there are five categories of focus: food and products, facilities, community, communication and fiscal responsibility. Many foodservice operations make the mistake of focusing too heavily on one or two of these areas, but to experience all the benefits a sustainability program has to offer, each of these areas must be addressed on some level.
“A corporate dining operation might have a great food and products plan, but if they don’t have the right equipment to prepare that food, their program won’t be effective,” says Turenne. “Furthermore, corporate dining facilities that don’t communicate their sustainability initiatives effectively won’t see the desired financial results.”
Establish a Benchmark and Then Set Goals
Turenne advises those corporate dining operations looking to establish a sustainability program first assess where they are in the sustainability spectrum. Once a corporate dining operation establishes its level of sustainability involvement, it can identify the next steps to improve upon it.
Turenne outlines the four levels of involvement: Foodservice operations in the first level have little or no program in place. The second level consists of operations that have made some commitment and investment to sustainability. The third level includes those operations that have made sustainability part of their strategic plan and have made moderate financial investments. The fourth level includes those companies that have a global sustainability approach, have their own experts and serve as examples for others to follow.
“It’s the same approach for facilities that have a sustainability program in place already. First they need to assess their current situation, and then they can develop a customized action plan to get to the next level,” says Turenne. “No matter where a corporate dining operation is in the sustainability spectrum, they can always improve. There is always something else they can do.”
Turenne says his company helps clients develop customized plans developed based on staffing, infrastructure, budget, internal support, geographic location and local food suppliers in the area.
Reap the Benefits
There is a misconception that implementing a sustainability program increases costs because sustainable foods are more expensive, but that isn’t the case.
“When implemented in the correct way, a sustainable program can reduce total operating costs through less waste, energy and water use,” says Turenne. “Not to mention, a successful program will generate additional revenue through increased sales.”
Decreasing total operating costs is a key concern, especially since corporate dining operations face increasing competition from local quick-service restaurants and other foodservice operations.
For more information on how to help corporate dining or other clients establish or improve a sustainability program, click here. Sustainable Food Systems can be reached here.
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