Things are looking grim for a potential California bill that would allow catering customers to demand that their excess food be donated. After having her bill rebuffed last year, State Sen. Jenny Oropeza has decided to take a slow steady approach this year. It seems like a victory for the loose coalition of intertia, fear and apathy.
— —
Would grocery shopping every other week reduce your food waste? Lifehacker thinks it might.
— —
When colleges and universities go on break, they often have to throw away large amounts of food. A student group at the University of Kansas called Daily Bread is rectifying that situation.
— —
It’s not easy to get estimates on the reduced water and energy use when schools go trayless (from not washing trays). This article posits that Worcester’s Holy Cross expects to save 900 gallons a day!
— —
East Bay homeowners who want to donate backyard fruits or vegetables can do so via Gifts From Our Gardens, a program that brings volunteers to individuals’ yards.
— —
Finally, maybe I should get a sock puppet to help spread the message? I have a real soft spot for England’s fictional French chef Gordon Le Rotter and his sous chef/sock puppet Pierre.
Comments
3 responses to “Friday Buffet”
I’m confused by the Kansas story. Does the dining hall stay open over break? Wouldn’t the easiest thing to do be to close the dining halls and hence not waste any food at all?
And as far as food being wasted at Holy Cross — at my college, the kitchen ladies served the food. We didn’t have the option of over-serving ourselves. What is the total cost of ownership of a buffet? Might it not be cheaper in the long run to have fewer options served at a set time by some servers so not so much food gets wasted?
On the Kansas thing, the dining halls are closed over break, but they have some items left over. At most schools, there’s a lot of food thrown away on the last day of the semester because the dining hall won’t be serving anything the next day. In other words, the leftover roasted chicken that would have become chicken pot pies becomes…trash.
I agree that servers have their merits. Some drawbacks, too. I’m gonna write about this tomorrow (4/6/09)…
Are the breaks a big surprise for foodservice? When I know I’m going to be out of town, I plan our menu accordingly so there isn’t food wasted. Seems to me these campus foodservice operations need to do better planning.