5 things: Facebook cafeteria workers protest over wages

Each Friday Food Management compiles a list that highlights five things you probably missed in the onsite foodservice news that week and why you should care about them.

Here’s your list for the week of July 15:

1. Facebook cafeteria workers protest over wages

Cafeteria workers for Facebook and Instagram picketed outside the social media giant’s San Francisco location this week. Recently unionized and employed through contracted Flagship Facility Services, the workers were asking for higher wages and better healthcare coverage, and they held signs that read “One job should be enough,” in reference to their pay. The workers have been negotiating their first union contract since April.

Read more: Facebook cafeteria workers call out social media giant

2. School drives milk consumption with coffee

Bismarck Public Schools has a new way to drive milk consumption: coffee bars. Nutrition Program Director Michelle Wagner found that many students were coming to school with coffee purchased outside, so she figured, why not beat them at their own game? The result was Red, White and Brew stations at the high schools where coffee, lattes and smoothies are offered. Each 12-ounce item includes 8 ounces of milk, which helps drive up milk consumption. Another benefit of the coffee shops: an increase in breakfast participation.

Related:5 things: The great campus dining hall Wi-Fi disconnect…

Read more: High school kids are drinking more milk

3. Could we face a produce shortage?

Eat your fruits and veggies. We’ve heard this from birth. But a new study finds that if everyone ate the recommended amount of fruits and veggies—400 grams per person per day—the world wouldn’t have enough. That’s the findings of a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health. Right now, only 55% of people live in countries with adequate availability of fruits and veggies. As the world’s population increases, an estimated 1.5 billion more people will live in areas with insufficient supply by 2050.

Read more: If We All Ate Enough Fruits And Vegetables, There'd Be Big Shortages

4. Better nutrition helps patients recover

Food as medicine. That’s not an entirely new concept, but it is one that is gaining traction. A study by Advocate Health Care and Abbot has confirmed this. They tested to see what would happen to patients after they left the hospital if they received nutrition education and nutritional drinks. It turns out, it helps. Patients who received those services were 20% less likely to be readmitted 90 days after an injury or illness. 

Read more: Eating Well Can Help Patients Recover

Related:5 things: Study quantifies benefits of universal school meals

5. Houston’s market tackles food insecurity

As colleges focus more on providing solutions for food insecurity among their students, the University of Houston, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, is running a market. This story shares a great example of a community coming together to help out. Part of the program is a food scholarship that provides money for food to about 300 students.

Read more: UHD’s food market provides free groceries weekly, letting students focus on studies instead of financial worries

Bonus: Restaurant Associates brings authentic Thai to the menu

Contact Becky Schilling at [email protected].

Follow her on Twitter: @bschilling_FM