5 things: UC Berkeley commits to 50% plant-based dining by 2027

In this edition of 5 Things, Food Management highlights five things you may have missed recently about developments affecting onsite dining.

Here’s your list for today:

 1.    UC-Berkeley commits to 50% plant-based dining by 2027

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is has announced a collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley to set a goal of transitioning 50% of entrees offered in dining commons on campus to be plant-based by 2027, becoming the first school in the University of California system to take such a step. To kickstart the collaboration, the HSUS staff have joined Berkeley Dining and Sustainability teams to host a plant-based takeover in the school’s largest on-campus dining commons, Crossroads to sample a new plant-based Fall Grain Salad Stuffed Acorn Squash and garner student feedback on the dish.

Read more: UC Berkeley commits to 50% plant-based dining by 2027

2.    Aramark CFO Ondrof to retire

Aramark has announced that CFO Tom Ondrof plans to retire from his current position on January 12, 2024, at which time he will serve as a strategic advisor through May 2024. Jim Tarangelo, Aramark’s senior vice president of finance and treasurer, has been appointed to succeed Ondrof as CFO, effective January 13.

Related:5 things: University of Minnesota plans $40M in dining hall upgrades

Read more: Aramark Announces Tom Ondrof Plans to Retire as Chief Financial Officer; Jim Tarangelo, SVP Finance & Treasurer, Appointed Successor

 3.    UC-Santa Barbara student dining workers vote to form union

A supermajority of student dining-hall workers at UC Santa Barbara have officially agreed to file for union recognition as the Student Dining Labor Union, which will be the first undergraduate union for dining-hall workers on a University of California campus. Workers filed for union recognition with the Public Employment Relations Board office, and the dining hall workers plan to join the UAW Local 2865 chapter, which currently represents more than 36,000 student workers in the UC system, including teaching assistants and graduate student researchers, instructors, and tutors at UCSB.

Read more: UC Santa Barbara Dining-Hall Workers to Form Union

 4.    Milk dispensers help elementary school cut waste

Darrington Elementary School in Everett, Wash. recently unveiled two new milk dispensers that allow students to fill reusable cups with fat-free chocolate or original milk straight from a spigot instead of getting disposable milk cartons, which recycling facilities typically don’t accept and which therefore end up in landfills. The dispensers have also cut product waste as District Foodservice Director Amy Belknap says she often poured out four to five gallons of milk every day from cartons left behind by students, a number that has dropped to less than half a gallon since the dispensers were installed.

Related:5 tech things: Levy to debut next-gen fan f&b experience at new Los Angeles arena

Read more: Darrington school reduces lunchroom waste with new milk dispensers

 5.    Hospital allies with local restaurant to offer fresh sushi

For the past few months, Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas has been working to partner with a local restaurant, Tokyo Steak House & Sushi Bar, to to offer fresh sushi in the hospital's Terrace Cafe. "It was a wonderful opportunity to stay local with that, which we love," Baptist Hospital Director of Food and Nutrition Breanne Flowers said. "Tokyo really does connect our community with elevated Asian cuisine, and they are wonderful at introducing many of us to sushi for the first time."

Read more: Beaumont hospital to offer sushi from local restaurant

Bonus: 10 top onsite dining trends we saw in 2023

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]