5 things: University of Michigan commits to 55% plant-based by 2025

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:

The University of Michigan has committed to having 55% plant-based offerings on menus by 2025, in collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). As part of this effort, HSUS chefs recently provided a plant-based culinary training to the university culinary staff, assisted with a plant-based takeover in the East Quad dining hall, and conducted plant-based cooking demonstration for students at Maize and Blue Cupboard food pantry. The events featured new Protein Foundations recipes that highlight whole food, plant-based sources of protein as center-of-the-plate menu offerings.

Read more: University of Michigan commits to 55% plant-based menu offerings and hosts the Humane Society of the United States at culinary events

The two-year-old hydroponics program at Holy Trinity School, a K-8 school in Fall River, R.I., is not only supplying leafy greens for the city school's lunch program but has now partnered with a local restaurant, Metacom Kitchen, a modern American bistro located in nearby Warren, to supply it with not only standard greens but even some customized ones. “Our hydroponics program has gotten to the point where we are able to experiment with flavor profiles, such as a peppery flavor or a mild flavor," says Kevin Flynn, chief technology officer at Holy Trinity. "Or, we can grow produce based upon a new dish created by Chef Rick [Allaire, owner of Metacom Kitchen], as we grew lettuce that would pair nicely with a variety of dishes."

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Read more: School-to-table: Holy Trinity teams up with RI eatery, sharing student-grown produce

One could be forgiven for thinking the workplace of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP was a restaurant rather than a law office as the 140,000-sq.-ft. space at 50 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City boasts a warming kitchen where one can get everything from a cup of coffee to a full meal, not to mention plenty of places to sit down and eat with your food, both inside and out, plus grab-and-go pantries on each practice floor. The offices, designed to serve the needs of some 160 attorneys as well as staff, represent corporate legal representation at its most up to date.

Read more: How One Manhattan Firm’s Office Reflects Big Changes in the Legal Industry

Related:5 things: Elior reports 18.3% revenue increase in fiscal 2021-22

Colorado State University has increased the hourly wage of student Housing & Dining Services employees to $15 an hour, a $1.50 increase. Housing and dining centers have been working with reduced staff following the pandemic, resulting in the closure of Spoons in Allison Hall and the transition of the Durrell Dining Center to only the marketplace and express options.

Read more: Housing & Dining increases student minimum wage to $15 an hour

Dave Flitman will be the new CEO and board member of foodservice distributor US Foods Holding Corp., effective Jan. 5, 2023. Flitman replaces Interim CEO Andrew Iacobucci, who took the post in May following the departure of former CEO Pietro Satriano. Flitman has been president/CEO since April 2021 of Dallas-based Builders FirstSource, the largest U.S. supplier of building products, prefabricated components and value-added services, and was president/CEO at BMC Stock Holdings prior to the merger of the two companies.

Read more: US Foods names Dave Flitman as CEO

Bonus: Sodexo elaborates on 2022 fiscal results with new regional breakouts

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]