In Brief 2012-04-01

The University of Vermont has announced that it has become the fifth school in the nation, and the first large university east of California, to sign on to a program launched last fall called the Real Food Campus Commitment. The commitment obligates the university to serve 20 percent “real food” at all its campus food outlets by 2020.

Sodexo has inked a 10-year contract to manage dining operations at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. The company will provide cafe, concessions, catering services and new dining options in 22 locations throughout the park and will also include education about the health of humans and the planet to help visitors make informed decisions.

Aramark is launching a new brand called Aramark Healthcare Technologies that combines the capabilities of the company's legacy Clinical Technology Services organization with its recently acquired Masterplan business to create a broad medical equipment management organization.

The University of Nevada at Reno plans to dedicate some of its land to farming in a new start-up experiment that is expected to supply the school's dining services, as well as other area foodservice outlets, with fresh local produce.

Virginia Tech plans to open its newest dining hall, Turner Place, this fall on the academic side of its campus. The two-story, 35,000-sq.ft. facility is budgeted to cost $33 million and will house eight restaurant concepts ranging from national brands like Qdoba, Jamba Juice and Bruegger's Bagels to self-developed brands.

Sodexo has launched an application that allows candidates to apply for jobs directly through the app while also letting them immerse themselves in the company's culture through YouTube and the Sodexo USA Careers Blog and directly connect with recruiters through Twitter and Facebook as they conduct their job search.

Guckenheimer Enterprises, Inc., is expanding its business into new culinary ventures and partnerships with the building of a $1 million brand new commissary kitchen in South San Francisco, slated to open July 1.

Commitments by the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and John Muir Health to purchase all of their liquid eggs from a cage-free supplier has helped that supplier, Wilcox Farms, manage despite the greater costs associated with cage-free operation.