In BRIEF

Aramark has completed the acquisition of ServiceMaster’s facility services business (for more, see the November 2001 issue).

Methodist Healthcare of Memphis has signed a three-year agreement with the Morrison Healthcare division of Compass Group to provide foodservice management, product procurement and delivery services to its five area hospitals. As part of the deal, Morrison will pick up the $2.6 million cost of converting one facility’s kitchen into a centralized food preparation facility that will provide food to some 1,000 patients and over 7,000 employees at all five hospitals.

Gov. Gray Davis recently signed into law legislation that prohibits the sale of certain high-fat and high-sugar competitive foods and carbonated drinks in California elementary schools. Middle- and high schools that voluntarily follow the restrictions will be eligible for higher meal reimbursement rates.

The Defense Dept. has added to its normal military food procurement authorization lists ground beef and poultry products that have been processed using electron beam technology to kill pathogens.

Compass Group and Levy Restaurants have entered into a long-term agreement with Speedway Motorsports to provide onsite foodservice and catering for all its racing events, daily operations and minor league baseball contracts. SMI operates six venues with more than 750,000 permanent seats and 663 private suites.

If it glows, it goes. An experimental scanner that detects contamination on beef carcasses is being installed in several packing plants on a trial basis. The devices pick up the minute glow emitted by the chlorophyll present in fecal matter. If the trial is successful, mass implementation can begin later this year.

Illinois looks at outsourcing. To save money in light of reduced tax revenues and increased outlays, Illinois Gov. James Ryan says he is looking at outsourcing foodservice (and other services) at state healthcare, corrections and social services institutions.

Volume Services America has won the catering and retail foodservice contract for the Horizon Convention Ctr. in Muncie, IN.

Compass Group is making a friendly takeover bid for Seiyo Food Systems in order to turn the company into a wholly owned subsidiary that could give the British conglomerate a foothold in the Japanese market. Seiyo operates catering services in commercial facilities.

Women in Management: Analysis of Selected Data From the Current Population Survey is a study by the General Accounting Office available to the public. Ask for GAO-02-156 at www.gao.gov or call (202) 512-6000.

The American Hospital Association has a general bookstore on its website (www.ahaonlinestore.com) with a series of modules addressing a number of topics relevant to foodservice professionals. These include "Using Meal Equivalents and Cost Allocation Methods to Prepare Monthly Performance Reports," "Developing Staffing Plans and Labor Cost Budgets" and "Financial Analysis Tools."