5 things: Carton shortage threatens school milk programs across multiple states

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.    Looming carton shortage could affect school milk programs in multiple states

Schools across multiple states are experiencing “milk supply chain challenges” due to a nationwide shortage of half-pint milk cartons related to packaging issues, warns a recent release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which advised that schools affected by the shortages could temporarily be flexible with whether they provide milk with meals or not. The supply shortages, which are expected to last into early 2024, are also likely to affect hospitals, prisons and other settings with cafeterias.

Read more: Got Milk … Cartons? School Cafeterias Won’t, Thanks to a Shortage

 2.    Chartwells finds climate labels influence student demand for sustainable meal options

After Chartwells Higher Education added climate labels to dining hall menus, it found that student demand for low-impact recipes increased, with the company recording a 37% rise in the production of recipes that received positive ratings from HowGood, the sustainability intelligence company it partnered with in May 2022 to measure the overall sustainability of its menu items based on social and environmental impact metrics. In addition, while less than a third of Chartwells' recipes menued nationwide received positive HowGood scores in Fall 2022, that increased to nearly half (44%) one year later, a number the company plans to further increase moving forward as recipe development and innovation will be based on greenhouse gas emissions-reducing potential, as well as nutrition, taste, and cost.

Related:5 things: Celebrity chefs develop recipes for NYC schools

Read more: New Data Finds Student Demand for Low-Impact Meals Increases After Climate Labeling Menu Additions

 3.    Home offices no longer a thing?

In a possible sign that the remote work trend may be peaking is news that the market for home offices is plummeting, with Zillow reporting that listings mentioning a “Zoom room” or “home office” are down 41.4%, those mentioning an “office shed” are down 31% and those mentioning a “cloffice” (i.e., a closet that can be transformed into a workspace) are down 54%. Those are declines from the height of the home office boom during the COVID pandemic.

Read more: The Home Office Was a Must-Have During Covid. Now It’s Just Meh

 4.    Aramark partners with sustainable seafood institute

Aramark Collegiate Hospitality has announced a new culinary partnership with the Audubon Nature Institute’s Gulf United for Lasting Fisheries (GULF) sustainable seafood program. In early 2023, members of Aramark’s Collegiate Hospitality South Region and New Orleans-based Audubon Nature Institute began a culinary partnership pilot program with a goal of understanding sustainable sourcing practices from the Gulf of Mexico, aiming to educate chefs on sustainable seafood and promote the use of sustainably caught species from the Gulf in their culinary creations.

Related:5 things: Report finds afterschool meal participation drop

Read more: Aramark Collegiate Hospitality and Audubon Nature Institute Announce Culinary Partnership for Sustainable Seafood

 5.    Legends lands Toronto Blue Jays F&B contract

Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays has announced a long-term partnership with Legends Hospitality to oversee all food and beverage—including general concessions, premium clubs/suites and catering—at the team's Rogers Centre home field beginning this season. Rogers Centre is currently undergoing a $300 million privately funded renovation to transform the stadium into a ballpark and modernize the fan experience, for which Legends’ global planning division serves as the owner’s representative while the Legends hospitality division provided consultation on the popular Outfield District that opened this past season and the new premium clubs expected to debut in 2024.

Read more: Toronto Blue Jays select Legends as new hospitality partner at Rogers Centre

Bonus: Here’s what they are serving at NHL areas this season

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]