Sodexo helps James Beard Foundation with conference

Oct. 19—Sodexo has partnered with the James Bead Foundation for The System on Our Plates, the foundation’s first conference.

Founded in collaboration with the Sustainable Food Laboratory, the invitation-only event will focus on public health and sustainability through the lens of the foodservice industry. It will be held in Washington, D.C. next week.

The agenda is based on a series of regional meetings hosted by the foundation and and the Sustainable Food Laboratory, which were held in Portland, Ore., Portland, Maine, Kansas City, Mo., Long Island, N.Y. and New York. Through various presentations and panels, the conference will address topics such as what can large foodservice operations learn from the experiences of chefs in small, independent restaurants and vice versa and beyond the sourcing of ingredients, how should foodservice operations best address sustainability issues such as water and energy consumption, waste and labor? Guest speakers include Sam Kass, White House chef and senior policy advisor for healthy food initiatives; Mike Strain, commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry; and Chef Nora Pouillon, owner of Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C.

"Sodexo is proud to have a role in the diverse local and national programs initiated through the James Beard Foundation and its launch of The System on Our Plates," Arlin Wasserman, vice president, sustainability and corporate social responsibility for Sodexo, said in a press release. "We look forward to contributing fresh insights from our unique vantage point in the foodservice industry."