Our Story - 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility by Compass Group USA

Welcome

Food is a powerful medium, bringing people together through love and celebration, nourishing us all, and elevating culture. Food brings us even closer together in times of need. We are inspired by the bravery, dedication and commitment of Compass Group USA chefs and front-line associates, doing what they love and what we so desperately needed in these trying times. They are our Heroes. It takes remarkable collaboration and everyone doing their part to create a positive impact in these challenging times. Without the unwavering support of our dedicated clients, we could not have accomplished all we have this year. To you, we say a heartfelt Thank You! We are so very proud of all that we have done together.

Through food, we can create global change. change. While we look to the future, we are replanting and reconnecting with our food system in a collective effort to create the change we need through food. In its current state, the food system is the leading cause of climate change. We are working hard to change that system by leveraging our scale to be more socially and environmentally responsible, continuing our push for transparency, and creating a culture of change. There is more work to do--and we are committed to doing the right thing for both people and the planet. As the world has changed, our commitment has gone beyond food. We are working to keep you and your guests safe while also being responsible stewards of our environment. In the pages that follow, you will see how deeply "doing the right thing" is embedded in our company culture. It isn't just who we are; it is in everything we do. We are committed to serving food that will not only nourish but will create restorative change. We are menuing more local produce, mitigating food waste while increasing our food recovery efforts and embarking on the journey toward regenerative agriculture. Through these practices, we can heal our world for the generations yet to come. Above all, as challenging as this year has been, it has given us hope and shown us that anything is possible when we work together.

Amy Keister Senior Vice President Sustainability & Culinary

CONTENTS

11 WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE

57 BETTER FOR THE PLANET 3

ENVIRONMENTAL GAME-CHANGERS

OUR STORY 4

2020 SUSTAINABILITY

SCORECARD

21% Goal: 20%

98% Goal: 100%

90% Goal: 100%

Local Produce in support of the American Family Farms

Milk & Yogurt free of artificial growth hormones

Seafood from sustainable sources (SFW Criteria)

46,213,859 lbs

24,426,592 gal

9,723,956 lbs

93 % Goal: 100%

91% Goal: 100%

39 % Goal: 25%

Certified Humane Cage-Free (Shell) Eggs

Chicken & Turkey produced without the routine use of human antibiotics

Eco / Fair Trade Certified Coffee

67,408,776 eggs

75,277,816 lbs

3,894,469 lbs

Deviation from our commitments due to shortage in the supply chain

Million Pounds

Removed

Single-Use Plastics

Purchased more than

of Certified Humane Proteins

Purchased more than

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT WE

Million Pounds

of Produce from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW)

ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR!

Purchased more than

Million

of Organic Products

1.3

Donated more than

Million Meals

to Local Communities

Purchased more than

Million 5 1. Pounds

Purchased more than

of Produce from the Equitable Food Initiative (EFI)

Purchased more than

Million

of Green Cleaning Supplies

Million Meals

to Essential Workers

7Million

Purchased more than

Million Pounds

of No-Antibiotics Ever (NAE) Meat

200

Provided

of Certified Fair Trade Goods such as Coffee, Cocoa & Tea

Million 7 1. Pounds Purchased more than

of Plant-Based Meat Alternatives

500 Million

Purchased more than

from Diverse Suppliers

U NITED THE

N A T I O N S' SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

economy

society

BIOSPHERE

Our sustainability strategy contributes to the United Nationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sustainable

GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS

Development Goals (SDG). The UN has identiďŹ ed 17 key challenges facing the world today and these include enormous issues like tackling climate change and poverty across the globe. Each SDG proposes targets for 2030 to achieve a better and more sustainable

In 2019, Compass Group became a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. Members are united by a shared vision of a world where more

future for all. To have any hope of

than 9 billion people are all living well and within

achieving them, countries, businesses,

the boundaries of our planet by 2050. Compass is

NGOs and other stakeholders must all

involved in several food-related work streams to

work together.

help transition to a more sustainable food system.

We contribute to nine of the SDGs where we can have the greatest impact.

We continue to be a committed partner of the EAT Forum, a non-proďŹ t start-up focused on transformation to protect the planet and its resources. EAT connects scientists, politicians, business leaders, chefs, innovators and changemakers to create a healthy and sustainable global food system. Together, we are working to move the world to healthy and sustainable diets, realign food system priorities for people and the planet, produce more of the right food from less, safeguard our land and oceans; and radically reduce food losses and waste.

WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE WELL-BEING

G E G E G E G E G

2020

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Serving more plant-forward food reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The biggest source of emissions from foodservice is directly tied to the food we buy, cook and serve. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why Compass Group USA and Google teamed up to make plant-forward cuisine a priority. When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, not all foods are created equal. Emissions from livestock have a greater impact on the planet due to the methane they generate, land use needed for grazing and crops grown just to feed them. By contrast, plant-forward foods can provide a healthy source of protein with a fraction of the planetary impact. Leading with flavor first, Compass Group deployed a toolbox of four core strategies to help plant-forward foods thrive on the menu while offering guests all their favorites. 14

Make

Plant-Forward Food Delicious With Google’s support, Compass Group created SEED (Skills,

Enrichment, Evolution and Development), a multi-tiered training program fit for its culinary teams, whether a sous chef or a culinary director. The program aims to advance plant-forward culinary skills and educate teams about the impact plant-forward eating has on the health of both the planet and people. In addition, the RePlant Your Menu was created. This introductory version of the SEED curriculum offered as part of career development for Compass Group culinary staff helped train hundreds. Graduates received certificates from Arizona State University’s Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems.

Celebrate

Seasonal ngredients Inspired by the Menus of Change Collaborative, of which Compass Group is a founding member, chefs are skilled at deploying plant-forward “flips,” “blends” and “swaps,” while offering options for a wide variety of diets. Chefs “flip” the traditional portions of meat and vegetables, giving meat a smaller role on the plate; “blend” meat with vegetables for items like burgers, meatballs and meatloaf; and “swap” traditional meat items for a plant-based alternative. Grain bowls, stir-fries and pasta dishes are popular examples that can be flipped to reduce the amount of meat and amplify vegetables on the plate.

Make the

Best Choice the Easy Choice The way options are presented can influence the choices you make. This is especially true for food. Using the behavioral science strategy of choice architecture, Compass Group chefs thoughtfully present plant-forward options so they are more likely to be chosen. This includes offering an abundance of options on every menu, ensuring they are highly visible throughout food spaces and showcasing them at interactive chef stations. To add excitement, cafes are merchandised with colorful produce, grains and spices, while chefs get creative with recipe names to spark flavor memories or remind guests of regional favorites. Regional competitions between campuses encourage chefs to

Focus on nnovation

get creative on new recipe development while encouraging team involvement. Last year, 50 chefs competed to make a three-course plant-forward meal using at least one “agrodiverse” ingredient from Unilever’s Future 50 list of diverse, healthy, environmentally friendly plant-forward foods. We invited those in our cafe spaces to vote for their favorites. These efforts were highly effective in helping new team members understand plant-forward concepts, improving skills and creating a culture of excitement.

These core strategies have successfully reduced the carbon footprint on Google’s campuses. Google’s focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions coupled with Compass Group’s commitment to outstanding plant-forward foods provided a great collaboration to tackle climate change, one delicious meal at a time.

S H I F T I N G PER C EPTI ON S OF P L A N T- F OR WA R D While the majority of Americans want to eat more plant-forward, the culinary community has a challenge when it comes to changing public perception. That’s one takeaway from this year’s virtual Menus of Change conference hosted by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Envision Group’s VP of Nutrition & Wellness, Deanne Brandstetter, was honored to moderate a trends session that featured industry experts in sustainability, food and data analysis. Jack Li, founder of Datassential, highlighted findings from the Plant-Forward Opportunities Report, a joint venture between Datassential and the CIA, that show growing consumer interest in plant-based food consumption and plant-forward diets, with nearly 60% of individuals looking to increase their plant-based food consumption. He identified opportunities and challenges for the volume food industry to address in plant-forward menu development regarding the overall public (mis)perception that plant protein is:

• Inferior to animal protein • Not a “premium” product worthy of consumer investment • Not a food that provides the same level of satiety as animal protein • Less tasty compared to animal protein Darel Scott, sustainability scientist and founder of Earth in Color, looked at the plant-forward movement through the lens of food equity. She noted it is critical that plant-forward diets and plant-based protein be affordable and accessible to communities of color who typically experience higher rates of diet-related chronic diseases. Zak Weston, foodservice analyst at the Good Food Institute, shared industry activity in plant-based research and development both in the US and abroad. The plant-based category has continued to see strong growth as it moves beyond burger substitutes and into mainstream restaurant chains like KFC and Starbucks. Tremendous investments in research and development will continue to improve plant-based agriculture, food technology and overall taste in the near future.

PLANT-BASED

Refers to ingredients, and sometimes recipes, that are made exclusively of plants ingredients and are therefore vegan.

PLANT-FORWARD

A culinary approach that changes up the proportion of plant and animal ingredients used on menus to increase the emphasis on plants. Plant-forward is not exclusively vegetarian or vegan.

W ELL-BEI N G ON D EM AN D It has never been more critical to our clients and guests to support wellness. In our pre-COVID world, most of our well-being initiatives were live events held onsite. When the pandemic made these in-person connections impossible, our chefs and registered dietitians transitioned their expertise to a robust virtual platform and continued to provide value to those now working from home. WeEatLiveDoWell.com is a dynamic, interactive "wellness hub" that offers visitors:

• Weekly Wellness and Sustainability blog posts • COVID-specific series to maintain wellness with trusted information • Recipes with easy-to-follow video instructions • Teaching Kitchen @Home library with 50+ on-demand classes • Ask The Chef & RD section offers one-on-one food and nutrition advice Updated regularly with content from experts across Compass Group and partners, including ChefNet celebrity chefs and vendors, WeEatLiveDoWell.com allows clients to enhance communication with their employees while creating an avenue for sector food and nutrition experts to stay connected with clients and customers.

LIVE LIKE A PRO. Learn from our Registered Dietitians and Chefs on Demand. WeEatLiveDoWell.com

IN S P IR I N G C H A N G E T H R OUG H F OOD Compass Group USA proudly continues its partnership with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to provide plant-based culinary training in response to growing consumer demand for more vegetarian options on menus. The HSUS team developed an outstanding, virtual curriculum offered to chefs, management and foodservice operators without a fee. Courses focus on the health and environmental benefits of cooking delicious meals by adding more vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes. The main topics include trends, telling the story to the guests and practical application through experiential learning. HSUS created a significant amount of recipes exclusively for Compass Group to use with the training and feature on future menus. Upon completing the management training, HSUS also offers one-hour virtual learning for all associates at the unit level. Compass Group is humbled and grateful for the ongoing collaboration with HSUS. This training will continue to influence the depth of knowledge on what is already a strategic focus for the future, providing a more sustainable and nutritious diet for people and the planet. “The Humane Society of the United States is excited to continue our partnership with Compass Group to enhance their plantbased options across all sectors,” says Josephine Morris, Food Policy Manager. “With custom recipe development and virtual culinary workshops that can reach all levels of foodservice professionals, we are setting the stage for plant-based eating to become the norm on Compass menus and to inspire positive change through food.”

N EX TA LK At Compass Group, creating a positive change in the food system and promoting well-being for both people and the planet has never been more relevant. We seek ways to make a difference and leverage our scale to significantly impact the food system by reducing food waste, promoting farmworker rights and partnering with farms. To accelerate transformation, we encourage clients to join our meaningful conversations with thought leaders and esteemed partners like Chef Dan Barber, Tristram Stuart, Dr. Mark Hyman, and Dani Nierenberg. These conversations are available on our NEXTalk Podcast Series. Together, we will shape what’s next. Looking ahead to the future, we are inspired by regenerative agriculture and biodiversity, feeling energized to extend our efforts beyond waste reduction and minimizing our carbon foodprint. We’re taking a holistic approach to providing clients food that’s measurably better, motivation through awareness and education, and solutions to neutralize our impact.

C H EF DA N B A R B ER 23

DAN I NIER EN BERG

D R. MARK HYMAN

TRIS T RAM ST UART

REGE N E R A TI VE AGRICULT UR E Compass Group USA chefs are on a path of discovery to actively support regenerative farming.

Culinarians are

empowered to create innovative menus and recipes that reintroduce ingredients to the kitchen, encourage biodiverse sourcing and have a positive impact on the big picture. Learning, analyzing and embracing change from within starts with internal education on flavor profiles, crop variety and resilience, and farming practices that enrich the soil and, ultimately, the entire ecosystem. Compass Group’s strategic alignment with leading external chefs, farmers, produce houses and partners like Row 7 Seeds allow meals to transform with nutrient-dense ingredients that are specifically bred for taste and flavor while increasing overall diversity and soil health. It’s good for the planet, better for the farmer and great for the consumer who can enjoy healthier meals. “Health, flavor, deliciousness - it’s all one subject that starts and ends with soil. Regenerative Agriculture really means a regenerative food culture,” says Dan Barber, Chef and co-owner of New York’s Blue Hill Restaurants, co-creator of Row 7 Seed Company and author of The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food. 24

E N V I RO N M E N T A L GAME-CHANGERS E N V I RO N M E N T A L GAME-CHANGERS E N V I RO N M E N T A L GAME-CHANGERS E N V I RO N M E N T A L GAME-CHANGERS E N V I RO N M E N T A L

L S L S L S L S L

2020

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

COMPASS GROUP USA IS LEADING THE WAY IN

FIGHTING

FOOD

WASTE Compass Group USA has always focused on continually evolving and innovating to be better every day. That drive to succeed is embedded in their culture and empowers them to seek ways to disrupt the status quo to create positive change wherever and whenever they can. One of the greatest challenges that the world faces is the unprecedented amount of wasted food produced. According to Save the Food, 40% of all food that is ever produced ends up in landfills, and everyone on the planet feels the effects of this tragic waste. The impact of the food waste problem affects the carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of the entire planet and the population of food-insecure people around the world.

In an effort to do everything that they can to help curb this historic waste, Compass Group joined the landmark US Food Loss and Waste 2030 group and committed to reducing food waste by 50% by 2030. To combat food waste in their operations, Compass Group created Waste Not in 2016. Waste Not is a proprietary food waste reduction tool that measures food waste down to the station level. As the application provides metrics regarding waste, it has also created behavioral changes in over 3,000 chefs and associates by putting a renewed focus and appreciation of food waste top of mind via the Food Waste Champion training. Waste Not has been integral in keeping Compass Group on track to reach their food waste commitments. By using Waste Not, operations have been able to reduce food waste by 12% in less than a year. In keeping with their culture of disrupting and innovating, Compass Group is piloting the newest tool that they have in the fight to reduce food waste. Waste Not 2.0 has been enhanced with the help of Compass Group chefs to create an intuitive and cloud-based tool that makes it easy for associates and operators to do the right thing. Waste Not 2.0 is currently being piloted in select accounts and deployed nationwide in the near future. Compass Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creation of Stop Food Waste DayTM in 2017 has been one of the most impactful campaigns. Stop Food Waste DayTM shares the message that everyone can make a difference, as well as the tips and tools needed to take action. Understandably, Stop Food Waste DayTM 2020 became less of a focus as the world began to shelter in place and everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priorities shifted to the health and safety of coworkers and loved ones. As the new work from home culture was born, Compass Group used their social media presence to continue to drive the message that everyone can make a difference. Even in these trying times, they found that cities around the globe were still focusing their efforts on reducing food waste. These cities went so far as to proclaim April 29, 2020 Stop Food Waste DayTM, a day of awareness and action. In the years to come, Compass Group looks forward to growing their reach as food waste warriors and empowering everyone to make a positive change by fighting food waste at home.

SAV E THE WO RLD APRIL 2 8 TH, 2 0 2 1

S T O P F O O D W A S T E D AY. C O M

# S T O P F O O D WA S T E D AY

CHAN GIN G B EH A VI OR T HROUG H W A STE RED UCT I O N In keeping with the culture of disrupting and innovating, Compass Group USA began piloting the newest tool in its fight to reduce food waste. Waste Not 2.0 has been enhanced with the help of Chefs to create an intuitive and cloud-based tool that makes it easy for associates and operators to do the right thing. Waste Not 2.0 is currently being piloted in select accounts and will be deployed nationwide in the near future. Both Snap Inc. and Hackensack Meridian Health system

Focused on sustainability, Hackensack Meridian Health

are great examples of accounts using Waste Not™ 2.0 to

was looking for a sophisticated waste tracking system and

prevent and reduce food waste in their operations.

was selected as a pilot location. The results have been fantastic! Waste is down, and the client is happy.

An early adopter of Waste Not 2.0, Snap Inc. has steadily cut overproduction of food waste by more than half since the

“All our team members have found it very simple to use.

kitchen team started tracking with the program more than

Waste Not 2.0 is a very engaging platform that helps

a year ago. The tracking program helped them better

create team member awareness around waste reduction

right-size production numbers and fully utilize ingredients.

in our kitchens,” Amit Mehta, regional director of

For a team already very mindful of overall sustainability, it

operations at Hackensack Meridian Health said.

was daunting to think about increasing efficiency and reducing waste across three cafes and a warehouse, but

“When our frontline associates are engaged and

Waste Not 2.0 helped identify opportunities to prevent and

motivated to reduce waste, that’s the first step. I

reduce waste even further.

say it’s a must for every foodservice operation, especially in the current environment.”

“I’m really glad we have this program in place,” Snap Inc.’s General Manager John Leone said. “I always knew we should and could be tracking waste but was overwhelmed at how to do it. This program made it so easy!”

Compass Group USA’s new and improved waste tracking program This new version is:

• Developed by chefs for chefs • Relies on tablets for recording--no paper or logins needed

• Focuses on real waste reduction opportunities rather than trim, bones, cores and peels 31

REDUCIN G OUR CARBON IMPA C T Automatically tracks and reports emissions from waste and facilities The global food system is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Compass Group USA and its clients have shared a growing interest in creating a strategic plan for lowering our collective carbon footprint. Compass Group created Carbon Foodprint to support client goals and reduce their impact on the environment. "Our clients value our sustainability initiatives as it aligns with their sustainability principles," said Christiana Williams, Nutrition & Wellness Director for Eurest. "Our guests look forward to hearing our sustainability story each year. Providing information about how our food choices impact

our

carbon

footprint

further

Calculates emissions

promotes

buy-in and adaptation to our progressive menus." Managers in Compass Group cafes use Carbon Foodprint to create custom strategies to improve energy, water and waste performance. The tool provides our clients with real-time, webbased, actionable data for reducing emissions and reporting. This year, Carbon Foodprint received the SEAL Business Sustainability Award, which honors organizations and leaders who demonstrate real impact and progress toward a healthy planet and sustainable future.

Shows progress over time

Points out the leading causes of emissions in cafĂŠ 32

Pledge

Green Future for a

Restaurant Associates (RA) put greenhouse gas reduction at the forefront of its sustainability initiatives. The team supports a midtown-based financial firm and together, they are working on a new initiative called the Cool Food Pledge. Launched in April 2018 by the World Resources Institute, the Cool Food Pledge aims to â&#x20AC;&#x153;help facilities offer diners more of what they want while slashing food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2030.â&#x20AC;? Currently, companies like WeWork, Hilton and numerous universities have signed the pledge.

When it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, food sourcing plays a considerable role. Procuring animal-derived foods, specifically beef, account for about two-thirds of all agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, plant-based foods use far fewer resources to produce and harvest, making them generally easier for the environment to support. Not to mention, there is substantial evidence supporting a plant-forward diet in terms of health, including reduced risk for a variety of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. By reengineering our menus and shifting the focus from meat to more plant-based items like beans, legumes, soy products, nuts, and vegetables, we can support the health of our planet and our bodies. To help clients implement the Cool Food Pledge, RA uses Carbon Foodprint, Compass Group USA’s solution to help build a carbon, water and waste reduction strategy for our cafes. Purchasing and equipment data are collected and updated each month to determine performance and benchmark success. This data then gets shared with the Cool Food Pledge to extract pertinent information for its objectives.

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich Makes 4 Delicious Sandwiches INGREDIENTS: 3 ea Green tomatoes, fresh and firm but ripe 1 ea Egg ¼ cup All-purpose flour ¼ cup ⅓ cup 4 ea ½ cup 4 Tbsp. 4 ea

Cornmeal Plain breadcrumbs Lettuce leaves, green or red Goat cheese Red Pepper Pesto (purchased) Favorite sandwich rolls (recommend onion) Vegetable oil for frying as needed

DIRECTIONS: Wash all produce before prepping 1. Core and cut tomatoes in ½-inch slices 2. Beat the egg well in a small bowl 3. Add flour, cornmeal and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, mix well 4. Pour enough oil in a sauté pan or cast iron skillet to come up the side 1/4 inch. Heat oil to 350°F 5. When oil is hot, dip each tomato slice in the egg, then the bread crumb mixture; make sure both sides are evenly coated 6. Place tomato slices in the hot oil being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until the bottom crust is golden brown. Carefully flip over and cook until both sides are golden brown (about 4-6 minutes total) 7. Remove the tomato slices from the oil and drain on a clean kitchen towel lined plate. Repeat. 8. To assemble each sandwich: on the bottom of the roll, place 1 lettuce leaf, 2-3 fried tomato slices, on the top of the roll spread 2 Tbsp. goat cheese and 1 Tbsp. red pepper pesto. Top the sandwich, cut in half.

Enjoy!

S H OWI N G OUR N A T I ON ’ S C A PI TA L H OW S USTA I N A B I LI TY CA N WOR K Inova Health Systems, where Morrison Healthcare (MHC) manages foodservices, has a decades-long history of environmental stewardship. “Our Sustainable Food Strategy is designed to manage and minimize the health impacts of the resources used, the products bought and the waste created,” Inova Health System Director of Sustainability, Charles ‘Chip’ Goyette says. “We believe our strategy and all of these programs will improve patients’ experiences and outcomes.” The teams at Inova’s five DC-area hospitals are making award-winning commitments to show the nation’s capital how sustainability can work. The hospital received two 2020 Environmental Excellence awards from Practice Greenhealth, a national group of healthcare organizations that focuses on sustainability and its impact. All of the hospitals in Inova won the Partners for Change Award, leading to the coveted System for Change recognition. Using Compass Group USA’s Carbon Foodprint

The area’s largest private employer, serving 2 million

toolkit helps the hospital build an extensive strategy

patients a year, continued its drive to reduce the

to minimize its emissions focused in the food and

hospital’s carbon footprint by eliminating the number

nutrition services department. The web-based solution

of Styrofoam trays, cups, bowls, plates and containers

targets menu engineering, kitchen services, site

by 3.5 million pieces annually.

equipment and facilities management. Working with Morrison Healthcare and Foodbuy’s purchasing group, the replacement disposable products consist of sustainable post-consumer fiber, sugar cane fiber and molded fiber. Together they launched an education campaign including posters stating: “Styrofoam is No Longer Used in This Café. Love Food, Not Waste.” The Styrofoam initiative follows a widely-publicized decision in 2018 by the company to eliminate the use of plastic drinking straws where three million straws were used every year. The Drinking Straw initiative made Inova the first health system on the East Coast to eliminate plastic straws and is part of a larger plan to eliminate all single-use plastic items including forks, coffee stirrers and cups. “While an individual straw is only used for a few minutes, it takes a thousand years to fully break down,” says Goyette. “Because straws are so light, they are often swept out of landfills where they can end up in our waterways and harm marine life.”

HELPI N G CLI EN TS A C H I EVE AWAR D-W IN N I N G R ESULTS For TouchPoint client Ascension Health, being a good

At St. Vincent’s Riverside Hospital, the Green Team is

steward of resources is a fundamental part of their culture.

always looking for new opportunities to reduce their

Similar to how Ascension Health cares for the poor and

environmental footprint. Members include TouchPoint

vulnerable, they also embrace the moral obligation to

Regional District Operators Terry Clayton and Tina

care for the earth. Realizing that the healthcare industry

Carmichael who attribute their culinary success to two

accounts for approximately 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse

factors: highly motivated talent and powerful programs,

gas

activities

directly impact health outcomes. As an example, energy

benefit. Terry's team was recognized for consistently

efficiency reduces fossil fuel consumption yielding cleaner

creating menus that use local, seasonal ingredients to

air for all of us to breathe. Cleaner air reduces the negative

deliver an artisanal product, prepared from scratch.

health impacts of chronic bronchitis, asthma, COPD,

House-made specialities include sauces, dressings, bread,

Emergency Room visits, and possibly premature death.

soups, and meats either roasted or smoked. In addition,

emissions,

environmental

stewardship

they are committed to the tracking program Waste Not 2.0. This year, the dining team also focused on reducing the use of styrofoam products. Randall Massey, TouchPoint Project Manager, oversaw the effort to replace 100,000 Styrofoam cups destined for the landfill. To offset the higher cost of recyclable materials, the team developed a system with promotional information that encouraged café visitors to “choose green” by adding a few pennies at checkout. Hospital employees and visitors appreciate an easy way to do the right thing. These efforts have paid off with two national awards! Ascension Health named St. Vincent’s Riverside the Green Champion in Waste Management, the system’s most prestigious award in this category. They were also recognized as a Greenhealth “Partner for Change” by Practice Greenhealth, giving Ascension this national recognition for the third time in history. 37

RESIDEN T PA R TN ER SH I P LEA D S T O GR EEN C ER TI F I C A TI ON The Sequoias Portola Valley (SPV) Dining is proud to be a Certified Green Business recognized by San Mateo County and the California Green Business Network, an idea that first came from the residents living at SPV. “Residents here are very environmentally conscious and care a lot about sustainability. One of them told me about the Certified Green Business program and said that it would be a great opportunity for SPV,” said Director of Dining Services, Anthony Soriano. This certification shows the community and residents that Sequoia Portola Valley cares about sustainability, committed to actively conserve resources and prevent pollution in both the facility and operations. It also means the organization complies with environmental regulations in waste, energy, water, pollution prevention and air quality, and is implementing practices that lead to cost savings in these areas. “When I read about what it takes to get certified, we were already doing a lot of it like recycling cooking oil, minimizing the use of plastics, and reducing food waste,” Anthony said. “It was an excellent match for us.” Changes to Dining Services include enhancing the recycling program, sourcing sustainable food options, using EnergyStar rated dishwashers and other appliances, and switching to reusable food service ware. When COVID-19 first emerged in March, Dining Services used more than 1,000 disposable to-go containers per day, just for entrees alone. The new reusable greenware containers minimize waste and also save money. “It’s meaningful to be able to make a difference, and please residents and staff,” Anthony said. Yannick Himber, Regional Vice President at Morrison Living agrees. “Sustainability is a cornerstone of the value proposition that residents expect.”

Food is essential

Manage Your Waste Like the World Depends on It

C ER T IF IC A TI ON C H I C A GO CAN C OUN T ON After a rigorous and comprehensive certification process, FLIK Hospitality Group at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) Chicago received the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) certification. That means meeting over 500 environmental standards, including sustainable food, disposables, water efficiency, waste reduction and recycling. The purpose of these standards is to provide a transparent way to measure each restaurant's environmental accomplishments while providing a pathway for the next steps towards increased sustainability. During the certification process, the FLIK and

The dining team didn't stop after the easy

facilities teams at HCSC identified easy ways to

changes.

modify the operation to promote sustainability.

diverting almost all food waste from the

A few examples include a change in the use of

landfill to compost at HCSC Chicago through

paper towels and soap dispensers in employee

Waste Management, the building's trash and

restrooms, promoting reusable service ware and

recycling hauler. The food waste from the

consistent night curtains on air-screen coolers.

Chicago headquarters breaks down within 90

FLIK

Hospitality

Group

began

days and becomes a soil aggregate used to grow fresh organic produce, plants and flowers. They also established a partnership with the Chicago Bridge Project, a non-profit food and clothing rescue to recover food from HCSC. Weekly recoveries include prepared food, grab & go items, as well as baked goods. In the past nine months, approximately $20,000 worth of food has been recovered and delivered to community members in need. Receiving organizations include the Chicago Dream Center and the Epsteinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shelter.

BEST SUPP ORTIN G ROLE

t r o pp u S s e c i v r e S With science as the guiding principle, support services teams took the power of clean to a new level, coming together to sanitize cafés,

schools, healthcare facilities, businesses and operations. Cutting-edge technology, expertise and an unparalleled commitment helped build trust during this tremendously difficult time.

CROTHALL 43

•

EUREST SERVICES

•

SSC

CLI EN TS WI TH ZER O WA STE From vision to execution, Eurest Services works across food and facility services to optimize waste reduction initiatives, helping support clients like Life Science achieve their goal of becoming a zero-waste campus by 2021. The team routinely conducts site audits, leveraging the expertise of waste management vendors and partners to create customized strategies that move up the waste hierarchy. A focus on food waste is one of the many initiatives in place to maximize efficiency. Food scraps during production are captured and measured by the culinary team while the dish room separates compostable waste after guests have enjoyed their meal and trays are returned. What happens next depends on the unique needs of each campus. Life Science: Pennsylvania

Life Science: New York

The scraps from food production, compostable

An alternative solution was required for the

waste from the dish room plus coffee grounds

New York Life Science location as composting

are transferred by the Eurest Services team to

on-site was not an option. The culinary team

an on-site composting operation. Over time,

collects food waste in the same method as

this compost is used as soil enhancements for

Pennsylvania but rather than using the

the flower beds and topsoil dress replenish-

product on-site, the scraps are picked up by

ment onsite. This initiative saved over 35 tons

Eurest Services and transferred off-site to farms

of compostable waste from landfill in 2018 and

in upstate New York. This process yielded over

40 tons in 2019. Cost savings were also achieved

300 tons of compost over the last two years.

through a reduction in waste hauled off-site, averaging $1 per pound, and fewer landscaping

Life Science: Maryland

materials purchased.

The Life Science client in Maryland extended their composting program outside the cafĂŠ to include restrooms, pantries and conference rooms across multiple buildings. 118 tons of compost and 152 tons of recycling were saved from landfills in 2019. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 70% of the waste produced by the entire campus!

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I T 'S ELEC TR I C ! Last year, SSC set a goal of significantly reducing their carbon footprint over the next five years by investing in electric equipment and phasing out gas counterparts across the Grounds, Maintenance and Custodial divisions. SSC was fortunate during 2020. Nature continued in her bullish ways, and the grass never stopped growing, the flowers kept blooming and the company’s commitment to future generations never faltered. They continued to expand the fleet of electric mowers, each taking the place of a gas-powered mower that would have released over 31,000 lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually. Subject matter experts in Grounds Management spent much of their spring and summer researching ever-advancing green technologies, vetting new companies entering the market and field-testing new equipment. “Just because it says ‘green’ doesn’t immediately mean it’s the best choice,” said George Bernardon, VP of Grounds Management, “We want to make sure what we are putting on our campuses will last. We must not only be environmentally responsible for the community, but fiscally responsible to our clients.” The SSC teams continue working hard to ensure future generations always have green grass growing and flowers blooming.

1.4

million pound

carbon dioxide reduction

by converting to electric mowers, handhelds, and carts.

NOUR IS H I N G R ESEA R C H S CIEN T IS T S I S ESSEN TI A L At the beginning of 2020, the FLIK team at AstraZeneca’s US headquarters provided daily meals to more than 2,500 guests at one of the global biopharmaceutical company’s largest research and development sites. When the campus closed to all but the essential staff in March, they turned to the FLIK team to provide solutions to support essential employees still on site and their colleagues working from home. The FLIK dining team adjusted their model to continue to provide fortifying meals, nostalgic snacks, and virtual well-being programming for essential scientists, many of whom are supporting the development of a COVID-19 vaccine in partnership with the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. Since the onset of the global pandemic and work-from-home policy, Catering Manager Kaitlin LaForte and Café Lead Silvia Marin supported essential workers on-site, in the FLIK café and through contactless delivery. The team provides fresh and pre-packaged meals delivered directly to guests and stocks pantries with familiar snacks, beverages and a lot of coffee to fuel the company’s leading scientists. “Even though our café facility is closed, seeing familiar faces adds a sense of normalcy for everyone on campus,” General Manager Matthew Dorsey said. “Employees’ emotional, social, physical and fiscal health are all related,” Luisi said. “Due to the impact of the global pandemic, we work and live our daily lives differently than before, and the health and well-being of our employees matter more now than ever.” In addition, the FLIK team ensured continued partnership with the community. Chef Jamison Taylor collaborated with local non-profit organizations, Nourish Now and Montgomery County Men’s Shelter, to donate and re-purpose foods that would otherwise have gone to waste.

A C IRCULAR EC ON OM Y IN ACT I O N

A SEA T A T TH E TA B LE

Goldman, a prominent financial firm in New Jersey, is Restaurant Associate’s first client to pilot a foodservice circular economy program in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF). A circular economy is a restorative and regenerative framework, based on three principals: design out waste, keep products and materials in use, and regenerate natural resources. A Corporate Social Responsibility goal of Restaurant Associates (RA) is to establish circular economies with 100% of Goldman’s vendors by 2025. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation develops and promotes the idea of a circular economy. They work with and inspire business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilize systems solutions at scale. EMF is an international organization that partners with major global corporations, including Compass and Nestle. To demonstrate the positive impact circular economy can play in accelerating NYC towards its sustainability and food system goals, the EMF partnered with the City of New York to host a Circular Economy for Food conference. As an example, Restaurant Associates works with Nestle’s Starbucks on initiatives that include a campaign called Cultivate with Coffee, where used coffee grounds are repurposed in community and home gardens to promote a circular economy.

Several of the most influential experts in the foodservice industry were featured in the three-day virtual Big Food Workshop hosted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Discussions included the future of food, the influence it can have on our environment and how we can make a meaningful impact by creating a circular economy where ingredients and carbon are put back into the environment. Chef Dan Barber and his work at ROW 7 Seeds and Blue Hill Farm prioritize ingredients that enhance taste, personal well-being and the planet by recreating biodiversity to drive systematic change in the food system, always putting flavor first. Sharing the virtual stage, Compass Group USA’s SVP of Sustainability & Culinary, Amy Keister and Baldor Specialty Foods’ Thomas McQuillan discussed how both organizations are working together to make great strides in changing our food ecosystem. The forward-thinking supplier and world’s largest foodservice company currently focus their collective efforts in drastically reducing the amount of food waste that is sent to landfill every day. “Our strategy is to motivate and inspire change through education,” Amy said. “When people know better, they do better!” Thomas and his team at Baldor created their SparCs program, scraps spelled backward, to ensure they are utilizing 100 percent of the food they process, eliminating any excess by creating delicious juices, soups and sauces to close the loop on waste. 52

EAT FOR HEALTH & PLANET â&#x20AC;¢ RAISING AWARENESS

CLIMATE WEEK

Compass Group USA was invited back to Climate Week NYC following last year’s successful Stop Food Waste NYC teaching market. For the past decade, The Climate Group has gathered the world’s top innovators in knowledge, policy and climate action. As a part of The Nest: Advancing Sustainability series of presentations, Amy Keister and Jesse Hocker from Envision Group hosted Chefs Creating Change, a virtual panel discussion celebrating chefs and their mission to promote positive impact through delicious food. Special Guest Sam Kass joined Compass Group culinary leaders to bring their sustainability goals and techniques to the forefront. Sam is the former Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition in the Obama administration, Executive Director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign and the Obama family chef.

POWER OF FOOD • LOVE LOCAL • SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

HEFS CREATING CHANG

TOPICS ON THE PANEL DISCUSSION INCLUDE

REDUCING FOOD WASTE, SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES, LEVERAGING THE SUPPLY CHAIN TO BECOME MORE SUSTAINABLE & DESIGNING PLANT-FORWARD MENUS.

SAM KASS Author of cookbook Eat a Little Better: Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World, where he makes it easy to do a little better for your diet and the environment through simple and delicious recipes. Sam is currently working on finding and developing sustainable solutions fo r t h e fo o d i n d u st r y a s a P a r t n e r at Ac re

EAT FOR HEALTH + PLANET

Venture Partners.

CHRIS IVENS-BROWN

CHIEF CULINARY OFFICER OF EUREST Dedicated to raising awareness and promoting sustainable solutions for both sea and land-based food supplies. Chris has made it his mission to educate the food industry, as well as the home cook, about simple and effective methods for cooking and eating fresh, seasonable, and sustainable foods.

RAISING AWARENESS

VICE PRESIDENT OF CULINARY SERVICES FOR MORRISON HEALTHCARE Leads the culinary team and uses the “Power of Food” to redefine the patient and employee food experience. In the segment, he creates an irresistible mushroom risotto with a live demonstration.

POWER OF FOOD LAURA LAPP

VICE PRESIDENT OF SUSTAINABILITY, WELLNESS & CULINARY SERVICES AT CHARTWELLS HIGHER EDUCATION

Explains how and why it is part of their culture t o c a re a b o u t t h e l o c a l c o m m u n i t i e s t h ey serve and their initiatives to create change.

LOVE LOCAL ED BROWN

PRESIDENT OF RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES Shares his passion for sustainable seafood. His considerable talent has earned him wide acclaim, including numerous New York Times stars and a Michelin star. As one of America's leading chefs, his varied experience is synonymous with culinary innovation, quality food and entrepreneurial spirit.

SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD

CHEFS CREATING CHANGE

CARY NEFF

BETTER FOR THE PLANET B E T T E R FO R TH E P L A N E T BETTER FOR THE PLANET BETTER FOR THE PLANET BETTER FOR

R T R T R T R T R

2020

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CSR 58

COM P A SS MEETS 2020 LOCAL P UR C H A SI N G G OA L Compass Group is proud to support small and mid-sized American family farms, local communities, and artisans. Incorporating as many local and regional products into their menus is a priority for the chefs, especially during peak growing season. In 2020, local purchases increased to just over 20%, exceeding the goal that Compass Group set in 2015. Compass Group shares its commitment to local with guests during the annual Eat Local campaign, which focuses on serving local items in the cafés, educating guests, and celebrating the farmers. Compass Group understands that local and

expanded that agreement to include other fair

regional food goes hand in hand with policies

produce. Compass Group is also developing

that ensure food is also fair. That is why their

programs to increase diversity by creating a

strategy for the past ten years has included the

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)

partnership with the Coalition of Immokalee

Farmer pilot scheduled to launch in 2021.

Workers (CIW). Compass Group signed a

Compass Group values the communities

groundbreaking agreement with CIW to

where they live and work and look forward to

purchase fair tomatoes in 2010. In 2020 they

supporting them for the years to come.

“You can taste the difference and see the impact that purchasing local food has on our communities,” said Chief Culinary Officer Chris Ivens-Brown.

BUY I N G L OC A L I N T HE H A P P Y V A LLEY The scenic beauty of farms located in the heart of Central Pennsylvania, also referred to as “The Happy Valley,” is home to Penn State University and Foxdale Village Retirement Community. Centre County has a rich agricultural history and many generations of farmers to sustain the farming region. Here, there is an increased opportunity to buy fresh, quality produce from local farms year-round. Foxdale Village is right in the heart of the valley. At the start of the pandemic, Morrison Living became the senior living community’s foodservice provider. With many residents unable to travel, the team provided in-house groceries. They all wanted one thing: sustainable food from local providers. Just down the road a few miles is family-owned Way Fruit Farm, a proud part of the community since 1826. Today, they grow everything from peaches to pumpkins,

in addition to the apples that got them started. Food and Beverage Director, Melody N. Daer rekindled an old partnership with the farm to start an on-site grocery stand. Melody loaded her car with fresh corn, peaches, broccoli, and their famous homemade applesauce and apple butter, thinking the supply would be enough to last the week. “One day, a few residents were watching me drive away to Way Fruit Farm for more supplies. Just five minutes after I got back to my office, a very eager Foxdale resident was already waiting to purchase fresh tomatoes and local corn,” said Melody. Melody now visits the farm three times a week to keep up with the demand!

ON S I TE G A R D EN BOOSTS LOC A L

The CulinArt dining services team at a corporate dining

The campus has several gardens where the team grows a wide

client in suburban New Jersey is sourcing produce from

variety of produce including 30 pounds a week of tomatoes

near and not-so-far in its quest to create fresh, high-quality,

and an endless amount of herbs. They source additional

sustainable meals.

ingredients and specialty items from a growing list of local farms and suppliers that comprise 40% of the operation’s

“The campus’ raised-bed gardens are a great success They give us the opportunity to create specials and menu items using the vegetables we grew right on site,” said Tom Mahler, CulinArt’s General Manager. He attributes both the garden and local supplier market to the team’s ability to craft the freshest, seasonal recipes that customers appreciate. “It’s amazing how much product you

total purchases. These relationships allow the team to introduce customers to this supplier network and encourage them to help sustain it. “Our chefs show them how to purchase sustainably, to help people eat better,” Mahler says. At a recent farmers’ market hosted onsite, the dining team sold 80% of its inventory and used the rest for menu specials.

can grow in a small amount of space,” Executive Chef Jack Yuksel says.

S E NIOR S DI SC OV ER T HE A R T OF G A R D EN I N G W ITH OUT S OI L Morrison Living’s San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living

The interactive and engaging smart farm offers authenticity

is the first senior living community in the country to get

and transparency by allowing residents to see exactly

Farmshelf, an automated hydroponic system that makes the

where their fresh produce and herbs are coming from.

hard parts of growing plants easy, providing the Morrison

Memory care and independent living residents are invited

Living dining team with pounds of fresh produce each week,

to participate in the visual and sensory experience.

from right inside the café. “Research has shown that plants and flowers With Farmshelf, sustainability is automatic. Water and nutrients are delivered to the plants from a built-in water tank, giving crops exactly what they need to grow. A controlled environment with custom LED lights optimizes plant growth, and the Farmshelf App acts as a “green thumb in the cloud,” remotely monitoring the plants with cameras and sensors.

promote a sense of well-being and happiness. This innovative program allows residents to actually watch the growth of seedlings into robust plantings of fresh vegetables and then have the experience of ‘farm-to-table’ freshness,” said Mark Friedlander, Executive Director of the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living. “With technology and failure-proof ease of the grow gardens, they are the most attractive way to enhance the internal environment of our community.”

CELEBR A T I N G EART H DAY W ITH A NEW G A R DEN

C R EA TI N G A C OM POST I N G C ULTUR E Sustainability, students and scraps are the foundation of environmental efforts for the Chartwells K12 team at Norwood Public Schools in Massachusetts. From implementing recycling programs and Waste Not, to installing tower gardens as part of the school curriculum, our planet’s health is at the forefront of the district’s meal program. When the town’s Department of Public Works announced a push for community-wide composting the Chartwells team created new processes to make composting part of daily operations while using the opportunity to educate the school community on how composting works and why it’s important.

In an effort to educate residents at Lantern of

By September 2019, all eight Norwood schools began

Chagrin Valley, Morrison Living Director of Dining

composting food scraps. Kitchens were outfitted with

Services Bill Wynn created an interactive onsite

composting buckets while associates were trained on

garden to highlight the importance of sustainable

the process. The team sends food scraps to the town

food sources.

composting center or local animal farms at the end of every day. In just one year, the school district collected 21

The residents formed a garden club where they meet

gallons of organic material on average to compost

a couple days a week to tend to the produce. Much

every day, totaling an estimated 18,000 pounds.

of the community gets involved as an opportunity to revisit a past passion or explore a new hobby to connect with each other. The dining team and residents grow tomatoes, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and other various berries and herbs. The goal is to expand the garden in the future, inviting families to join by dropping off plants and flowers to grow. It’s a great engagement piece for all. On Earth Day, and every day, food brings people together.

Beyond the cafeteria, schools created composting programs to provide experiential learning opportunities that connect kitchen activities to classroom education. The curriculum includes a hands-on food demonstration that features locally grown produce. Eli Norris, Chartwells K12 Director of Dining Services at Norwood Public Schools, and Kelsey Massis, RD, say that a key to their success has been a collaborative community culture, especially one that embraces and supports sustainability. 64

N O OR D I N A R Y CUP OF J OE Hundreds of people, with years of expertise in coffee cultivation and an intense dedication to the craft, are behind every Tradecraft cup of coffee served in Compass locations across the country. From sunrise to sunset, coffee pickers in the “Bean Belt” are hard at work picking, processing and shipping beans to roasters around the world. The roaster spends hours testing recipes to get the combination of heat and time just right. It’s a level of care that deserves respect. Tradecraft honors that dedication by meeting it with their own: a commitment to only working with roasters and tea partners that are either fair trade, direct trade or organic, and who support a social cause or give back to their communities in a substantial way. Over Tradecraft’s history, they have purchased over $20M of high quality, hand-crafted coffee and tea from 50+ partners that support initiatives in local communities from where the ingredients are grown to where the final product is sold.

Colectivo Coffee: For Tradecraft’s roasting partners, buying Fair Trade certified coffees means they are confident everyone involved in delivering the final cup of coffee is well cared for. Fair Trade is a partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in international trade. These practices have made a substantial impact to various communities, including the expansion of a girls school in Ethiopia, gender equality workshops in Peru and the building of a cervical cancer screening site in Nicaragua. Counter Culture: Tradecraft’s direct trade partners build

Teatulia: One of Tradecraft’s certified organic tea

relationships so close with their bean farmers they release

partners, Teatulia is a woman-owned B-Corp organization

a sustainability report each year that is 100% traceable

that rejuvenated a 3,000-acre farm and established a

for the entire supply chain. This type of connection allows

co-op to ensure they have the best supply chain for the

Counter Culture to continually purchase coffee above the

earth, their community and your tea. Organic certified

average selling price, source from partners they’ve known

growers like Teatulia follow an agriculture system that

for years, and give back to grass-roots initiatives where the

supports biodiversity and enhances soil health by using only

coffee is grown, including contributing to teachers’ salaries

approved substances and organic farming methods. With

and planting trees that preserve water sources.

on-farm education programs, an emphasis on employing women and revolutionary farming techniques, Teatulia has reinvigorated what it means to grow organic tea.

This year Chef Appreciation Week took on special significance as the people behind the food became the heroes behind the food in the most challenging year we have ever seen. The Compass Group USA family rose to the occasion, quickly adapting to serve on the front lines, feeding and caring for local communities, and for each other.

#HeroesBehindtheFood

Meet our Heroes ALLY SHELDEN, GENERAL MANAGER & DANIEL WILLIAMS, EXECUTIVE CHEF

San Francisco autonomous vehicle technology startup ‘Cruise’ has been working round the clock to support COVID-19 relief efforts, providing donated meals and groceries to some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable populations. Since April, Cruise has delivered more than 60,000 meals to households and community organizations served by SF-Marin Food Bank and SF New Deal. Bon Appetit General Manager Ally Shelden and Executive Chef Daniel Williams have been making sure Cruise’s onsite employees and test operators remain well-fed with a robust, from-scratch grab-and-go program.

TIFATO SABO, DIRECTOR OF HOUSEKEEPING

During these challenging times, healthcare heroes like Tifato Sabo are stepping in to make sure no one goes hungry. While communities have supported our teams with signs, flowers and love, Crothall Director of Housekeeping, Tifato Sabo, saw an opportunity to return the support when he noticed some families were struggling to pay for food. Tifato partnered with the Maryland Food Bank and worked overtime to collect and distribute canned goods to neighbors in need.

SHORNA BANERJEE, SOUS CHEF

Chef Shorna Banerjee knows that food is what brings us together. It’s more than the ingredients that make the meal, but who we enjoy the experience with. On a daily basis throughout the pandemic, Chef Shorna shared her passion for cooking alongside her family by recording recipes to share with customers at home. You can see her whole family cooking together on the FLIK Hospitality YouTube channel. “Each of us, drawing from our varied life experiences can bring something forth that is very extraordinary.We must capitalize on this diversity and bring forward food that speaks up in the same manner.”

VANESSA EVANS-FLOYD, CHEF

When schools closed in March, Chef Vanessa Evans-Floyd and her team at Legacy Early College in South Carolina were right back in the kitchen working to ensure every student continued to receive a meal, in or out of school. They partnered with the district to use school buses for meal distribution, traveling the daily bus routes to deliver meals to students’ doorsteps. The team has served over 125,000 meals through their emergency feeding efforts, and they never stopped having fun. Chef V wrote another one of her signature school food raps to share smiles amidst the pandemic.

CHEF APPRECIATION WEEK SKY ATWOOD, CHEF

Chef Sky Atwood and the team at Flagstaff School District ensured both students and the broader community had access to balanced, nutritious meals during the shutdown. The team partnered with food banks in the community to supply local students with backpacks full of food and arranged meal pick-up sites for families. When the nearby Navajo Nation was hit hard by COVID-19, Chef Sky and team extended their feeding efforts. This summer alone, the team served more than 200,000 meals seven days a week.

DA POKE-MAN RESTAURANT

Foodworks local restaurant partner Da Poke-Man said it was a huge honor to serve the true heroes of Pacific Islands Together (PIT), a non-profit organization that feeds 3,000 people per week as part of its dedication to strengthening the voice of the community, promoting programs of pride, visibility and unity. “It was also a blessing to be recognized by Daly City Mayor Glenn Sylvester, Vice Mayor Juslyn Manalo and San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Vice President, David Canepa.”

TEVEN MAAK, EXECUTIVE CHEF & WILL QUESADA, EXECUTIVE CHEF In March, Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) closed schools, creating a challenge to feed the community. Chef Steven Maak, Chef Will Quesada and their team quickly began preparing safe and healthy lunches for over 3,000 PUSD school children each week, totaling more than 60,000 meals to date. Because of the program’s success, the Rose Bowl team expanded to include meals for the National Guard MedCal who were supporting senior care facilities hardest hit by the pandemic, and COVID-positive first responders who were forced to quarantine on site.

GARY COYLE, EXECUTIVE CHEF & BEAU CHATBURN, SOUS CHEF

When COVID suddenly shut everything down, the management team at Winterthur Museum switched to preservation mode, which mainly involved rescheduling a flurry of weddings and events, constant client communication, and focusing on future business. Executive Chef Gary Coyle, Sous Chef Beau Chatburn and the team took inventory of all of the food that would have gone to waste and redirected it to support local residents impacted by the pandemic, donating 609 total pounds of food that included 150 pre-made meals for families.

HOT BR EA D K I TC H EN I S CREA T I N G B R EA D WI N N ER S Flik Hospitality Group’s, New York City Region is partnering with Hot Bread Kitchen, a nonprofit that creates economic opportunity through careers in food to give more opportunities to women, immigrants and people of color, who may not have access to the training and education required to be successful in the industry. FLIK and Hot Bread Kitchen share the commitment to investing in a food system that equitably compensates talent and sustains a diverse workforce. Hot Bread Kitchen’s trainees who have completed an intensive, five-week kitchen fundamentals training course, are offered an internship with FLIK’s NYC Region Culinary Internship program to develop real-world skills. The training program develops everything from knife skills and basic safe cooking techniques to professional skills like interview preparation and conflict resolution.

“Through my training at Hot Bread Kitchen and my job at FLIK, I was able to gain the confidence to be proud of my work and improve my English skills,” said Shamin, “Breadwinner” and recent immigrant from Bangladesh. “It’s been a great experience being a prep cook. Chef Terrence has taught me a lot. He’s kind, practices patience and is very good at teaching. He pushes me and tells me that I can do anything.” To date, FLIK has hired ten of the Hot Bread Kitchen Internship graduates into full-time, frontline talent positions, turning talent and hope into financial security and stability within the FLIK family.

S T RON G E R TOG ETH ER : P AVI N G T H E WA Y F OR A B R I GH T E R F UTUR E Evelyn Castro Lozano will be the first generation female in

To date, all interns received offers for permanent

her family to graduate high school and attend college. She

employment after graduation. The innovative program

also graduated from the first-ever culinary arts internship

continues as Thompson Hospitality and Compass Group

program that Thompson Hospitality coordinated with The

plan to expand this program through the Compass network

Coca-Cola Company and Compass Group USA.

to provide opportunity in the areas these companies are privileged to serve.

The 14-week program began as an idea from Food and Beverage Manager of Global Workspace Coca-Cola, Kristine Mosley, and Thompson Hospitality Vice Presi-

“This program has definitely taught me that with good mentorship, anything is possible,” Evelyn said.

dent, Genevieve Stona. Evelyn and 17 other students from Meadowcreek High School Culinary Arts Program were

Opportunities that support communities are now more

introduced to the state-of-the-art Atlanta headquarters,

important than ever. Together we are stronger and can

serviced by Flik and Thompson.

be part of the solution to lead and inspire youth to become successful.

This internship program has become a great success and was featured in a mini-documentary series produced by Coca-Cola. "The real story for us at Coca-Cola isn't just that they go through this program and are ultimately hired," Mosley explains. "It's that these students begin to understand who they are and where they want to go. We are excited to be a part of that journey." Former Thompson Chef, Simone Byron led the interns as Executive Director of the school’s Culinary Arts Program. The group worked side-by-side with dining professionals once a week and, thanks to the Leadership Legacy Network, received training in finance management, corporate etiquette and career advancement. “The students saw people who looked similar to them, and were successful,” said Chef Simone. “You could literally see the experience jumpstart their school work, their demeanor and change their trajectory.”

SERVIN G HOPE

d Foo y r e v o c e R The virus gave way to a second crisis: widespread hunger. In many

cases, the demand for food has overwhelmed supply. Compass chefs and operators immediately pivoted their passion, resources and ability to feed the masses into new service models that deliver nutritious meals, and hope, to struggling communities.

NEI G H B OR S H ELP I N G N EI G H B OR S FLIK Hospitality Group believes in three guiding principles: Great Food, Great Service, Great People. While they may not see guests in the cafĂŠ every day, FLIK has stayed true to these values. The COVID-19 pandemic has left more than 1-in-5 New Yorkers unemployed, increasing those in need of nutritious food by 38%, according to Feeding America. As regular dining operations shuttered, the FLIK team worked with clients to determine a way to support those in need in the community. Based in lower Manhattan, a FLIK team worked to donate more than 2,400 lbs of food to City Harvest, one of New York Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest food rescue organizations, between April and August.

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AC T IV AT I N G DON A T I ON S A C R OSS T HE COUN T R Y When the global pandemic impacted their local communities, Chartwells Higher Education (CHE) campuses across the nation partnered with vendors and local non-profit organizations to donate over 120,000 pounds of food to those in need. Through the crisis, CHE was able to help feed medical workers, first responders, quarantined neighbors, K12 students, missions, churches, and even associates who had been temporarily furloughed. “Seeing lines to both make and receive donations as far as the eye could see is something I’ll never forget.” Andrew Greene, Sector Purchasing Manager for Chartwells Higher Education, explained. “This has been a fantastic example of great people, farmers, manufacturers, distributors, and Chartwells gathering and talking around the dinner table with their families about how to help stop food waste and feed our communities through dozens of charities.”

Just before the shutdown in New York, NYU Eats donated over 4,000 pounds of food to City Harvest, a local food bank that helped prepare more than 600 meals for members of the Crossroads Community Services in Manhattan during such a critical time. Across the country in Alaska, Tyler H. Newell, Executive Chef at UAF, coordinated a food drop-off to the Fairbanks Community Foodbank and then helped educate residents on how the donation could go farther. “I can show people how to turn the donations into finished products that can be served for hot lunches on site, as well as providing recipes to be handed out with the food boxes to give recipients ideas on what to cook for themselves.”

A strong partnership with local communities is an essential part of CHE's relationship with the campuses. 83

G R EAT NESS LI V ES H ER E With most Mercedes Benz USA’s (MBUSA) employees

Through a partnership with PAWkids and Open

working from home during the pandemic, the once-

Hand Atlanta, the team prepared a total of 7,000

bustling kitchen at the company headquarters in

meals over the course of seven weeks to residents of

Atlanta, GA, was sitting idle. Under the umbrella of

underserved areas on Atlanta’s west side. PAWkids

the Mercedes-Benz program Greatness Lives Here,

is a nonprofit whose mission is to demonstrate

a celebration of stories and partnerships, FLIK

Christian principles through providing community

and MBUSA turned their efforts to support the

support and developmental activities, which uphold

community. The onsite team: Executive Chef Greg

moral excellence and build self-confidence. Open

Canizzaro, Arielle Grant, and General Manager

Hand Atlanta provides home-delivered, health-

Robert Foster quickly converted the kitchen to

promoting meals, as well as nutrition education to

deliver food to those in need by donating a total of

Atlantans living with chronic diseases, homebound

28,000 meals.

senior citizens and at-risk youth families.

The team also continued their partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta, preparing 500 meals for donation a week. Second Helpings Atlanta is a nonprofit that picks-up surplus food from businesses and delivers it to those in need to help reduce waste and drive out hunger. MBUSA donated sprinter vans to Second Helpings to facilitate deliveries and better serve the community. “We believe empowering the next generation means ensuring everyone has safe, healthy access to food, making sure we’re all healthy moving forward, so we can live our new normal eventually,” Kat Reynolds, MBUSA’s Community Relations Specialist.

“It is really something to be a part of a company that is so community-driven,” said Robert. “To see Mercedes donate these vans to an organization where we donate food from all of our FLIK accounts in the Atlanta area, is pretty incredible. This is what it’s all about.”

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A TON OF HELP ( L ITER ALLY !) The Arnold Sports Festival, named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, is one of Columbus, Ohio’s biggest events of the year held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC). The Levy dining team at the convention center was prepared to feed more than 200,000 athletes and attendees from around the world when events started getting cancelled due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, a devastating overnight tornado brought destruction and loss of life to many neighborhoods near downtown Nashville, causing mass power outages and billions of dollars in damage. “While we were waiting for the press conference to start regarding the Arnold Sports Festival, all the news coverage was about the tornado in Nashville,” said Molly Dale, General Manager for Levy at GCCC. “We thought that if the situation unfolds the way we thought it would, we wanted something positive to happen to the food that could not be repurposed.” As soon as the cancellation was confirmed, Executive Chef Matt Smith connected with the Senior Executive Chef at the Titans Stadium, Mark Lloyd, to organize a donation and transport of more than a ton of food and supplies to support Nashville residents. Driving a refrigerated truck packed with fresh produce and meals nearly 400 miles through the night, Chef Matt, Executive Sous Chef Shannon Gerasimchik and Pastry Chef Stephanie DeCaprio arrived in time to help prepare more than 2,500 meals for those impacted by the tornadoes. “This special effort augments our catering partner’s existing charitable practice of providing food donations to food rescue locally throughout the year,” said Greater Columbus Convention Center General Manager John R. Page.

Prepared more than 2,500 meals for those impacted by the tornadoes 85

HERO ES TO TH E R ESC UE Averaging 10,000 meals a day, the Chartwells Higher Education team at the University of Memphis (U of M) returned to work after the campus shutdown to feed K-12 students in need at the local Shelby County Schools district. “We received a call asking if we could produce 4,000 meals for pickup at 6:00 the next morning. We packed the last box lunches at 2:30 a.m,” said Glendel Coble, UofM Resident District Manager. “Although it was a very long day of work, the team was excited to help our community. In these trying times, to be able to give back and be a part of helping others is a wonderful thing.” In partnership with the university and local YMCA, the team provided a total of 173,000 meals for area students during the pandemic, all while continuing to serve U of M students, faculty and staff seven days a week on campus. “We would like to thank U of M Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer Raaj Kurapati for connecting us with the YMCA and initiating what has become a great partnership,” said Glendel Coble, resident district manager for Chartwells. Helping the community strengthened the team’s camaraderie as they continue to serve boxed lunches to the district.

COOK I N G WI TH G A S The CulinArt dining services staff at Brentwood School in Los Angeles produces approximately 1,000 lunches and dinners a week for a local Meals on Wheels chapter, which provides the meals to the elderly and others who are confined to their homes. They are also preparing 1,000 more meals a week for veterans sheltering in place on a local VA campus.

“Our school’s kitchen staff is currently a tiny crew led by Jennifer and David Mendez,” says Gennifer Yoshimaru, assistant head of school, “but they are ‘cooking with gas,’ figuratively and literally. Their daily efforts on behalf of our school to bring healthy and delicious sustenance to those who cannot provide it for themselves make a significant difference. Jennifer Minichiello, CEC, CulinArt’s director of dining services at Brentwood, says the effort supports a partnership between Brentwood School, the West Los Angeles VA Hospital, and the West LA Meals on Wheels. “Meals on Wheels helps us by delivering lunches to veterans, for which the school pays for the food and labor,” she says. “We currently drop off lunch and dinner Monday through Friday for homeless vets sleeping in tents on VA property. We also deliver dinners four nights a week for veterans who park in the overnight lot.”

EN DI N G H UN G ER T H R OUG H TEC H N OLOG Y Through a partnership with GoodR, the Eurest team at SAP Newtown Square is working to improve the well-being of people and support the vitality of the planet. GoodR’s technology gives kitchens control of surplus food, converts it back to savings, helping to reduce carbon footprints and empowers local communities. A few times a week, the Eurest team prepares acceptable left-over food that would normally be wasted for GoodR pick-up. GoodR delivers the donated food to CityTeam Chester, a local organization that provides food services, shelter, learning and career opportunities, family services, and medical care to those in need. Last year, SAP donated nearly 4,000 pounds of food--or more than 3,000 meals--to CityTeam Chester, reducing food waste that would have been sent to the landfill and added more than 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the environment. “GoodR is open-minded and supportive, helping us to reduce our carbon footprint and feed our local community,” said Executive Chef William Bello. The GoodR system runs from an app that allows users to categorize, input, submit food donations and track donation history.

Donated nearly

4,000 lbs

of food or more than 3,000 meals

CHEF S T O END H UN G ER Compass Group USA and premium West Coast food recovery partner, Chefs to End Hunger, together donated more than 82,000 pounds of food in 2020, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over 64,000 meals delivered. The group supports multiple Compass Group sectors, including Wolfgang Puck Catering, to properly donate leftover food to California, Nevada and Arizona residents in need. Created in 2012, Chefs to End Hunger was founded under Vesta Foodservice which currently serves as their logistical partner. Vesta trucks deliver to thousands of locations daily and many return with sheet pans of food ready to be recovered and redistributed. This thorough process ensures a safe transaction while also limiting the number of trucks on the road. Simply, a closed-loop system!

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CLEV ELA N D C LI N I C ’ S AWA R D-W I N N I N G S US T AIN A BILI TY PR OG R A M As one of the nation’s preeminent medical centers, the Cleveland Clinic leads by example regarding patient safety and health. Working closely with Morrison Healthcare, approximately 30 percent of all food they purchase comes from sustainable sources with the majority from local farms, bakeries, and other suppliers within at least 100 miles of their home in northeast Ohio. Cleveland Clinic’s sustainability program is widely recognized as one of the nation’s best. It was recently awarded Practice Greenhealth’s 2020 Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards, the organization’s highest honor for hospitals for sustainability. “We are committed to sustainable food purchasing because we believe that our patients are getting fresher food that tastes better, has more vitamins and nutrients, and is better for the planet,” says Jon Utech, Senior Director for Cleveland Clinic’s Office for a Healthy Environment. “Environmental health and human health are interlinked, and by working together with partners like Compass Group, we can have a triple bottom line impact.” In addition to supporting local and sustainable suppliers, the Cleveland Clinic shares a wide range of additional benefits for their community. This year, the Morrison Healthcare team at Cleveland

In addition, the team worked with the American Cancer

Clinic collected 26,000 pounds of food to distribute to local

Society to assemble bags of fresh produce and delivered

communities in Greater Cleveland via the Food Recovery

them to people who had received a COVID-19 test as part

program of the Hunger Network. Diverting this amount of

of the East Cleveland Food Equity program in September.

perfectly good food from the landfill equates to removing 14,118 lbs of CO2 emissions from the environment. “These food donations help Morrison and Cleveland Clinic achieve our mutual goal of helping people in the community, particularly during the pandemic when so many have lost jobs and need access to healthy, nutritious food,” says Lisa Roberson, Morrison’s National Director of Wellness and Sustainability.

“The Cleveland Clinic and Morrison Healthcare demonstrate our commitment to the community through an active partnership to donate food to the Hunger Network of Cleveland and to reliably source food for community efforts such as the Food Equity Project of East Cleveland,” said Bill Koziol, executive director of Patient Support Services at Cleveland Clinic. “We are dedicated to protecting the health of our community and caregivers through sustainable initiatives that positively impact the environment.”

V EN D I N G A H ELPI N G H A N D When many companies instituted remote work policies in response to shelter-in-place orders, it left large amounts of product sitting untouched and inaccessible in break rooms, vending machines and cafes across the country. Partnering with clients, communities and Feeding America, Canteen branches across the country rerouted products that would have otherwise gone to waste to feed those in need. Feeding America is a national non-profit with a network of more than 200 food banks that help more than 46 million people nationwide. “It’s been a bright spot in an otherwise dark and uncertain time to give to those in need,” Alicia LaBeouf, SVP Retail & Consumer Experience, Canteen said. “However, the need doesn’t end when the pandemic is over. Canteen looks forward to working alongside Feeding America and local organizations in the communities in which we serve for years to come.” •

The Canteen Bay Area branch donated product worth hundreds of thousands of dollars originally destined for breakrooms at LinkedIn to the Alameda County Food Bank.

•

The Canteen Los Angeles branch donated close to 400 cases of perishable product to preventive health agency Beach Cities Health District, in Redondo Beach.

•

The Canteen team in San Diego partnered with one client to recover $70,000 of product from campus pantries and donated to the San Diego Rescue Mission.

•

The Canteen team in Austin worked with many of their clients over the course of the pandemic to donate product on their behalf to the Texas Food Bank.

•

The Canteen team in Charlotte, NC regularly donates fresh food and non-perishable products to the Steve Smith Family Foundation’s learning center.

The number of Americans seeking assistance from food banks increased by sixty percent over the last eight months.

ts ar e H l l Fu es i l l e B Full Started by Chef Millie Peartree to provide delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals for children, families, and adults in need, Full Heart Full Bellies operates on the firm belief that food that tastes good and is good for you warms the soul, heart and mind. The goal is to provide wholesome food, and reduce stress for neighbors including hot meals for healthcare professionals, MTA workers, police and protestors since the coronavirus took hold in NYC.

ull Heart Full Bellies recently focused on feeding

Full Heart Full Bellies delivered 600 fresh, delicious meals to

children and families in need in the Bronx, NY.

the Bronx every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout

According to a report released by the State of New

July and August. That means the team served more than

York in July of 2018, the Bronx has significantly

14,000 children throughout the 8-week initiative. In August,

higher household and child poverty rates than the

they began serving meals to nursing homes each Tuesday

city’s other four boroughs. Food insecure children typically

and Thursday.

do not know where their next meal is coming from. With the help of Restaurant Associates, Chef Millie, a native to the

“When you hear the stories of people who need it and have

Bronx, jumped at a request from city leaders to prepare hot

to stand in line to get a meal, even during COVID, it touches

meals instead of just pre-packaged items and cold sandwiches.

your heart,” Chef Millie said on Good Morning America, where she was awarded $15,000 to continue her program.

Restaurant Associates (RA) is a longtime friend of Millie. SVP

“This is the richest country in the world, why do we have

of Culinary, Marc Scheuer, is proud to be her mentor. The

people starving?"

RA team embraced the opportunity to support by organizing volunteers and securing a kitchen to prepare the meals and

Full Heart Full Bellies has enough financial and community

boxes. Amazon, one of their premier clients, offered use of

support to continue through the end of 2020.

their Needle & Thread Café kitchen and staff to make sure all meals are made and delivered to three locations in the Bronx. Amazon Chefs Kareem David and Quentin Lugo, Assistant General Manager Jay Rapp, General Manager Nick Chrisos and team, with RA volunteers, worked to continue the success of Full Heart Full Bellies. The Bread Gal, a certified women-owned business and local bakery, also joined the efforts by donating bread and baked goods for the meals.

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