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Sarah Palin's Worst Nightmare?: A Day Without Meat

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Fri, 02/11/2011 - 12:37
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"Beef, it's what's for dinner." So says an old Beef Industry Council ad from the 1990s. 

Not on Monday, my friends!  And not for lunch or breakfast either.  At least not for the people at The Monday Campaigns, a non-profit organization that provides weekly prompts for people to make healthier life choices.  Meatless Mondays is a The Monday Campaigns initiative that encourages people to go at least one day of the week without meat.  (And that day is....Friday.  Just kidding, it's Monday.) 
 
In addition to its list of the health benefits of going meatless, Meatless Mondays lists the environmental benefits of this more sustainable dietary choice: reduce fossil fuel dependence, minimize water usage and reduce your carbon footprint. 
 
Recently Sodexo--a multi-national company that provides food service at hundreds of universities across the US--announced that it has "launched the Meatless Monday initiative nationwide, by promoting and adding the option of a plant-based entree to its menus each week."  
 
This is a nice development for public health and sustainability advocates.  A thought echoed by Chris Elam, the program director for Meatless Monday in a piece in the Huffington Post.   
 
For all those vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarians out there, we’d like to see Sodexo go a lot further. When the company adds one option, how many options does that create for people who are forgoing meat, whether completely or just a few days a week?  We  know there are places where Sodexo does well in providing vegan and vegetarian entrees: it would be great if that were the standard.
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The Top Dogs: Biggest Players in the Industry Revealed in Top 50 List

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Mon, 12/20/2010 - 15:58
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Football fans have the Super Bowl.  Political junkies have the State of the Union address.  And film buffs have the Academy Awards.    For food service industry research nerds like myself, the year's big event is Food Management's annual release of the top 50 food service management companies in North America!  It's a festive occasion that involves printing out tons of copies to show off to your friends and bragging about who hit the over/under on Luby's Culinary Services fiscal year 2010 revenue.

While even the most seasoned prognosticators failed to predict Lubys' jump from 48 to 41, the top of the list contained no surprises.  The Big 3 remain the Big 3, as Compass Group, Aramark and Sodexo finished 1, 2, 3 on the list, the same order they finished last year.

The top 50 list is a handy tool for students interested in learning more about the contracted food service industry--which does much of its business at universities.  The list has detailed information on each company including the most recent annual revenue figure, number of contracts and percentage of business done at different types of locations (i.e. food service at hospitals, at universities, at corporate cafeterias, etc.).  

This is a really valuable resource for anyone who is hoping for a greater understanding of the food service industry.  An industry which, as we know, has a huge effect on the livelihood of farmers and food service workers, the environment and public health.  

Photo by mikebaird.

Tools of the Trade III: Industry Consolidation

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Tue, 12/14/2010 - 18:54
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Three multi-national companies dominate contracted university food service.  The 'Big 3', as they are referred to by industry insiders, are Aramark, Sodexo and Compass (which goes by the brand names Bon Appetit and Chartwells).  Approximately 87% of revenue generated by contracted food service companies in universities is generated by the Big 3. 

87%...three companies.  And these three companies generate billions of dollars annually through their global enterprise.  University food service is big business indeed.  

If your university contracts food service, chances are it's to one of these three companies.  Here's a leaflet (that you can download here) that you can use to educate your classmates about the scope of these companies' operations. 

Other informational leaflets include: Poverty in Food Service and The RFP Process. 

Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Sodexo Reach Agreement!

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Tue, 08/24/2010 - 17:37
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 First Compass Group (Chartwells, Bon Appetit).  Then Aramark.  Now Sodexo.  

Read about the agreement at the top of the Student/Farmworker Alliance website. Also check out the CIW, Sodexo press release.

 

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Contesting Campus Monopolies in Alabama

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Thu, 08/19/2010 - 13:18
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One of the issues that regularly raises the ire of university students—whatever their political stripe—is when a company has a monopoly on campus food service operations.

The indignation can be moral: “I shouldn’t have to support a company whose business practices conflict with my values.”
Or ideological: “I support the free market economy.”
Or practical: “I want different food options.” 
Regardless of the underlying reason, this practice is one that strikes many college students as unfair.
At three universities in Alabama, students are using the legal process to do something about monopolies on college campuses:
Students say in a class action [lawsuit] that the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa has given Aramark Educational Services "unfettered dominion and control over on-campus dining" by awarding it a monopoly on dining services, which "robs the students of the benefits of free choice in the marketplace." Students filed similar class actions against UA Birmingham and Sodexo, and Auburn University and Compass Group USA dba Chartwells.
Interesting that every one of the “Big 3”—Sodexo, Compass and Aramark—are included in the suit. 
I’ll be interested to see where this case goes. If successful, this is an interesting model for students taking action to balance power on their campus—which usually tilts in the direction of administrators and companies and away from students. 

Photo by David Smith via Flickr

The Game’s Called ‘Food Service’: 50 Companies to Keep Your Eye On

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Fri, 08/13/2010 - 16:17
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University food service is big business. In 2008 contractor-managed university food service in the United States amassed $12.91 billion in sales.

Like any business, university food service attracts for-profit companies looking to make a buck out of customers (in this case, students). And like any business, the closer we scrutinize these companies, the easier it is to hold them accountable. 
With that in mind, here’s a link to an industry publication’s list of the Top 50 Food Service Companies in North America. Not all of these companies do business at universities. But most do. 
And as I always say, it’s important to know the players if you’re going to understand the game. This list is a great reference to put your universities’ food service company into context. 
The list is top-heavy. Most of the new profit was generated by the top three companies — Compass (Chartwells and Bon Appetit), Aramark and Sodexo. In industry lingo, these companies are known as the Big Three. And ‘Big’ is no exaggeration. These three companies dominate the industry, employing 75% of the contractor managed food service workers in North America.
These companies deserve a wary eye. Don't you think?

Photo by Lisa Hill via Flickr.

Food Service Fights in New York: Victories Past and the Fight Ahead

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Wed, 01/20/2010 - 15:03
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Last semester, Hunter College students, faculty and staff united in support of the College’s cafeteria workers. These workers, employees of the College’s food service vendor, AVI Foodsystems, were facing the prospect of losing their free family health benefits after AVI took over the contract from Sodexo. Thanks, not only to the bravery of the workers and their refusal to accept dramatic concessions, but to the support of the Hunter College students and faculty, the workers won a good contract—one that included fully paid health benefits for their families. 
 
Here’s testimony from Owen Hill, one of the students who fought in solidarity with the men and women who serve food to the Hunter College community. You can learn more about student-worker campaigns at UNITE HERE’s student-worker solidarity site. 
 
"The majority of Hunter students are working class students; not only do we come from working class households, but most of us work to make it through school.  So it’s only natural that Unite Here Local 100’s fight to save our cafeteria workers’ raises, pensions, andhealth care struck such a chord with Hunter’s student body.  For, just like the workers that Hunter students so proudly stood in solidarity with, every day our living standards and those of our families are continuing to melt under the withering blows of slashed budgets, greedy employers and a deregulated banking system.  Indeed, the response on our campus was so enormous that AVI Foodsystems, the cafeteria workers’ employer, was forced to back down on the vast majority of their demands before the student/faculty boycott of the cafeteria even began.  The resounding victory of Unite Here Local 100 and the courageous workers over a company that was demanding substantial concessions, points the way forward for students and workers alike, and reminds us all once again that solidarity really is the only way to win."
 
Preach on, Owen! As someone who was involved in the fight that brought students and workers together at Hunter College, I can tell you that Owen’s testimony is no overstatement. 
 
Unfortunately, AVI Foodsystems seems to have not learned their lesson from the student-worker solidarity they had to deal with at Hunter.  At nearby Sarah Lawrence College, where AVI also took over the contract to provide food service, workers and students have formed an alliance to fight for fair compensation for the food service workers at the College. Having won union recognition with Local 100 several months ago, the workers at Sarah Lawrence, along with their student allies, are now fighting for a similar contract to that won by the workers at Hunter College. So far, AVI has been resistant to accepting the reasonable position of the workers and has not been willing to budge on providing the workers with full family health benefits.
 
Check back for updates on Sarah Lawrence as the battle for full health benefits and a fair contract unfolds. 
 
Photo, by Shane Valazquez, is of Owen Hill speaking at October 5th 2009 rally for AVI cafeteria workers outside Hunter College.

Aramark, Sodexo, Compass Post Financial Results

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Tue, 12/01/2009 - 16:23
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In the past few weeks, Aramark, Sodexo and Compass have released their Fiscal Year 2009 financial results. We thought you all might be interested to see some of the numbers behind these businesses, so here’s a set of links to check out:
 
Compass:
 
 
Sodexo:
 
Aramark:
 
As financial results and other major announcements come out from major food service companies, we’ll do our best here at Stir It Up to keep you posted, so make sure you keep checking back. Another good way to stay on top of the news is to set up Google Alerts for your company of choice to get the rundown sent to you via email as often as you’d like. 

 

(Photo by Alan Cleaver, used here under Create Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.)

Coalition of Immokalee Workers Update: Farmworkers Fight On

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Mon, 11/09/2009 - 13:44
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Stir It Up Editor's Note: The article below was written by freelance journalist Ethan Genauer.  It addresses Sodexo and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) and Student/Farmworker Alliance's Dine with Dignity campaign.  While SFA reports that Compass has reached an agreement with the CIW, Aramark and Sodexo still have not.  The positions taken in the article are the author's.

So now what, Sodexo? Farmworkers fight on
Farmworkers take on Sodexo at 2009 national CFSC conference in Des Moines

by Ethan Genauer

At the 2009 national conference of the Community Food Security Coalition (CFSC), food service provider Sodexo publicly announced the corporation's willingness to support a wage increase for tomato farmworkers in Florida and to adopt a code of conduct that would protect the farmworkers from human rights abuses.

But farmworkers insist that "the campaign against Sodexo is going to continue" until the corporation follows these words with a meaningful commitment that includes a signed agreement and concrete action to implement it.

"The communication [from Sodexo] does not mean anything if there are no concrete steps toward something that is real. We hope that what they are saying is sincere, and we are open to discussions, but only if they are ready to do the right thing," said Gerardo Reyes Chávez, a spokesperson for Florida's coalition of tomato farmworkers.

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