Postscript: Futurist Thoughts on
Food Service
Chapter 21
Food Philanthropy
• Emerson Good Samaritan Food
Donation Act (1996)
– Provides liability protection for donation of
excess food to nonprofit organizations
• Food philanthropy will become part of
corporate mission statements
The Greening of Food Service
• Food service operators becoming more
environmentally conscious
– Increased efforts to reduce, reuse and
recycle
– Decreased energy consumption with new
equipment/practices
– Reduction in the use of disposables
Certified Green Restaurant
• Green Restaurant Association (GRA) is
a national nonprofit organization
– Promotes environmental responsibility
among food manufacturers, distributors,
restaurants, and consumers
– Provides consultation and environmental
assessment
• As part of its certification program
Utilities
• Represent 30 percent of a building’s
annual budget on average
• Variety of methods available of reducing
energy consumption
– Energy efficient equipment and bulbs
– Use of switches and timers
– Eliminate running water thawing methods
Disposables
• Sustainable packaging
– One of an increasing number of consumer
concerns related to the environment
• Methods of reducing landfill waste
– Use unbleached paper products
– Use biodegradable products
– Use foil/reusable lids instead of plastic wrap
Disposables (cont’d.)
• Methods of reducing landfill waste
(cont’d.)
– Use Energy Star appliances
– Eliminate or reduce bottled water use
– Use reusable hemp or organic take-out
bags
– Purchase recycled office paper
Composting
• Many food service operations are
already composting food waste
– Technology is making it easier to do so
• Community landfills are beginning to
restrict food waste disposal in the
landfill
Future Food
• Future food will cater to personal health
• Once the medical community has a
better understanding of human
metabolism
– People will personalize their diets to meet
their own health needs
Cloned Food
• In 2008, FDA concluded that meat and
milk from cloned animals is safe for
consumption
• After a failed attempt to pass a law
requiring the labeling of cloned food
– The offspring of cloned animals have
already entered the food supply
Cloned Food (cont’d.)
• In-vitro meat (cultured meat)
– Meat products manufactured by tissue
engineering technology
– Takes starter cells from live animals
• Placed in a culture media to grow
independently from the animal
– Has potential to produce enough meat to
feed the planet
Hydroponics
• Have existed for 1,500 years
– Used more in the last 60 to 70 years
• Benefits of hydroponic growing methods
– Requires less space, water, and fertilizer
• The world’s arable land continues to
shrink each year
Aquaculture
• Opinions favoring the future growth of
aquaculture
– Supply of wild-caught fish will diminish as
their stock diminishes
– Hatcheries can be a conservation tool
– Aquaculture products are less prone to
disease and toxins
Aquaculture (cont’d.)
• Opinions against the future growth of
aquaculture
– Consumers prefer the taste of wild-caught
fish
– Regulatory process of gaining approval for
aquaculture farms is difficult
– Concerns about pollution of rivers and
oceans by aquaculture waste material
Organic Food
• The number of people using organic
food products will double by 2010
– Products are more available and in greater
varieties
– Cost is decreasing
– Public is becoming more educated
Organic Food (cont’d.)
• Laws governing food safety are
confusing
• Various outbreaks of food-related
sickness have occurred in recent years
– Ground beef recalls, onions, spinach
– E. coli contamination linked to each
– The need for food safety is ever-present
Equipment
• Equipment and food products
– Primary capital assets of a food business
• Requirements when making equipment
selection decisions
– Affordability, practicality, dependability, and
flexibility
Refrigeration
• Proper quick-cooling methods for
heated foods important for food safety
• Flash (blast) freezing
– Method of rapid freezing for foods prone to
spoiling
– Other benefits: improved food quality,
increased shelf life, and reduced shrinkage
Beverage Equipment
• Increased use of in-house beverage
equipment is likely
• No single juicer style works best for all
produce
– Centrifugal ejection juicers: fast, easy to
use, and clean
• A blixer is a hybrid of blender and mixer
Cooking Equipment
• Induction cooking surfaces
– Induction generates a magnetic field that
produces heat in steel pots and pans
• Cooktop doesn’t heat up, only the pan
• More energy efficient than electric or gas
• Turbochef ovens
– Uses convection; many are ventless
Cooking Equipment (cont’d.)
• Rethermalization units
– Hot Logic technology heats and holds
temperature of food
– Allows holding times of 4-8 hours
– Most used where there is no ability to
prepare food on site, or in institutions
Cooking Equipment (cont’d.)
• Immersion circulator cooking
– Sous vide: method of cooking food at a
specific temperature while under vacuum
pressure
– Foods are cooked in a water bath
– Benefits: ability to tenderize tougher meat
cuts; increased moisture retention; time
savings and temperature control
Computerization and Digital
Connectivity
• Increased use of digital cameras,
barcode scanners and PDAs among
storeroom operators
• Word-of-mouth marketing strategies
– Use digital social media sites
– Will reduce advertising expenditures with
traditional static media
Legislation
• Continued legislation aims at protecting
the dining public
– Motives range from food safety to obesity
prevention
• Food service professionals should stay
abreast of laws and the political climate
Global Ethics
• Food service operators must commit
themselves to ethical and responsible
practices
• Protecting economy of our nation and
public health of our citizens will be an
escalating focus
Summary
• Food philanthropy will become part of
corporate mission statements
• The greening of food service will be a
major future trend
• Personal health and food safety are
growing consumer concerns
Summary (cont’d.)
• New types of cooking equipment are
becoming available
• Use of hydroponics, aquaculture and
cultured meat may increase
• Legislation relating to food is dynamic
• Heightened focus on global ethics a
future trend