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COLLEGE FOOD SERVICE OFFERING LOW-CARBON DIET |
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April 04, 2008
GROVE CITY, Pa. – The Grove City College food service management company, Bon Appetit, will offer a “low-carbon diet” on Earth Day, April 22, to help reduce emissions in the food industry. In the dining halls and in the Student Union, Bon Appetit will offer menu options that do not include food imported from outside the North American region, such as no tropical fruits, to help cut down on the pollutants associated with transportation and shipment. The use of beef and cheese that day will also be decreased and more seafood, pork, and vegetarian choices will be offered.
The food industry is responsible for up to one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Research has shown that dietary choices can equal the difference between driving an efficient sedan versus a large sport utility vehicle. In response, Bon Appetit is taking steps to fight global warming with a low-carbon diet, specifically on Earth Day. But the company plans to implement more than 20 initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to their business by 25 percent overall.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average person emits about 20 tons or roughly 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. That number includes how much they use personally in their home and for their transportation (about 16,000 pounds), as well as the emissions caused by the products they consume (about 24,000 pounds). That is far above the international average, which puts America in the top five among carbon dioxide polluters on the planet.
As Earth Day approaches, Bon Appetit is enacting several changes to help the environment. In daily operation, the company is looking at ways to decrease coffee waste and will be encouraging students to take only what they can eat, coming back for second helpings if desired. The snack bar in the Student Union is also working to choose more environmentally friendly to-go containers, such as paper instead of Styrofoam.
“This is something that Bon Appetit Management Company not only wants in encourage on April 22, but to make it a consistent habit in the cafés,” said catering manager Karen Morgan-Windich.
With the low-carbon diet, Bon Appetit becomes the first restaurant company to make the connection between food choices and climate change. The program is designed to raise awareness and educate students at reducing greenhouse gases produced by food choices, while aiming to show that lower-carbon options can be extremely flavorful.
Beef, lamb and cheese (from cows, goats and sheep) are the highest sources of greenhouse gas emissions of all food products. Other protein sources, such as poultry, eggs, soy and pork, are not as highly emitting but are far higher than non-protein sources. Seafood is better, on average. In many cases, reductions can be achieved through menu engineering and portioning. And air-freighting emits the most greenhouse gases of all forms of transportation, far more than truck, ship or rail.
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