Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Monday, November 25, 2013

AH&LA LAUNCHES GRATUITY GUIDE

Industry Partner, Forbes Travel Guide, Supports Initiative Washington, November 25, 2013 – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the sole U.S. association representing all segments of the lodging industry, is releasing a guide covering gratuity rates for a broad array of service areas, including parking attendants, doormen, housekeepers, and room service. Released in time for the busy holiday travel season, the guide helps guests determine voluntary monetary ranges for services rendered by hotel staff throughout a guest’s stay. Among the recommendations: • Tip concierges from $5-10, depending on how involved the service (booking a restaurant versus hard-to-get tickets) or a lump sum upon departure. • Tip housekeepers and housemen $1-5 per night. The tip should be left daily in a marked envelope or with a note. • For special requests (like an extra blanket), tip $4 for one item, $1 for more. Tipping is not required for someone fixing something broken or bringing something missing. “The hotel industry is an area of high career growth, and for many of our 1.8 million U.S. hotel employees it is the pathway to the American dream,” said Katherine Lugar, AH&LA president/CEO. “AH&LA’s Gratuity Guide provides guests with valuable information on how to best acknowledge superior service – at their discretion – received during their hotel stay.” According to Michael Cascone, president, Forbes Travel Guide, which is promoting the guide, “Hotel staff are the heartbeat of luxury hospitality. When service goes above and beyond expectations, gratuities represent a deserved reflection of a guest's appreciation. A gratuity can be a monetary gift, and is often accompanied by a written note of appreciation. At luxury hotels, it is not unheard of for guests to occasionally lavish high value gifts on hotel employees in recognition of exemplary service.” To download a copy of the AH&LA Gratuity Guide, visit www.ahla.com.

DeLauro Statement on Bread for The World’s 2014 Hunger Report Ending Hunger in America Calls for A 50 Percent Reduction in 10 Years

DeLauro Statement on Bread for The World’s 2014 Hunger Report Ending Hunger in America Calls for A 50 Percent Reduction in 10 Years NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today on Bread for the World’s 2014 hunger report: Ending Hunger in America. DeLauro is a longtime champion for nutrition and anti-hunger programs. Earlier this month, she led a letter urging the Farm Bill conferees not to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps. “This report lays out several important recommendations and makes clear that we must act to end the scourge that is hunger in America. Just as we have taken on the challenge of eradicating hunger worldwide, we must devote ourselves to doing so at home. My congressional colleagues should take special note of two of the recommendations in particular: increasing the minimum wage and improving SNAP outreach. “In this Thanksgiving week I hope everyone takes an extra moment to think about how we can be doing more to help the poorest and most vulnerable in our country. I urge the members of Congress debating a final Farm Bill: do not cut food stamps, do not increase hunger in America.” The report lays out recommendations in several areas: • Getting to Full Employment • A Fair Deal For Workers • Inclusion for the Excluded and Denied • Local Leaders Working with National Partners to End Hunger • Ending Extreme Poverty and Hunger Worldwide

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Marine Corporal Daniel S. Russo to Receive 2013 Food Service Specialist of the Year Award

(St. Helena, CA)- Marine Corporal Daniel Russo will be recognized as the 2013 Food Service Specialist of the Year by the Major General Hill Awards Program this Thursday November, 21st at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, CA. The award will be presented during this week’s Armed Forces Forum for Culinary Excellence hosted by the National Restaurant Association Military Foundation. This year thirty military personnel including Airmen, Marines and Navy personnel are being provided a week of culinary training to further enhance their military food service expertise. “The National Restaurant Association is proud to support our active servicemen and women and military veterans and help shape them into future restaurant leaders,” said Art Myers, National Restaurant Association Military Foundation board member. “The military community is a vital part of the restaurant industry and the Major Gen. W.P.T. Hill Awards is our way of honoring Cpl. Russo and the men and women before him who have been shining examples of excellence in foodservice.” Cpl. Russo originally from Watertown, MA, has been an active member of the USMC since January 2011. Over the past year Russo has been assigned to the 25th Marine Regiment, HQ CO Mess Chief where he supervises over 13,800 meals being prepared for all drill and annual events. During his unit’s annual training exorcise, Russo established a field mess and led 15 marines in support of 8,400 meals and supported the July 4th holiday meal for all elements of the operation. The ceremony will take place Thursday November 21st at 11am ET via Skype as Cpr. Russo is currently serving in Afghanistan. The National Restaurant Association Military Foundation grew from the NRA’s decades-long partnership with the Hennessy Travelers Awards program. Established in 1956, the program honors the dedication, pride and fellowship of the military foodservice personnel. More than 250,000 military veterans are employed in the restaurant industry. In the next five years, the NRA projects the number of additional employment opportunities to increase by 25,000.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Updated Code is a Model for State, City, County, Tribal, Territorial Agencies and Industry

November 14, 2013 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the 2013 edition of the FDA Food Code on November 13, 2013. Release of this model food code provides all levels of government and industry with practical, science-based guidance and manageable provisions for mitigating known risks of foodborne illness. The FDA Food Code marks its 20th anniversary with the release of the 2013 edition. The Food Code is a key component of the President’s public-health focused framework for maintaining a safe food supply. It represents FDA's best advice for a uniform system of provisions that address the safety and protection of food offered at retail and in food service, and has been widely adopted by state, local, tribal and territorial regulatory agencies that regulate more than one million restaurants, retail food stores, vending operations and food service operations in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and child care centers. Significant changes to the 2013 Food Code include the following: • Restaurants and food stores must post signs notifying their customers that inspection information is available for review. • Nontyphoidal Salmonella is added to the list of illnesses that food workers are required to report to their management and that prompts management to exclude or restrict employees from working with food. • New requirements that better address emerging trends in food establishments such as the use of reduced oxygen packaging methods and the reuse and refilling of take-home food containers. • Revisions to the minimum cooking temperatures associated with procedures such as non-continuous cooking and circumstances under which bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods is permitted. • Stronger requirements for cleaning and sanitizing equipment used in preparing raw foods that are major food allergens. The 2013 edition reflects the input of regulatory officials, industry, academia, and consumers that participated in the 2012 meeting of the Conference for Food Protection (CFP). Collaboration with the CFP and our partners at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services helps ensure the Food Code establishes sound requirements that prevent foodborne illness and injury and eliminates the most important food safety hazards in retail and foodservice facilities. FDA encourages its state, local, tribal, and territorial partners to adopt the latest version of the FDA Food Code. The benefits associated with complete and widespread adoption of the 2013 Food Code as statutes, codes and ordinances include: • Reduction of the risk of foodborne illnesses within food establishments, thus protecting consumers and industry from potentially devastating health consequences and financial losses. • Uniform standards for retail food safety that reduce complexity and better ensure compliance. • The elimination of redundant processes for establishing food safety criteria. • The establishment of a more standardized approach to inspections and audits of food establishments. Members of FDA’s National Retail Food Team are available to assist regulatory officials, educators, and the industry in their efforts to adopt, implement, and understand the provisions of the FDA Food Code and the Retail Program Standards. Inquiries may be sent to retailfoodprotectionteam@fda.hhs.gov or directly to a Regional Retail Food Specialist located in one of FDA’s five Regional Offices across the country. The 2013 FDA Food Code is available on the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/FoodCode.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

HENRY REPEATING ARMS PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN FARMER

For immediate release BAYONNE, NEW JERSEY, November 12, 2013 – Henry Repeating Arms is pleased to recognize America’s Farmers with the release of its new Henry Golden Boy “American Farmer Tribute Edition” lever action rifle. This tribute rifle honors the men, women and families who devote their lives to feeding the world. Anthony Imperato, President of Henry Repeating Arms explains, “I've been fortunate to travel extensively through rural America where I've seen the incredible work ethic of the American farmer. I'm humbled by their spirit and resilience and thank them for all they do to feed our country and the world". http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131112/NY15631-a http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131112/NY15631-b http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131112/NY15631-c http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131112/NY15631-d http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131112/NY15631LOGO-e The iconic scenes of farm life he witnessed were captured in artwork commissioned exclusively for this rifle, resulting in a .22 caliber work of art to carry, use, and display with pride. Details include the text ‘American Farmers Feeding the World’ floating over intricate scrollwork hand engraved on the nickel plated receiver cover and washed with 24 kt. gold. An image of the American Flag proudly displayed above the red door of an old fashioned barn is carved and hand painted on the American Walnut stock. Model H004AF is available through licensed Henry dealers. MSRP $1,020.00. For more information and additional product images visit www.henryrifles.com or call 201-858-4400.