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Starting today through September 30, guests can wow their taste buds with the “swiciest” sensation of the season, the Nashville-Style Hot Honey Pizza. The exclusive and inspired creation delivers a mash-up of today’s popular food trends, including hot chicken and hot honey pizza, topped with Mike’s Hot Honey – Extra Hot for the perfect amount of sweet heat.
The Nashville-Style Hot Honey Pizza includes CPK’s signature hand-battered crispy chicken, ranchito sauce, and fresh Mozzarella cheese, baked in our hearth oven, then topped with cayenne seasoning and dill pickles, and drizzled with Mike’s Hot Honey – Extra Hot.
“We’re long time fans of Mike’s Hot Honey, which is why we set out to give our guests an unexpected pizza collaboration like no other,” says Chef Paul Pszybylski, VP of culinary innovation at CPK. “Since we love fusing flavors and cuisines together, we knew hot chicken and hot honey should come together to make the next great pizza!”
“California Pizza Kitchen is known for its innovative approach to pizza and pushing boundaries, and we’re thrilled to add a unique sweet heat kick to their latest creation,” says Mike Kurtz, founder, Mike’s Hot Honey. “We’re excited that our Extra Hot is the star of the pizza, marking the first time it’s been featured in a collaboration.”
Additionally this fall, CPK is bringing back seasonal favorites, such as the Pumpkin Cheesecake:
Pumpkin Cheesecake: A creamy pumpkin cheesecake over a layer of classic New York cheesecake, on a gingersnap crust.
CPK’s fall limited-time offerings are now available at all participating restaurants for dine-in, pick up, and delivery.
For more information, visit cpk.com and follow @cpk or @calpizzakitchen on social media.
The May eNews special feature looked at the benefits worldwide of raising cold chain operating temperatures from -18°C to -15°C (-0.4°F to 5°F) to save energy—to the tune of 25 terawatt hours per year. While making this move, it’s estimated that cold chain operators, depending on their role, could save anywhere up to 10% in overall operating costs and make a dent in their carbon footprint.
While the Move to -15°C Coalition has found minimal or no effect on food safety and quality from raising cold-chain temperature by 3°C or about 5°F, it would seem that merely upping thermostats presupposes that instrumentation and equipment can safely hold these higher temps with an adequate safety margin—and that’s assuming that pallet loads are spaced properly to maintain air flow and doors are not left open on trucks and freezers.
FOOD ENGINEERING spoke with a representative from Copeland (previously known as Emerson Cold Chain and Monitoring) and DeltaTrak’s CEO and Founder Fred Wu to get a handle on the ability of the cold chain to keep food safety and quality high at these slightly elevated temperatures.
“It’s important to remember that maintaining food safety and the quality of frozen perishables is still the most critical priority,” says Chris Sercia, Copeland cargo division sales executive. “Older refrigerated trailers (i.e., reefers) have lower insulative values—losing 5 to 10 percent every year—and may simply be unable to maintain proper frozen temperatures with a 5°F increase. Commodities such as ice cream must be held at lower temperatures (i.e., -15°F) to maintain their ideal whipped consistency; any increase in that temperature over a prolonged period would likely violate brand quality standards. So, if you were to ship ice cream in a 10-year-old truck during the heat of the summer—and hypothetically increased the temperature to -10 °F to save energy— you could experience poor results.”
For commodities such as chicken that are held within a typical 0 to 5°F range, the consequences of an incremental temperature increase could cause potential food safety issues, Sercia says. “For example, even though the reefer setpoint temperature may indicate 5°F, poor insulation combined with tightly packed loads could cause the actual circulating air temperature to be 10 to 15°F higher. This could result in defrosting and thawing, which could, at best, impair quality and, at worst, create the potential for bacterial formation.”
“On the surface, ‘just turning up the thermostat,’ does seem like a simple solution to help reduce emissions across the cold chain, but it is not as straightforward as it seems,” says DeltaTrak’s Wu. “So first, we need to frame the issue of emissions within the food system.”
According to Wu, the supply chain only accounts for 18% of emissions, whereas 24% comes from land use and deforestation and 58% from farming. “Most sources quote that 40% of our food is wasted. I would argue that the most significant impact in carbon emissions will come from reducing food waste,” says Wu.
Frozen foods, Wu says, have traditionally been less susceptible to food safety concerns than fresh food, which present more significant challenges. “Fresh produce is particularly complex as each commodity has a government mandated safe zone for temperature management. Not only do you need to be concerned about food safety, but also food quality, which will depend on several factors including: cut-to-cool time, supply chain temperature management and shipment journey time. For instance, when avocados are transported from Mexico to the USA, the temperature of the transport container or train is set to help avocados ripen during transit while maintaining freshness and safety. More information can be found using the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) Risk-Ranking Model for Food Tracing (RRM-FT), which provides risk scores for all commodities and provides a risk curve associated with various temperatures,” Wu says.
Setpoints and Accuracy
Typically, in a reefer, the temperature sensors are built into the supply air reefer unit where the thermostat is located, Wu says. When the thermostats turn the reefer unit off and on, it creates a defrost cycle. Some equipment can operate within a ±2°F, and other older equipment may be less accurate and work within ±5°F, Wu says. Since the thermostat is located in the front, and the cargo temperature is higher at the back by at least 5°F, it’s necessary to set the thermostat at least 5°F colder to compensate for this well-known issue.
Ice cream is one of the primary indicators of problems during the defrost cycle, Wu says. If ice crystals formed on the lid of the container, consumers will know that it has partially thawed during a defrost cycle, and while not a food safety problem, it is a selling issue, leading to rejection by the consumer.
Over-packing and poor pallet loading practices can restrict airflow and increase reefer air temperatures—while unintentionally creating temperature variances throughout the trailer, Sercia says. It’s important to remember that reefers are designed to hold—not cool—perishables, so proper cold chain shipping starts by pre-cooling products to the ideal setpoint. Then, pallets should be loaded in a centerline configuration and locked into place to allow for sufficient air circulation throughout the trailer.
Monitor Product Temperature—Not Ambient
McDonald’s was the first innovator to design, develop and implement a new food safety temperature standard at scale, Wu says. Around 10 years ago, McDonald’s asked DeltaTrak to help them record the actual product temperatures across their entire operation, which includes shipping, delivery, handling, storage and processing. This led to McDonald’s changing their quality reference for temperature from ambient temperature to product temperature.
In one delivery, the driver had left the back door open for 15 minutes to an ambient 85°F temperature. By using the product temperature for the quality alert reference rather than the ambient temperature of the truck, McDonald’s was able to eliminate many nuisance alert reports and better focus on the actual product temperature conditions that may impact food safety, food quality and shelf life.
Supply Chain Temperature Issues
Increasing setpoints by 3°C or 5°F is not the challenge; the challenge is making sure all other factors are in place to reliably implement a temperature increase without risking perishable quality and food safety, Sercia says. “Considering all the variables in the over-the-road trucking sector, even this slight temperature increase may leave less room for error—especially in warmer regions or seasons where a trailer’s insulative capabilities are often put to the test. For example, if the reefer download temperature is raised by 5°F, and the trailer can barely hold that temperature in the heat of the summer, and then the trailer sits with open doors for two hours to unload, operators could be facing significant perishable degradation. The best-case scenario would be to have the product as cold as possible at the point of delivery; even a slight temperature setpoint increase may disrupt that balance.”
Achieving a consistent and food-safe temperature requires careful monitoring and management, Wu says. This involves strategically located sensors throughout the trailer space and real-time loggers to maintain the desired temperature for food safety.
DeltaTrak has several partners that are exporters out of Chile, which face several trade lanes with extended journey times, Wu says. “These exporters use a two-channel, real-time logger with a 15-meter cable sensor in the supply air duct in the front of the reefer to measure the cold air coming in and simultaneously record the cargo temperature at the back of the container. Typically, they should not see a delta-T of more ± 2°C. Suppose the contracted supply air temperature is not maintained. In that case, they will see an incremental rise in the cargo temperature in the back, which will clearly indicate irregularity when filing a claim and will impact food quality and safety concerns.”
There are several cases of maritime lines or ports mishandling containers, Wu says. For example, trucks may turn off power to reefers to save energy while waiting for berthing, and power to the containers may get disconnected during the unloading or inspection process. Declaring carbon emissions is mandated now by European law, and this puts pressure on the supply chain to decrease the fuel to keep products frozen.
“Since we are in a global economy where food items are shipped worldwide, a global standard needs to be set, and actors in the industry will need to provide data by using cold chain compliance track and trace solutions,” Wu says. As this data is gathered and used for analytics purposes, it will also demonstrate and give evidence on whether increasing the temperature by 5°F (3°C) will have decreased carbon emissions while maintaining safe food.
When all is said and done, the market will help make the decisions, Wu says. “When influential food retailer customers like Kroger, Costco and Publix embrace the use of advanced technology to get better visibility of their cold chain performance, especially in real time, the concern over increasing the temperature by +5°F may become less of an issue as they can see what is or is not being impacted.”
Move to -15°C Update
The Move to -15°C, a sustainability initiative dedicated to cutting carbon emissions in the frozen food supply chain, has more than doubled its membership since its launch at COP28 at the end of 2023.
The frozen food temperature setpoint of -18°C (0°F) was established as an industry standard a century ago, but with little evidence, and logistics technology has improved substantially since. Building on academic research, which shows that a three-degree change in temperature could make a significant environmental impact with no compromise on food safety, Move to –15°C aims to reduce emissions and cut supply chain costs.
Recognizing that a shift in temperature set points from -18°C to -15°C requires a collaboration from the entire frozen food supply chain, Move to -15°C recently secured support from Nomad Foods, Europe’s leading frozen food manufacturer and the company behind iconic brands, including Bird’s Eye, Findus and Iglo. In February 2024, Nomad Foods released the 12-month results of its ongoing landmark study, which revealed that storing frozen food at -15°C, instead of the industry standard -18°C, can reduce freezer energy consumption by 10 -11% without any noticeable impact on product safety, texture, taste or nutritional value.
Since launch, commitment from the global transport and logistics industry has continued to grow. Worldwide transport and logistics provider, Blue Water Shipping, Europe’s second largest cold logistics operator, Constellation Cold Logistics, and Indicold, provider of reliable, cost-effective cold storage and logistics solutions in India, are the latest to join industry peers in Move to –15°C.
One of the largest purchasers and lessors of refrigerated containers in the world, Seacube Container Leasing, IoT technology pioneers, Orbcomm, and Seafrigo, which has developed a worldwide network within the refrigerated space, have also recently joined the Coalition.
Scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have pushed back a geoengineering project that involves dumping more than 60,000 gallons of sodium hydroxide into the Atlantic Ocean from mid-September until next summer after the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) expressed concerns, the Boston Herald reports.
The loss of availability of a fully-equipped research vessel is the reason the Falmouth, Massachusetts-based scientists gave for the delay. However, they announced the postponement on Aug. 14, two days after NMFS published a warning that the project could “adversely affect federally-managed species and other NOAA trust resources.”
Roughly 35 federally managed species have designated “essential fish habitats” that intersect with the vicinity of the first phase project area, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has tentatively determined to issue two research permits.
The experiment, called the LOC-NESS project, short for “Locking away ocean carbon in the Northeast shelf and slope,” consists of two phases. The first phase would involve dumping 6,600 gallons sodium hydroxide solution and freshwater into the Atlantic, temporarily changing the water’s chemistry – increasing carbon dioxide levels that the ocean absorbs. The scientists say it’s an effort that could be a way to slow climate change in the long run.
The release of the solution would occur over two to three hours to “create a patch of alkalinity on the ocean surface and then monitored for up to 5 days by an on-site scientific research team,” according to project documents.
The first part of the experiment is to take place roughly 10 miles south of Normans Land, an island off of Martha’s Vineyard. In the second phase, pushed back to 2026, scientists would dump up to 66,000 gallons into the Wilkinson Basin, nearly 40 miles northeast of Provincetown.
Within 2 minutes of the initial release of the alkaline solution, pH would return to levels within federally recommended water quality standards for saltwater aquatic life, the scientists have advised.
The EPA has agreed with Woods Hole’s assertion that the project would not harm the ecosystem. However, in a July letter to the EPA, published online last week, NMFS disagreed, raising sharp concerns on potential impacts.
“Although the spatial and temporal scale is relatively small,” the letter states, “the proposed experiment has the potential to injure or kill all life stages of federally-managed species (especially planktonic egg and larval stages) that may occur in the action area during the first few minutes after the NaOH deployment.”
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Four Corners’ Water Grab episode includes aerial footage of cotton grown under centre-pivot irrigation in the NT. Source: ABC
AUSTRALIA’S peak cotton body, Cotton Australia, has been quick to respond to claims made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Four Corners program about the developing cotton industry in the Northern Territory.
In its episode aired last night and entitled Water Grab, Four Corners made several claims relating to the growing of cotton using unregulated and free underground water, and plans to build dams on leased land on which to harvest overland flows.
The episode included file footage of Tipperary Station chair Allan Myers, general manager DavidConnelly and his brother and Tipperary cotton manager Bruce Connolly speaking about NT cotton, and the gin at Katherine, in which Tipperary is a major investor, that opened last year.
File footage also includes an interview with former NT Farmers Association chief executive officer Paul Burke.
New footage showed several properties, namely Paspaley Properties’ Dry River Station, which the episode claims is growing cotton, and the Malcolm Harris-owned Ucharonidge Station, which is openly growing cotton.
Four Corners reporter Angus Grigg at the gate of Ucharonidge Station. Image: ABC
“Malcolm Harris says the cotton crop is being grown for its seed, which can be fed to cattle,” reporter Angus Grigg said in the report.
Refuting this claim was veterinarian, environmentalist, and independent candidate for the seat of Katherine in the NT election being held on Saturday Sam Phelan, who said that cottonseed was only around 15 percent of the value of the crop.
“People are growing this for the fibre; the cottonseed is a byproduct,” Dr Phelan said.
The episode also claims some NT land has been cleared without a prior permit being issued, ostensibly for the purpose of growing cotton, and that while NT cotton is being promoted as a dryland crop, irrigation systems are being put in to support it.
While the episode mentions a number of NT leaseholders for their alleged involvement in cotton production, it is harshest on NT Government policy for its lack of regulation on land-use and water entitlements to date.
NT Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water Security Kate Worden was interviewed at length in the program to advocate the NT Government’s position on policy around the growing of cotton, and irrigation generally.
The program showed or stated attempts to speak with a number of NT leaseholders, none of which resulted in on-air interviews.
Thumbs down from Cotton Australia
In its statement issued today, Cotton Australia said it decided not to take up the opportunity to engage with Four Corners for the Water Grab program.
“In our last engagement with Four Corners, the Australian Communications and Media Authority found that ABC’s Four Corners breached its own Code of Practice on the issue of due impartiality and unduly favouring one perspective in a 2019 story on water infrastructure where cotton was a focus,” Cotton Australia said.
“Due to this and other experiences with Four Corners, Cotton Australia took the deliberate decision not to engage with them on this program given their past bias.”
That episode, entitled Cash Splash, aired on 8 July 2019, and looked at Federal Government expenditure on water infrastructure schemes in the Murrumbidgee Valley under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
Following is Cotton Australia’s response to the Water Grab episode:
Cotton Australia is extremely disappointed at the conduct of ABC’s Four Corners program in delivering another attack on the cotton industry in last night’s story on cotton in the Northern Territory.
Again, last night, Four Corners portrayed a one-sided view of the industry, disregarded legitimate scientific research, made conclusions based on repeated claims by activists, promoted the electoral ambitions of a key opponent of the industry and irresponsibly raised alarmist claims about possible catastrophic outcomes and a devastated tourism industry.
The main claims are repeated below with the cotton industry responses to each allegation.
Claim: Unsustainable levels of water are being taken from aquifers threatening the Roper River, which may run dry.
Response: There is no independent evidence to validate this claim. The CSIRO has published its own report which contradicts suggestions the Roper River system will run dry. It is available here.
The chief executive of the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the NT, David Ciaravolo rejects the Roper River claims.
In communication with the ABC’s Matt Bran Mr Ciaravolo states: “I have been on the Mataranka Water Advisory Committee for the past seven years. And let me tell you, as an advocate for barramundi fishing and the Roper River, I have no fear that current or imminent water rules will lead to the Bitter Springs drying up, nor to the Roper River ceasing to flow. He says new water regulations have made and will make things better, not worse.”
Claim: Mataranka water levels are dropping because of irrigation.
Response: This claim is unsubstantiated.Long-term monitoring and assessmentsshow that ground water levels are increasing despite extraction commencing in the early 2000’s.
Claim: A 10GL water license is being given away at Larrimah to grow crops including 800ha of cotton.
Response: There is an application which nominates several crops, including 800 ha of cotton and that application is not yet finalised. This is a matter for the individual grower and the government to determine, considering their stringent water regulations.
Claim: The suggestions about economic benefit from Cotton to the Territory are spurious with a questionable benefit to the NT.
Response: This year, around $38 million was generated by the NT cotton industry through cotton, with most of that money trickling down into the local economy. Transport operators, contractors and farming supply companies are already benefiting from that economic activity and additional jobs have been created.
Claim: The tourism sector could be put at risk by irrigators growing cotton.
Response: This is scaremongering. There is no independently validated evidence to support this and only 4.5pc of the cotton crop is irrigated with over 95pc rain fed.
Claim: Farmers are using pastoral leases to grow cotton when they shouldn’t.
Response: The regulator and the relevant Minister disagree, stating the practice is legal. The pastoral purposes guideis available here.
Claim: The NT Government is ignoring scientists with their concerns.
Response: This is for the NT Government to respond. Note that most of the Board at activist group Environment Centre NT are also Charles Darwin University researchers, staff and students.
Claim: Indigenous owners are being ignored.
Response: The NT Government states First Nations people have a pivotal role in water access due to the high proportion of Aboriginal Land in the Northern Territory (both Land Rights and Native Title), and regardless of their Traditional Owner status, local people are actively consulted with through water allocation planning processes.
All pastoral development applications, land or water, undergo a public submission period. During this period all relevant government and non-government organisations can make comments on the proposed submission that the Consent Authority must then consider in their decision-making process, this includes ground truth visits from members of the Pastoral Land Board. All Indigenous stakeholders are given ample opportunity, like all others, to make comment through the same process.
Claim: Some growers have nominated hay when applying for permits to clear land and for water applications and yet they grow cotton.
Response: In some cases, growers have held historic and long-term rights and entitlements to enable them to engage in agricultural cropping and their decisions about which crops to grow can change in a rotational cropping system. Cotton has only emerged as a viable option recently and so it is understandable that some may have nominated other crops when originally lodging their applications.
Claim: The cotton industry sought a new category of water license regarding a practice known as floodplain harvesting (overland flow) with a view to the establishment of dams.
Response: Cotton Australia can categorically state that it has never sought to influence the overland flow policy and nor is it aware of any other cotton representative body doing so.
Cotton Australia’s facts about the NT cotton industry
It currently has 13 cotton growers;
12,982ha planted, including 575ha under irrigation;
Water used is from existing water allocations that previously would have been used to grow other crops;
Any water used for irrigating cotton is from existing water allocations using groundwater;
There are 407 water licences for agriculture in existence; only nine involve cotton;
Currently there is no irrigated cotton grown with water extracted from a river or from wet-season flows;
At this stage there are no applications from cotton growers for wet-season flow water;
Around 0.01pc of Australian cotton is grown in the NT.
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The chief executive of the Meat Industry Association of Ukraine has written to Defra minister Baroness Hayman requesting the provision of African swine fever (ASF) testing kits, amid fears of a ‘rapid uncontrolled spread’ of the virus in the war-torn country.
In his letter, which also copies in the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers, Mykola Babenko warns there is a growing danger of spread in Ukraine beyond its current enzootic centres.
The association believes the greatest threat of the ‘uncontrolled transfer’ of ASF outside Ukraine is currently the high risk of virus-carrying pigs, which, according to the results of the official ante-slaughter inspection are not considered sick or suspicious, entering meat processing plants.
“This is due to the fact that in the current period of time there is a suspiciously rapid increase in cases of introduction of the pathogen into small-scale and industrial pig farms, aimed at maintaining the rear support of the troops and the population of Ukraine,” he said.
“Due to the growing mass of such outbreaks, pig farms, due to the threat of bankruptcy, massively hand over pigs for meat processing in an urgent manner. Therefore, long queues of carcass suppliers with veterinary certificates of dubious origin have formed in meat processing enterprises. Hence, there is a pressing need for additional targeted pre-slaughter control of the pig population on ASF.”
Cooperation
Since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, AIMS has cooperated with the MIA and provided it with ‘very significant organizational and logistical support’, he added.
This has, for example, enabled MIA to launch a network for training pig farms and meat processing enterprises in the control of ASF, with up to 100 graduates of three-week courses already certified. They have begun to implement modern approaches to external and internal biosecurity of pig farms in relation to ASF
But Mr Babenko added: “Unfortunately, today we do not have means for pre-slaughter control of pigs for ASF in real time, on the basis of which we would be able to train relevant specialists to work directly in procurement offices and meat processing enterprises.”
In this ‘emergency situation regarding ASF against the background of the Russian intervention’, he appealed again to AIMS with a request for ‘urgent assistance’ in providing MIA members and CIAB experts with express tests for ASF virus to enable independent control of the situation at procurement and meat processing enterprises.
He said ASF tests produced by Abbexa from the UK have a very good reputation and accuracy, unlike some others.
“We are sure that this will help to stop the cross-border spread of ASF from Ukraine, which today can create an even greater burden for Europe, and therefore increase the biosecurity threats to the UK,” he told Baroness Hayman, whose roles include biosecurity and borders.
“I assure you that farmers and meat processing enterprises of Ukraine would be infinitely grateful to the UK for support in the purchase of ASF express tests.”
The letter was sent on Monday (August 19) and AIMS spokesman Tony Goodger said: “Given the severity of the situation in Ukraine, coupled with the economic impact of the war on their farming and meat processing industry, I do hope that they will be responsive given the relatively low cost verses the amount spent on aid to Ukraine to date.”
TORONTO — BurritoBar, USA Inc. has signed an 18 unit Master Franchise Agreement for West Virginia, awarding the rights to WV ADYK LLC for the state.
“BURRITOBAR’s growth in the U.S. market is spectacular and our accelerated franchise program has been delivering incredible results with the signing of Master Franchise agreements in Michigan, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Iowa, Nebraska, North Texas, South Illinois, North Illinois, Ohio, New Jersey and now West Virginia,” says Jeff Young, Chief Development Officer. “Our enticing Master Franchise model is a vital platform to the brand’s overall international development strategy. Our Master Franchise partners are provided the opportunity to develop and manage a territory while realizing a predictable and re-occurring revenue stream through on-going royalties. This lucrative business model is a cornerstone in us achieving our ambitious goals with commitments for more than 848 restaurants under contract throughout the nation.”
“We welcome Ajaykumar and Dipal to the BurritoBar family, who will leverage their decades of franchise operations to this venture and will undoubtedly contribute to our collective goal to become a mover and shaker within the category,” says founder and CEO Alex Shtein.
Kelly’s LinkedIn bio notes that he began his role with Couche-Tard this month and that he’s based in Dublin, Ireland. A spokesperson from Couche-Tard declined to share any details of Kelly’s hiring.
Kelly brings two decades of purchasing and supply chain experience across a variety of industries to Couche-Tard. His most recent role was head of procurement for integrated facility management with global real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, which he held for nearly two years, according to his LinkedIn bio.
Prior to Cushman & Wakefield, Kelly spent more than six years with hospitality company Aramark, where he was procurement manager for the firm’s Workplace Solutions division, as well as head of procurement for facilities management.
Kelly has also held procurement leadership roles with service solutions firm Bidvest Noonan, telecommunications company Netshare Ireland and Hospital Procurement Services Group. In his LinkedIn bio, Kelly notes that his expertise includes sourcing strategies, contract negotiation, risk mitigation measures, policies and procedures.
Kelly’s hiring comes as Couche-Tard increases its focus on its procurement functions. At the end of 2023, the company launched its new Supplier Code of Conduct, which aims to uphold environmentally and socially responsible procurement practices across the business and with its supplier community.
In March, Couche-Tard implemented supply chain and retail planning company’s Relex Solutions’ AI-powered and machine learning programs at its stores. This technology aims to enhance demand forecasting, replenishment, and advanced space and floor planning.
When discussing Couche-Tard’s procurement practices during the company’s Q4 earnings call in June, CFO Filipe Da Silva said Couche-Tard’s goods-for-resale program in the U.S. has “brought very positive results,” and that Couche-Tard recently launched this same program in Canada and Europe.
Additionally, Da Silva said Couche-Tard is seeing positive savings on the goods-not-for-resale side of the business, and it’s setting up a central team for that division.
The European Commission is commencing an infringement procedure against all 27 EU Member States for falling short of legally binding collection and recycling targets, including the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive’s expectation of recycling 55-80% of packaging waste by the end of 2008.
The latest available data reported by Member States suggests that all have failed to meet waste collection and recycling targets. Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden apparently fell short of the Waste Framework Directive’s target to prepare 50% of municipal waste – including paper, metal, plastic, and glass – for reuse or recycling by 2020.
Meanwhile, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive expected Member States to recycle between 55% and 80% of all their packaging waste by 31st December 2008. This included 60% targets for glass, paper and cardboard; a 50% target for metals; 22.5% for plastics; and 15% for wood. Many of these targets were missed, the Commission says.
The Directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) also lays out a minimum annual collection rate of 65% of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market in each Member State within the three preceding years; or, alternatively, 85% of WEEE generated within the country in question. Apparently, most Member States failed to facilitate sufficient and separate WEEE collection, and so fell short of the EU target.
In order to improve their implementation efforts and fulfil obligations for 2025, 2030, and 2035, Member States are directed towards the 2023 Waste Early Warning Report and its country-specific recommendations.
Letters of formal notice have been sent to Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden, opening an infringement procedure. Each of the 27 Member States now have two months to respond and address the shortcomings in question.
If their responses are considered unsatisfactory, the Commission could issue a reasoned opinion calling upon each country to meet their legal obligations. Further failure to comply could potentially escalate the matter to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CURIA).
Earlier this year, global law firm Dentons carried out a legal assessment suggesting that the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation itself has a ‘high probability’ of discriminating against plastic packaging – finding ‘no objective reasons’ for these materials to be singled out – and could violate the EU principle of equal treatment. The European Parliament and Council were accused of procedural infringements for failing to consider ‘all relevant factors’ in their proposals.
On the other end of the scale, CURIA dismissed legal claims made by Symphony Environmental against a ban on oxo-degradable plastics. In its view, the European legislature ‘did not make a manifest error’ in preventing products containing a pro-oxidant additive from being placed on the European market, citing scientific research resulting in ‘low to non-existent’ biodegradation in open environments, landfill, and the ocean.
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, a spacious resort nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and on the shore of North Lake Tahoe, announces a brand-new dining experience, Osteria Sierra. The new restaurant concept debuted on March 15 and features an elevated dining experience with a fusion of Italian and Alpine themes. Osteria Sierra is located in the main resort building next to Tahoe Provisions. The restaurant, previously named Sierra Café, has been transformed through a renovation to feature new décor and seating. The restaurant features Sicily Majolica art painted throughout. The ceramic majolica pattern originated in Renaissance Italy, and is known for its intricate designs and colors that can be seen in restaurants and businesses throughout Italy. The restaurant’s menu is curated by the hotel’s Executive Chef Alan Kubler. It features hand-made pastas made fresh daily. Signature dishes will include Italian specialties such as a burrata e pomodori with a pistachio pesto, a tagliata di angus featuring a New York strip served on an olive tapenade butter saffron risotto cake, a fresh creste de gallo with guanciale and black garlic, and more. The menu will also include handcrafted cocktails, an extensive wine and beer list, and a variety of traditional house-made desserts including a white chocolate and strawberry panna cotta, affogato, and tiramisu.
Proof of the Pudding, a leader in food service management and catering for state-of-the-art convention centers, sports and entertainment arenas and college stadiums, today announced it will serve as the exclusive hospitality services provider for the Memphis Sports and Events Center (MSEC) in Memphis, Tennessee. Proof of the Pudding will manage hospitality and food and beverage services for the MSEC’s two Courtside Cafes and all special events, including parties, corporate gatherings and VIP suites, regional and national tournaments and exhibitions, collegiate scouting and performance training camps. The MSEC’s new catering menu offers choices such as the Memphis Breakfast, including buttermilk biscuits, scrambled eggs, Pecanwood smoked bacon, southern fried chicken with hot honey, and smothered and covered hashbrowns with smoked Gouda and caramelized onions. Customizable oatmeal, French toast and pancake bars, breakfast tacos and breakfast sandwiches, grab & go options and a la carte choices are also available. New hearty lunch and dinner catering options include a rambling tailgate buffet, taco and guacamole bars, Italian specialties, pot roast and mac and cheese, fresh salads, sandwiches and wraps. Desserts include caramel-filled churros with chocolate sauce, lemon bars, and double chocolate brownies.
Products on the Market
BrewLogix®, named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024, is proud to announce the launch of its latest product in its interconnected ecosystem:BrewMenu™. BrewMenu™ is an easy-to-use cloud-based software system that gives bar, restaurant and hospitality menu designers access to the largest curated database of craft beverage information in the world. Operators can effortlessly showcase their on-tap choices, tailor information for guests, and share menus digitally or in print for an enhanced customer experience.
