Bon Appétit Management Company

As a Fellow for Bon Appétit Management Company, I spent this last semester traveling to different East Coast colleges where we serve food. I met a lot of people on my travels–here’s a video of Darlene, a baker in our pastry kitchen at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. She taught me how to make the most delicious coconut macaroon cookies—Enjoy! ~Posted by Carolina Fojo, East Coast Fellow for Bon Appétit Mgmt. Co.

April 8, 2010 Washington D.C.   As I travel along the East Coast, giving presentations about “The Story Behind the Food” that we eat, every audience is different. Some are wide-eyed and silent, asking few questions. Some have seen “Food, Inc.”, or read The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and are eager to learn more. And then some groups are all about asking challenging questions. These groups are typically made up of individuals who are very passionate about food issues, and are excited to learn about what Bon Appétit is doing to create change, but are not afraid to challenge us either.   I recently went to such a college—I was invited to speak as part of the Green Lecture Series at Gallaudet University, school for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington D.C. And I as I gave the presentation I’ve […]

What if each of us went to the store, bought two bags of groceries, and immediately discarded one? In a sense, that's what happens every day. There are no reliable estimates of how much food is wasted in the U.S. from field to plate, but the most educated guesses range between 40 and 50 percent. Startling statistics from Helene York's Atlantic Food channel post, but she also offers promising solutions to excessive food waste, and discusses BAMCO's waste reduction strategies and commitments as part of our Low Carbon Diet.

On the eve of Low Carbon Diet Day, BAMCO CEO Fedele Bauccio reflects on our company's commitment to reducing our carbon emissions and highlights the main principles of this year's Low Carbon Diet Day in a Huffington Post Op-Ed. His call for individuals and businesses to base decisions on the greater good is inspiring. When it comes to the carbon impact of our food choices, "…we can help slow climate change with each bite we take, without sacrificing taste."

March 23-24, 2010 Boston, MA   Do you know how many tomatoes a Florida farmworker has to pick in order to fill one 32-lb bucket? Do you know how many buckets Florida farmworkers have to fill in an hour in order to make the FL minimum wage?   These were the questions I asked students at Emmanuel College (Boston, MA) and Lesley University (Cambridge, MA) to answer during a recent visit. As students poured through the doors of the café, pushing past each other and trying to beat the lunch lines, I stood by the entrance shouting “Answer two quick questions and win a free pizza party!” And I was happy to learn that even though I’m almost a full year out of college, some things haven’t changed: students still love pizza, (especially when it’s free :0)   The purpose […]

Meat in the hot seat: On the Atlantic Food channel, BAMCO's Helene York delves into the nuances of the debate over beef's (including grass-fed) environmental impact. The excerpt below elegantly sums up what we can do to reduce our carbon foodprint: "If we view "beef and (gasp) cheese as special toppings rather than center-of-the-plate foods, eaters and chefs may actually enjoy them more, and we may even be able to support better quality meats at the same time." What do you think? Read the full post on the Atlantic Food channel here.

Last week was National Farmworker Awareness Week, as well as the celebration of the birthday and legacy of Cesar Chavez.  As we honor these significant events, it is important to realize the struggle for farmworker justice that Cesar Chavez symbolizes still continues today.  Many victories were made in his time, but much more remains to be done in order to provide farm laborers with the protections, compensation, and respect they deserve.  Perhaps the most shocking issue remaining is the presence of child labor in U.S. fields. Approximately 400,000 children are currently employed in agriculture throughout our country, receiving far fewer protections under federal law than any other working youth.  The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) was established to stop the use of child labor in the U.S.   The minimum age set forth in the FLSA is 16 for […]

by Dayna Burtness, Midwest Fellow   Ask any of my friends—I am a champion bargain-seeker.  I cut coupons, I scour the internet for specials, and I will spend hours at the thrift store pawing through piles of clothes just to find one nice pair of pants.  Needless to say, I can spot a good deal from a mile away.   I recently came across the best deal ever: $8 a year (a YEAR!) for a 40% increase in farmworker wages.    Let me explain. It’s National Farmworker Awareness Week, so to learn more I’ve been reading Gabriel Thompson’s new book, “Working in the Shadows: A year of doing the jobs (most) Americans won’t do.” To put a face on the statistics about farmworkers, Thompson spends two months cutting lettuce in Yuma, AZ.    He chronicles how hard farm work is on […]

  Like machines, nearly two million of workers in America’s fields labor without rights, earn subliving wages, and exist in dehumanizing circumstances. –“Like Machines in the Fields,” Oxfam America   The entire food supply chain should be safe, transparent, and fair to serve eaters, farmers, and farmworkers alike. Those who pick food in the United States deserve fair living and working conditions. As Bon Appétit’s fellows, we continue to travel the country to farms to learn about firsthand about farnlabor practices and to colleges to share what we know.  Please join us in recognizing National Farmworker Awareness Week: March 28 – April 3, 2010.   Here are ways you can learn more and get involved: LEARN: For an introduction to the facts, read these factsheets published by the Student Action with Farmworkers. READ: Check out our Triple Pundit series on the […]

   By Vera Chang, West Coast Fellow, Bon Appétit Management Company Foundation Here is my latest piece on our Triple Pundit business of sustainable agriculture series: When Commodities Traders See Tomato Pickers in Action. It’s about the Student Farmworker Alliance and Farmworker Rights Workshop I participated in at Strengthening the Roots: Food and Justice Convergence.