Johnson & Wales
Alumni-Spring '09
John is featured in the article: "JWU Alumni:Shaping the Future - On Paths to Success"
Read the article
|
"Sustainability is the gospel for the
future of the food service industry,
and John is the apostle."
|
"Sustainable food is food grown or raised by local small to
mid-sized farmers and producers who commit to the vitality of the earth, their
livestock and their workers. It is prepared in ways that
maintain and respect purity, freshness and flavor. Therefore sustainable food promotes economic,
environmental, nutritional and social well being."
John Turenne
Sustainable Food Systems LLC
|
"Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned
to you by your children"
Kenyan Proverb |
Sustainability in the Food Industry
Now Available
|
Forward to a Friend or Colleague
|
|
|
|
The Sustainable Food Journey
Connecting Our Community Through Better Food
As our work continues to bring us to institutions across the country, we've begun to see a consistent pattern arise. For example: When one hospital stands up and makes a progressive change for better food choices, the public opinion has been... "That's great! Now what about our schools?" Great point! There's a benefit to leveraging the work we've started in a community surrounding one institution into others. After all, isn't the shear act of dining supposed to be a communal experience? See this month's case study about our work at St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center in Ketchum, Idaho as just such a local champion. Happy Summer!
|
Sustainability Tip
Do just ONE
thing more! Everyone is doing something
to become more cognoscente of the impact of their choices. So no matter what
you're currently doing,
do one thing more.
Start an Herb Garden
We hear about the benefits of connecting back to the source of our
food. Food doesn't come from store shelves
or off the back of delivery trucks and should have a story behind
it. There is no better way to achieve this than to
grow your own. And one of the easiest
ways to get started with food gardening is to grow herbs.
Some of the benefits of your own herb
garden:
-
Doesn't take up much space and can be grown in
containers
You can extend the seasons well into (if not
straight through) the winter with hearty herbs (Sage, rosemary, thyme)
Herbs naturally impact real flavor to real
food in a healthful way - Herbs don't require a large investment of time or
money
-
What a great way to introduce kids to gardening and
cooking.
-
We get to remember that food comes from the
earth, not boxes.
Spend a little time understanding the process then dive into it.
Click on the links below to learn more about herb gardens. Check out other valuable resources on our web site.
|
American Medical Association Passes Resolution Supporting Sustainable Food System
Health Care Role in Prevention and Food Related Health Emphasized
 BIG NEWS..... The
American Medical Association (AMA) has recently established a "line in the sand" with
its policy resolution to support more sustainable practices and policies within health care systems that promote and model a healthy and ecologically sustainable food system. The resolution also calls on the AMA to work with health care and public health organizations to educate the health care community and the public about the importance of healthy and ecologically sustainable food systems that "provide food and beverages of naturally high nutritional quality."
"As our country wrestles with health care reform, the role of health care providers and facilities in providing education and leadership to help the population understand the link between the way we produce food and individual health is significant and cannot be overstated. Preventing disease is paramount in the provision of health care. Hospitals, physicians and nurses are ideal leaders and advocates for creating food environments that promote health. This policy is an important contribution to a prevention-based healthcare delivery system."
Jamie Harvie, Director
Health Care Without Harm
Sustainable Food Work Group
The AMA's new Sustainable Food policy builds on a report from its Council on Science and Public Health, which notes that locally produced and organic foods "reduce the use of fuel, decrease the need for packaging and resultant waste disposal, preserve farmland . . . [and] the related reduced fuel emissions contribute to cleaner air and in turn, lower the incidence of asthma attacks and other respiratory problems." Industrial food production is a significant contributor to increased antibiotic resistance, climate change, and air and water pollution.
In addition to providing fresh, nutritious food choices, health care food services across the country are implementing new initiatives such as sourcing organic food and meat produced without the use of antibiotics, buying locally produced foods, and sponsoring farmers markets and food boxes for staff. More than 240 hospitals have signed the HCWH Healthy Food in Healthcare Pledge. Signers pledge to work toward developing sustainable food systems in their facilities. In Congress, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) has introduced a "Blueprint for Health," legislation that calls for incentives to prevent chronic diseases, including investments in healthy and sustainable local and regional food systems.
HCWH is an international coalition of more than 430 organizations in 52 countries, working to transform the health care industry worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment.
Read the entire articleVisit HCWH's website for additional information.
|
Current Events
Read about what John Turenne and the team at Sustainable Food Systems are up to:
Sustainable Food Systems
Sustainable Food
Systems was hired by St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center in Ketchum, Idaho to evaluate their existing program, recommend changes for
more sustainable food choices and subsequently help implement and manage the
process. The
immediate results have been the consumers' perception of the quality of food; hospital
administration and food service management's clearer understanding of cost
impacts and how to manage neutral or lower operational costs; as well as the
positive feedback and support of the surrounding community.
The
next phase of implementation will include more focus on less waste, increased
local purchasing, staffing developments and community outreach. Read the case study.
John Turenne
Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival
John attended the Sun Valley Food and Wine Festival and offered a pizza-grilling demo concentrating on unique, healthy and tasty cooking methods that are easy and affordable.
Food
Studies Award
We are proud to share John's recent involvement and
recognition in teaching the Food, Agriculture and Community Development Course
at Green Mountain College. Read more.
Ellen Thomas
Ellen is off to camp this Summer - cooking at Ballibay Camp in Camptown, PA this Summer.
Camp on the 4th of July 2, 2009 - It's almost dinnertime...
Five people are working on preparing dinner for 160 campers and staff - a tall order but for a very committed staff. Tonight is burger night with meat from Hawley Farm located just 30 miles from the camp. The buns were picked up this morning from Red House Bakery. In the afternoon, ten young campers came in to help pick the ends off of green beans that were delivered earlier in the week from a local farmer. The kids are almost inevitably more willing to try new foods when they have a hand in preparing them. We're also serving corn freshly picked this morning at Champdale Farms "just down the road a bit."
At 5:30 PM the campers and staff file into the large dining hall accompanied by appetites built up from a full day of activities. Of course, it's rarely a challenge to get a child to eat a hamburger, but knowing the ingredients are all fresh and local help make every meal a joy to serve.
Alden Cadwell
Alden has spent a week in the wilderness of New
Hampshire with an expedition of boys 13-15 years old from Camp Pasquaney. The "Survivor" expedition foraged
for all their own food built their own structures to sleep in and had a great
time for the week they were out. This
expedition is in conjunction with efforts to increase the local sourcing of the
camp in the everyday dinning service. The education that took place about where food comes from was priceless.
|
Our Menu of Services
Sustainable Food Systems offers consulting
services that return simplicity and quality to your food service program with
better control over your ingredients, menus, recipes and costs.
Your food service
can become healthier for the community you serve, the environment you live
in, and your financial bottom line. We offer a three-fold service: -
Identification
and Planning. We identify opportunities
for implementing simple, sustainable changes based on your food system, needs
and clientele to create a realistic action plan.
-
Implementation.
We implement the agreed upon action plan through education, recipe and menu
development, staff support, and linkages with local food producers.
-
Assessment and
Support. We periodically assess
the impact of changes through consumer feedback, community impact, and
financial performance. We then recommend ways to enhance your action plan to ensure continued sustainable growth.
Contact us to learn more about how we can help you on your journey.
|
John's Upcoming Presentations
Sept 29, 2009 "Shades of Green...and How to Deepen Your
SF, CA Commitment to Sustainability" - Society
for
Food Service Management National Meeting
|
Thank you for your continued support. We value your feedback on our offerings!
We are hopeful that you enjoyed our e-newsletter and would like to share with your friends and colleagues.
Six Seasons
We all know that the calendar tells us that
there are four seasons in the year. However, our environment often dictates
that differently when it comes to growing food. In the
northern climes of the US, we actually find that there are six
seasons when it comes to growing and eating food. Therefore, we
will follow this reality and produce six issues of the Sustainable
Food Journey annually.
John Turenne
President
Sustainable Food Systems, LLC
_____________________________________________________
|
Sustainable Food Systems offers a unique consulting and technical assistance service that partners with institutions and organizations interested in incorporating planet healthy practices into their food programs. Utilizing sustainability practices in food production and preparation strengthens our local communities and economies and the larger world around us. Let us help you deliver food better.
_____________________________________________________
|
|
|
