Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1220124
Give 'Em a Hand A new hand scanning device uses light technology to screen for indicators of pathogens, like norovirus, E. coli, listeria, hepatitis A, and salmonella—potentially saving food establishments from exposure to food-borne illnesses. With barely 3 percent of Americans washing their hands properly, according to the CDC and FDA, the scanner is able to detect if hands are germ-free. After hand washing, employees wave their hands under PathSpot and in three seconds, the scanner detects if contaminants are present. It also provides data analytics like a record of every scan and whether incidents are linked to compliance or efficacy. Also, Amazon recently filed a patent for technology that could identify shoppers by characteristics associated with the palms of their hands, like wrinkles and veins, eliminating the need to scan an app to get into its Amazon Go or Whole Foods stores. Create-Use-Reuse-Sustain Circular sustainability is the future of foodservice, according to Technomic's 2020 foodservice trends report that highlights "distributing food leftovers" as the way forward. In the U.K., a voluntary program is making a dent. Since its launch last year, 156 food businesses, including large grocery retailers and foodservice businesses, have committed to the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap from the Waste and Resource Action Programme and IGD. The goal is to have all major food businesses involved in the program by the end of 2026. To address the specific challenges of the foodservice industry and tackle the more than $3 billion of food thrown away at hospitality and foodservice outlets, WRAP introduced the Guardians of the Grub campaign in 2019, which offers a variety of food prevention resources that can help any size business tackle food waste. No Senior Left Behind Despite the wave of cashier-less food establishments and markets, the Netherlands' second largest supermarket chain sees purpose in keeping manned checkout lines intact. The Kletskassa or Chat Checkout, available at four locations of Dutch Jumbo Supermarkets, aims to reduce loneliness in the elderly. Inspired by research that showed that about 50 percent of people 55 years and older experience loneliness, the Chat Checkout invites people who would like to converse while checking out to queue up. Michiel de Ruijter of Jumbo Supermarkets says, "Our stores are more than just a place for shopping, but function as a meeting place for many people. We believe this is the place to tackle loneliness." They also opened the All Together Coffee Corner, where seniors can connect with volunteers from a local foundation who are there to chat or to help with small chores. "As a family business and supermarket company, Jumbo is at the heart of the society," notes de Ruijter. "We find it's important to take good care of each other, for our employees, our customers, and our environment." PHOTO: JUMBO SUPERMARKTEN B.V. PHOTO: PATHSPOT 18 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM TRENDS & HAPPENINGS Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor to Specialty Food.