ST. JOSEPH, MICH.—Attendees of the recent Maytag University Factory Commercial Laundry Sales School received in-depth, hands-on training for the company’s multi-segment product portfolio and an intensive session on the coin-store market. In addition, sessions delved into the company’s energy calculators, financing options and market discussions specific to multi-housing and on-premises segments.“Attendees of our sales school leave better prepared to succeed in a very complex commercial laundry market,” said Rex Braden, national sales manager at Maytag Commercial Laundry. “Our sales team presents information in an easy-to-digest format that educates attendees about our expansive product portfolio, selling techniques and tools available...

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Xeros, the innovator of an ultra-low water cleaning system, announced it has joined a leading alliance committed to improving supply chain sustainability in the apparel and footwear industries. Xeros, the company formed to commercialize polymer bead technology developed at the University of Leeds, is now a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), which also includes household names such as Adidas, Burberry, Coca Cola and Levi Strauss.   The coalition is an industry-wide group of more than 100 leading apparel and footwear brands, retailers, manufacturers, government organizations, nonprofit entities and academic institutions, committed to improving supply chain sustainability.In its...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Association (NRA) each year prepares its What’s Hot culinary forecast of menu trends for the coming year. The NRA surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—to find which food and beverage items will be hot trends on restaurant menus in 2014. The top 10 food trends for 2014: 1. Locally sourced meats and seafood; 2. Locally grown produce; 3. Environmental sustainability; 4. Healthful kids’ meals; 5. Gluten-free cuisine; 6. Hyper-local sourcing (e.g. restaurant gardens); 7. Children's nutrition; 8. Non-wheat noodles/pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat); 9. Sustainable seafood; and 10. Farm/estate branded...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hoteliers looking to dramatically decrease the volume of food waste sent to landfill or elsewhere for composting are increasingly turning to food waste decomposition machines. These machines quickly reduce the volume of waste down to either drainable liquid or dry soil amendment. While just a few years ago there were just a handful of vendors selling the machines, today there are more than a dozen. Machines available work similarly but features vary from one supplier to the next. The good news for green lodging establishments is that suppliers are making it very affordable to implement the machines and...

CLEVELAND, OHIO—Hasek Communications, the Cleveland, Ohio-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes Totally Green as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. With Totally Green’s ORCA on-site waste digestion equipment, customers are able to dispose of organics at the source, eliminating the need to truck the waste to landfills or remote composting facilities.The ORCA significantly accelerates the breakdown of food waste by adding a proprietary solution and bio chips to the digestion process. The company’s digestion process is able to convert more than one ton of organic waste into environmentally safe water within a 24-hour period.Call Emma Liut at...

ST. PAUL, MINN.—Ecolab Inc. introduces Antimicrobial Fruit and Vegetable Treatment (AFVT)—a product to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness outbreaks related to ineffective produce washing in foodservice operations. AFVT is the industry’s first no-rinse produce wash to earn both Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registration and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for pathogen reduction in the water for whole produce and on the surface of cut fruits and vegetables.“Our customers count on us to provide products that help deliver clean, safe and healthy environments everywhere it matters—and the food safety arena is particularly important,” said Kris Kielsa, vice...

NEW YORK—Xeros, the innovator of an ultra low water cleaning system, announced the company has been awarded the Editors’ Choice Award, Best New Product for Hotel Operations. The award was presented November 10, during the Opening Ceremonies of the 98th annual International Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant Show  (IHMRS) at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.The annual Editors’ Choice Awards recognize best new products within seven categories of the hotel industry, including operations. This year, the panel of judges, which included editors from leading hospitality trade publications, reviewed more than 100 submissions of the latest hotel products. Winners...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association opened attendee registration for its NRA Show 2014 and the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event. Attendees may register online at Restaurant.org/Show and/or WineSpiritsBeer.org. Members of the National Restaurant Association receive free registration for the NRA Show and a member-exclusive rate of $50 on IWSB registration at any time. NRA Show 2014 will be held May 17 to 20 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, along with IWSB 2014, May 18 to 19. Because of the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event’s increasing popularity, it has expanded into the spacious Lakeside Ballroom. “Registering now provides an outstanding...

SAINT PAUL, MINN.—Planglow USA, a leading provider of branded labels and compostable packaging to the “grab and go” foodservice industry, will be showcasing its products at the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) for the very first time (November 9 to 12 in New York City at the Javits Center). The company will feature two branded collections of compostable grab and go packaging, as well as the company’s labeling software—LabelLogic.Planglow USA offers two branded collections of matching packaging and labeling: six piece premium-look Rosso range; and 15 piece Natural Collection. These include: sandwich wedges; tortilla wrap packs; windowed...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Assn. (NRA) recently previewed its revamped Zero Waste Zones program in Atlanta, saying it is excited to help the city’s restaurateurs, foodservice businesses and retailers become more sustainable.The NRA, which acquired the initiative late last year, reintroduced an expanded version of the program October 23 at an official reception at Ted’s Montana Grill in downtown Atlanta. The revamped program will follow the rules of the NRA’s Conserve Sustainability Education Program.“Our members have a strong and growing interest in energy efficiency, recycling and sustainability in general,” said Scott DeFife, the NRA’s executive vice president of policy and...