LAS VEGAS—To promote healthy living among its employees and the communities in which it operates and beyond, MGM Resorts International has introduced a healthy eating mobile application that is free of cost and available to the public. The app, “Healthy Eating. Healthy You,” has already reached a major milestone of 7,500 downloads since being launched in September 2012 and is consistently growing at an average rate of 50 downloads per day.“The healthy eating initiative and app is part of our commitment to being a leading corporate responsible organization and to expand our healthy living initiative beyond MGM Resorts to...

MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS.—After introducing the new 4.10 ESi CT Express Combitherm in May of 2012, Alto-Shaam has re-launched this product with the additional features of an integrated catalytic converter, toasting/finishing element and smoking abilities. The new features were debuted at the 2013 NAFEM Show in Orlando.With the integration of a 4.10 CCi catalytic converter that “scrubs” the airstream of normal grease-laden byproducts, the CT Express now has the versatility to be placed in areas without a hood.Going beyond the usual Combitherm technology, the CT Express can be used as a finishing oven; quickly and efficiently toasting sandwiches, breads and...

SAN LUIS OBISPO—ClearWater Tech has named Skip Mallios the new regional sales manager for the Eastern division. Mallios is a 30-year industry veteran who will be working with ClearWater distributors east of the Mississippi River on direct sales of EcoTex O3 ozone systems to commercial laundry accounts. Based in Columbia, S.C., Mallios began his career in the laundry business as a chemical sales territory manager for EcoLab. The majority of his time was spent with Texchine Inc., where he worked in several sales positions during two separate stints. He also was a regional sales manager for Cissell Dryer Corp., one...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Anyone attending The NAFEM Show from February 7 to 9 with the goal of greening up their kitchen would have found hundreds of ways to do so thanks to the innovations brought to the trade show floor by the more than 500 exhibitors in attendance. The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers event, held every two years, attracted approximately 20,000 foodservice professionals to the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.Companies touted advancements in cooking, ventilation, water filtration, water recycling, water heating, cooking oil management, ice making, warewashing, food waste management, refrigeration, balers, and even vegetable, herb...

ORLANDO, FLA.—Education will be a key factor in forwarding the message of sustainability to restaurateurs, other business operators and lawmakers, Scott DeFife, the National Restaurant Association’s executive vice president of policy and government affairs said at the U.S. Composting Council’s annual conference in Orlando, Fla.DeFife, who spoke at the conference’s plenary panel January 29, said the NRA is invested in educating the industry on the importance of sustainability as well as making the business case that underscores its profitability environmentally and economically.“With the help and support of some key leaders in the industry, we created the Conserve Sustainability Education...

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—T&S Brass and Bronze Works, a worldwide manufacturer and supplier of plumbing and foodservice equipment, has acquired Chicago-based food waste elimination company EnviroPure Systems, Inc., a leading-edge developer of alternative environmentally-friendly technologies for organic food waste disposal. The deal underscores T&S’s commitment to helping foodservice professionals find more sustainable and cost-effective solutions.EnviroPure’s unique processing techniques for dealing with organic food waste can save customers more than 50 percent in traditional operating costs while minimizing negative environmental impact.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food remnants are, by weight, the single-largest waste stream component of the waste stream in...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Green Seal, the nation’s oldest nonprofit environmental certification organization, announces the publication of GS-51, a new standard designed specifically to address the life cycle impacts of laundry care products for institutional and industrial settings.Traditional laundry products are significant contributors to water pollution, and both manufacturers and users risk exposure to harmful chemicals through inhalation and skin contact when using many of these products. In addition to minimizing or eliminating the use of many hazardous ingredients often found in these products, GS-51 provides an important benchmark in terms of product concentration. The standard establishes minimum requirements for concentrated (2X)...

CHICAGO—George McKerrow Jr., co-founder and chief executive of casual-dining restaurant chain Ted’s Montana Grill, recently signed a straw-free pledge that would require diners at his restaurants to ask for drinking straws instead of automatically being given one with their beverage orders.McKerrow, a longtime proponent of sustainability and sustainable business practices at his restaurants, signed the Be Straw Free pledge January 29, as a way of educating the public on how the use of plastic straws impacts the environment.The campaign is the brainchild of 11-year-old Milo Cress, a Boulder, Colo., resident who started the campaign in 2011. He is encouraging...

CHICAGO—The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) announces the return of the WHAT'S HOT! WHAT'S COOL! new product gallery at The NAFEM Show, February 7 to 9, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.The NAFEM Show celebrates innovative thinking in the new product gallery, a one-stop-shop spotlighting more than 125 new products—the largest gallery yet—in the areas of labor savings, sanitation, “green,” energy efficiency, food safety, life cycle costs and more.“WHAT'S HOT! WHAT'S COOL! has quickly become an integral part of The NAFEM Show because it provides a tremendous value for all foodservice professionals, buyers and sellers alike,”...

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International is expanding its work to create a more sustainable planet by eliminating two controversial animal confinement systems from its food supply chain. According to its new policies, the Bethesda, Md.-based company will require all of its pork suppliers to discontinue the use of gestation crates for Marriott’s supply chain by 2018; and ensure that by 2015, all eggs and egg products used by Marriott come from cage-free hens. The policies follow the company’s 2011 transition to cage-free eggs at its JW Marriott locations.“Marriott International cares deeply about animal welfare and environmental sustainability, which is why we’re...