CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association, in partnership with American Express and Nestlé Professional, released its 10-year outlook report on the projected state of the restaurant industry in 2030. The report, “Restaurant Industry 2030: Actionable Insights for the Future,” examines the key indicators shaping the future of the industry, identifies the most and least likely developments over the upcoming decade, and considers possible disrupters outside the industry that could transform it. The findings are based on input from a variety of restaurant sector experts, futurists, and government statistics. Key economic projections for 2030 include: Restaurant industry sales are expected to reach $1.2 trillion...

MINNEAPOLIS—Radisson Hotel Group announced that it has made a commitment to sourcing 100 percent of its eggs (shell, liquid and egg products) from cage-free sources globally by 2025 for its entire global portfolio. The Group will also publish this commitment in all key native languages and will publicly report on progress annually. This follows the company’s successful implementation of its augmented Supplier Code of Conduct in 2018, raising the bar with suppliers in terms of human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption standards. “The Humane League is delighted to see Radisson Hotel Group committing to sourcing 100 percent cage-free eggs throughout...

HARTSVILLE, S.C.—QSR Magazine, in conjunction with the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI), announced the winners of the 2019 Foodservice Packaging Awards, with Novolex brands leading the way in the Innovation in Manufacturing category. The Eco-Products brand took first place with its Vanguard line of plates and the Waddington North America (WNA) brand took second place with Reflections Renew Cutlery. For nearly two decades, the trade association and trade publication have partnered in these bi-annual awards to recognize innovation in the foodservice packaging industry in the following categories: Excellence in Brand Delivery, Excellence in New Menu Launch, Innovation in Convenience, Innovation in...

The Boutique Design New York (BDNY) and HX: The Hotel Experience trade shows wrapped up this past week at the Javits Center in New York City. While HX looked the smallest it has ever been, together with BDNY the two shows were formidable to cover. On my radar this year was what was newsy and new. Here then is what I found most interesting at this year’s shows: The Humble Co. featured its bamboo toothbrushes, natural toothpaste and other products. The toothbrush handles are made of easily biodegradable bamboo and the bristles out of nylon, a durable material that degrades...

MAJORCA, SPAIN—A third of the world’s oceans are now overfished, according to the UN. Hotel businesses, some of whom serve a ton of seafood a day, have a unique opportunity to lead a change in responsible seafood harvesting and consumption. Iberostar, which hosts 8 million guests a year at its 120 hotels and restaurants in 19 countries, has converted 15 percent of its total seafood procurement to suppliers certified by partner organizations including the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), on the way to a goal of 25 percent. It now serves about 8,600 kg (almost...

NEW YORK, N.Y.—PacknWood announced that it will exhibit at The Hotel Experience at the Javits Center in New York City from November 10 to 11. The Javits Center is located at 429 11th Avenue, just over half a mile from the PacknWood showroom and office. Participants are invited to come see all the hotel and food service supplies PacknWood carries in its showroom at 213 W 35th Street on the 14th floor. The PacknWood displays will be located at Booth #1136. Packnwood is one of the 225+ exhibitors that will showcase its food service products to hotel and food service...

HONG KONG—Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic, across its entire portfolio of luxury hotels, by the end of March 2021. While the travel industry has already made great strides towards the removal of plastic straws and single-use drinking bottles, the Group is keen to play its part in the luxury hotel segment and commit to a wider and more challenging aim to abolish all single-use plastic currently in use across all operational departments, including rooms, spa, transport, restaurants and bars. The aim is to cover plastics used in all areas of the hotel, and not...

MINNETONKA, MINN.—Flo S.p.A., a major European food packaging producer increasingly engaged in research of sustainable high-quality products, introduced three new capsule formats in the GEA family that are industrially compostable, fully biobased, and able to provide a brewing experience that is expected of the most popular capsules on the market. Building on the success and adoption of the GEA compostable version for the A Modo Mio system, Flo again partnered with NatureWorks—a leading company in the production of functional biomaterials—to develop new GEA capsules suitable for Nespresso, Lavazza Blue, and Keurig systems. The GEA capsules are all made with Ingeo, a...

NATIONAL REPORT—For guests staying multiple nights at a hotel, the ubiquitous towel/linen reuse program has been an effective way to keep towels out of the laundry. According to the 2018 Lodging Survey, 95 percent of lodging establishments now offer the program. Yet another way to prolong a towel’s trip to the laundry is to offer a heated towel rack in the guestroom bathroom. According to Amba Products, utilized in Europe for decades due to their energy efficiency, heated towel racks use much less energy than a standard dryer (about the same amount of electricity as a few light bulbs)....

LONDON—Winnow, the technology company behind Winnow Vision, the artificial intelligence tool helping chefs cut food waste in half, is announcing the completion of its series B round of funding at a total of $12 million. This follows a recent $8 million loan from The European Investment Bank (EIB), with the help of the Juncker Plan, which focuses on boosting investment to generate jobs and growth. The company, with U.S. offices located in Iowa City, has recently made headlines in the country, having been selected as a food waste innovator and recipient of the Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Kroger Foundation...