NATIONAL REPORT—Are you getting what you paid for from seafood suppliers? If your fish is mislabeled or short-weighted, you could be the victim of seafood fraud. As a result, you could be losing money and/or perpetuating the fraud by inadvertently deceiving your guests.Seafood fraud can occur anywhere along the supply chain, says Lisa Weddig, Secretary of the Better Seafood Board, which works with restaurants, retailers and manufacturers to report suppliers that commit economic fraud.The most common issues of seafood fraud are menu mislabeling, species substitution and short weighting. Menu mislabeling occurs when a restaurateur or retailer markets one species...

MADISON, WIS.—OMNI Solutions, a Wisconsin-based laundry and housekeeping chemical company that provides on-premises laundry and housekeeping chemical solutions to customers in the healthcare and hospitality marketplace, has been awarded an 8,000 Lux Hydroxyl Laundry System installation agreement with TwinMed, LLC, one of the largest full-line medical supplies distributors in the United States.OMNI Solutions provides innovative, earth-friendly on-premises laundry and housekeeping cleaning solutions, primarily to customers in the healthcare and hospitality marketplace. OMNI Solutions’ line of laundry detergents, softeners and stain removers are injected into standard commercial washing units through their patent pending LUX Hydroxyl System to supercharge the washing...

TRAVELERS REST, S.C.—EnviroPure, a self-contained food waste disposal system, has moved to a standardized equipment line that offers customers more convenient ordering and delivery and faster, easier installation. The move allows EnviroPure to better accommodate a variety of facilities with unique food waste disposal needs without the need for time-consuming custom design. Six new standard system sizes offer capacities ranging from 300 to 2,000 pounds of food waste per day.The standard systems are optimized for kitchens serving approximately 950 to 6,000 meals per day. Higher capacity units can still be customized as needed.“These new standard systems are sized to...

OAK BROOK, ILL.—The latest member of Chicago’s local food movement is B., a hyperlocal farm-to-table restaurant located at the newly renovated Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center just 30 minutes west of downtown. Centered around three core pillars; local, fresh and seasonal, B.’s “casually dramatic” identity is distinctive in every aspect of the original concept, from its modern design meets Audubon setting to its globally artistic menu designed by Executive Chef Sean Patrick Curry. Among the highlights, the 167-seat full-service restaurant, which is now officially open to the public, features a patisserie helmed by an award-winning pastry...

NEW YORK—It’s official. New York City’s newly mandated commercial organics law (1162-A) will hold certain foodservice establishments to a higher standard of food waste management and many operators have no real understanding of how this can negatively affect their business. ORCA has announced a solution—the ORCA system—for diverting food waste from landfills and incineration that is 100 percent compliant and easy to implement.“This is a serious issue for many of New York City’s high volume restaurants and hotels,” says Spiro Frangos, Director of Business Development for ORCA. “Our ORCA system is specifically designed to address and immediately solve the...

NATIONAL REPORT—With many areas of the United States experiencing from abnormally dry to exceptional drought conditions this summer, many hoteliers are taking a close look at opportunities for water savings. One area of operations where there is an opportunity to reduce water use significantly is the laundry. At least two companies—P&G Professional and Ecolab USA—are gaining traction with programs that not only save water but also reduce energy consumption and extend linen life as well. P&G Professional’s Tide Professional Coldwater Laundry System helps reduce the water used in a commercial washer by up to 40 percent. Ecolab’s Aquanomic Laundry...

SAN RAMON, CALIF.—According to fishnick, it has launched its Fe3 online sustainability training for foodservice professionals. Fe3 (Foodservice Energy Efficiency Expert) is an online training program designed specifically to educate and certify foodservice professionals in the fundamentals of energy and water efficiency for commercial foodservice.A few years ago, the fishnick team started the discussion of creating certification training for foodservice professionals that would be delivered on an e Learning platform. Fishnick enlisted a small team to help execute the idea and bring Fe3 to life.Fe3’s development team consists of: Richard Young (Curriculum Development - Fe3; Dir. of Education -...

SMYRNA, TENN.—Franke Foodservice Systems announce that their variable speed kitchen ventilation control system, called VariVent, has been awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2016 Energy Star Emerging Technology Award. As a recipient of the 2016 Energy Star Award, VariVent is recognized as a promising technology that has the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to high standards set by the EPA. Franke’s VariVent is an exhaust management system that offers savings on energy consumption for exhaust fan motors and HVAC systems. Without an exhaust management system, exhaust fans typically run at 100 percent regardless of the cooking load....

BEACON FALLS, CONN.—Lavatec Laundry Technology announced that industry veteran Jim Slatcher has joined the company as Western Regional Sales Manager. A second generation laundry industry manager with over 30 years of operations experience, he will be responsible for developing and expanding Lavatec’s presence in 10 states, including Alaska and Hawaii.For the last 11 years, Slatcher has managed his own consulting company where he assisted clients in the design, management and build out phases of new facilities, in addition to financial and operational optimization. He also managed an OPL in Mesquite, Nev. for the last four years. Slatcher’s career has...

ODESSA, FLA.—Hasek Communications, the Odessa, Fla.-based publisher of Green Lodging News, welcomes RieNu by Riegel as a Founding Sponsor. RieNu by Riegel is the first to market recycled table linen product. Made from recycled water bottles—the process includes collection, sanitizing, melting and extruding that molten material into yarn which is then woven and dyed to make RieNu.Riegel is one of six divisions under the Mount Vernon Mills, Inc. umbrella. Riegel is the division and brand name that services the hospitality industry. Riegel has earned the brand standard for every major North American hotel chain in the table linen category...