FSR May 2022

First Course

Global concerns around climate change have industries of all stripes reevaluating their best practices and exploring more sustainable systems. For foodservice, part of the solution relies on another, intercon nected industry: agriculture. According to market data firm Spoonshot , business interest in regenerative farming grew by 138 percent between 2019 and 2021 . Regenerative agriculture uses sustain able techniques, such as applying compos ted material to soil, recycling farm waste, and minimizing tillage. The end result boosts biodiversity, leads to more soil regeneration, and makes crops more resil ient to extreme weather. Major companies including Unilever have already pledged to incorporate these practices, meaning restaurants could soon benefit from the fruits of their labors. Greener Pastures

Employees of Color Exit Restaurants

THE PAST TWO YEARS HAVE BEEN GRUELING for all restaurant workers, but new data from One Fair Wage suggests the period has been espe cially difficult for people of color. The nonprofit group, which advocates for workers’ wages, found that during the pandemic,

Black tipped employees left restaurants at three times the rate of their white coun terparts . Additional insights from One Fair Wage point to one possible reason for this exodus; 88 percent of Black workers reported a decrease in tips since COVID began, compared to 78 percent of white workers.

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MAY 2022