In This Section:
Brace For More FOG Rules In California
ADA Enforcement Gets Tough
EC Gives Companies A Say In WEEE/RoHS
NRA Web Site Lists Local Food Safety Training Rules
Seattle Bans Trans Fat, Calgary Considers It, Chains Dump It
This issue's Economic Report Sponsor: Manitowoc Foodservice Group
Industry Report Sponsor: The NAFEM Show 2007
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Brace For More FOG Rules In California
If you have foodservice operations in California, better keep an eye on the state's timetable for developing control programs for fats, oils and grease entering local water systems.
Last year, the California State Water Resources Control Board adopted new waste discharge requirements, or WDRs, that local water boards will have to meet.
Sewer system management plans were the focus this year. Boards that serve populations of 100,000 or more, for example, had to complete them by last week. Water agencies serving populations from 10,000 to 100,000 have until Nov. 2 to complete the SSMP, while smaller boards have until February or May next year, depending on size.
Next year, the focus turns to fats, oils, grease—or FOG—control programs. Large water agencies must have FOG control plans in place by November 2008. Agencies serving populations of between 10,000 and 100,000 must have FOG programs by May '09. If you have stores in smaller California towns, you have a little more time, but it's not too early to start thinking about grease traps. Better yet, think biodiesel.
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ADA Enforcement Gets Tough
A word to the wise: Make sure your store designs accommodate people with disabilities.
The recent settlement of a suit against Doctor's Associates, franchisor of nearly 28,000 Subway restaurants worldwide, drove home the point.
The suit, filed three years ago, alleged violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. It was filed after protestors in Salt Lake City claimed they couldn't enter a Subway restaurant because wheelchairs couldn't get over a step.
In this case, the settlement required the franchisor to survey all its franchise operations to determine where accessibility problems exist. Franchisees will then be required to correct all the problems to make sure stores comply with ADA guidelines. The agreement further required the franchisor to provide interest-free loans to franchisees to make changes, as well as rewrite its operations manual to reflect ADA guidelines and penalties the government can impose if stores don't meet them.
EC Gives Companies A Say In WEEE/RoHS
Having trouble getting U.S.-made equipment in Europe because of WEEE and RoHS directives? Or having trouble figuring out how to dispose of materials deemed hazardous by the regulations?
The European Commission is giving U.S. companies a chance to weigh in on how the rules can be simplified and made easier to live with.
WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and RoHS (Restriction of Use of certain Hazardous Substances) directives, phased in between August 2005 and July '06, restrict the selling and disposal of electrical and electronic components with specific hazardous elements, such as certain metals, and also provide a recycle mechanism for such products.
Implementation has revealed some difficulties, and the EC has hired two consultancy groups to find out what problems the directives are causing and how to solve them. Companies are invited to fill out a questionnaire and offer comments on the rules by Sept. 30.
To put in your two cents' worth, the U.S. Department of Commerce has posted the questionnaire on its "Buy USA" website. Go to
www.buyusa.gov/europeanunion/weee_rohs_revisions.html.
NRA Web Site Lists Local Food Safety Training Rules
Confused about what sort of food safety training employees need in different store locations?
Most chains have their own food safety procedures, which closely adhere to the most recent Food and Drug Administration Model Food Code, and most train employees using an accredited food safety course like the National Restaurant Association's ServSafe program.
But often local or state food codes add their own particulars, dictating a certain number of hours of training, or how frequently employees must be trained.
To help you sort through the details, the NRA Educational Foundation has set up a Web page with links to local and state codes. Just aim your browser at
www.nraef.org/reg_require/rr_food_safe_req.asp?flag=lcd&level1_id=7.
Seattle Bans Trans Fat, Calgary Considers It, Chains Dump It
More localities are hard at work hastening the demise of trans fat. Health officials in King County, Wash., banned the substance last month, making Seattle the biggest city after New York and Philadelphia to go on a trans fat-free diet.
Restaurants in King County have until April 1 next year to find alternative frying oils and shortenings that don't contain trans fat. As of Feb. 1, 2009, trans fat will be banned in all products served in restaurants there.
The county health department went a step further and also mandated nutrition labeling on menus by Aug. 1, '08. Chains with 10 or more units nationwide have to list calories, fat, sodium and carbohydrate content on menus or on menu boards in a type size at least as big as the menu price. Specials (items on the menu for 30 days or less) are exempt.
And while Canada continues to weigh a possible nationwide ban, Calgary has said it wants a ban in place by January. The Calgary Health Region, which includes Banff and Lake Louise in addition to Calgary, said the proposal should be finalized by Oct.1. Health Canada in June announced it would give the industry two years to voluntarily give up trans fat but may consider mandating a ban before then. Toronto and Vancouver also are considering local bans and now are watching Calgary with interest.
Seeing the writing in the fryer tank, more companies are making the switch to trans fat-free oils. Burger King announced at long last it has begun a nationwide rollout of its trans fat-free frying oil. And two Mexican chains, Abuelo's and Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill, announced they have switched to zero trans fat cooking oils.
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