The public comment period has just ended but the outcry against impending menu-labeling requirements has been renewed. Previously, the foodservice industry had accepted the new policies included in the 2010 healthcare law because it would pre-empt the current patchwork of state and local menu-labeling requirements.But unease has been bubbling up over the law, which requires…

No state is racing to join California in banning trans fats. Just a few weeks after the Illinois State Senate voted down a proposed ban, its counterpart in Ohio has added an amendment to the proposed state budget that would ban local municipalities from regulating the ingredients restaurants can use to prepare foods. The amendment,…

Electronic communications in general and the Internet in particular are double-edged swords, as the news media have shown lately. You can get bamboozled in a hurry, you can get fake information, and in the blink of an eye you can send pictures of yourself that you shouldn’t have sent. But one very good thing is…

SPG Int’l. has welcomed Karen Edwards as v.p.-sales, responsible for sales team leadership, driving revenue and new business development. Edwards most recently served as national sales manager at Sani-Floor and Multiteria, and spent a dozen years in sales and product development at IBM. SPG makes storage products and material handling equipment under the AMCO, ARC,…

Electrolux cut the ribbon on its new southeast regional distribution center in Fairburn, Ga., on May 13. The company says its new 600,000 sq.ft, state-of-the-art distribution center and product showroom will optimize product delivery. It serves as the national distribution center for foodservice and laundry products sold to institutional and hospitality customers of Electrolux Professional;…

Insinger Machine Co., the Philadelphia-based warewashing equipment maker, has received approval and verification by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business. Insinger CEO Robert Cantor, a former U.S. Army officer, is a Vietnam-era disabled veteran. The family-owned firm can now participate in the Veterans First Contracting Program, which provides approved…

Rubbermaid Commercial Products is going back to the future and adding manufacturers’ reps to its sales team. The company announced it is expanding its sales force to create a distinct foodservice channel sales structure. The Winchester, Va., company has signed up 20 marketing agents to extend its reach into the foodservice market. “The new sales…

Sheila Palinkas has joined Leer Inc. USA as national sales manager. The New Lisbon, Wis., company manufactures walk-in coolers and freezers under the Leer and Carroll Cooler brands. Prior to joining Leer, Palinkas was director of specialty markets at W.A. Brown. In addition, Leer has named Patrick McNeely as customer service manager; he’ll manage the…

Ice-O-Matic has appointed Terry Hoelle, CFSP, as its director of sales. Hoelle will focus on leading U.S. sales efforts in distribution and channel development. Hoelle joins the Denver-based company after nine years with Structural Concepts, where she served as director of sales and helped build its foodservice division from the ground up. She has extensive…

The Certified Food Service Professional program has a newly streamlined application and updating process. First, the point-earning/recording requirements have been simplified and the North American Food Equipment Manufacturers Association no longer differentiates between advancement and maintenance points. Certification is maintained by paying $50 dues every two years and by earning at least one point per…