CDT Fall 2022 - 17

Wireless, energy-efficient digital labels can remove
this paper waste from the environment. This makes
them not only a more ethical choice for reducing your
carbon footprint, but they're also a more strategic use
of campus resources and your staff's time.
2. Digital food labels improve efficiency.
Another way digital food labels can help you become
more sustainable is by improving your operation's
overall efficiency and practices. This is especially
important when you consider three pressing
challenges: the U.S.' current inflation rate, national
labor shortages, and global supply chain issues.
These situations are driving radical price changes as
well as food availability fluctuations, sometimes on
a daily basis. And every time a price or a food item
needs to be updated at one of your locations, your
staff is often stuck printing and setting up new labels
to reflect these changes (if you even have enough
employees to handle this tedious task).
This process is not only bad for the environment, but
it's also a huge waste of your staff's time. With digital
food labels, you can give your team back hours of
their time to do what they do best: make nutritious
food to serve students, faculty, and visitors. And who
knows? Your staff could even use this time to discover
and invest in other sustainable practices you haven't
thought of yet!
3. Digital food labels make you
more accurate.
Last but not least, digital food labels can help you
share more information right next to the items you're
serving without the headache of having to manually
keep it correct. These little wireless wonders let
your operation provide accurate, up-to-date food
information by syncing directly with your menu
management system in just a few easy clicks. That
means if you have the information in your menu
database, the digital label can show it, and it can show
it with real-time accuracy!
The ability to immediately update your digital
food labels means you don't have to print out new
paper ones each time there's a change to the food,
ingredients, or price. This of course improves your
sustainability efforts across all your campus locations.
Additionally, label accuracy shows your
operation is dedicated to not just sustainably
displaying information, but also to serving food
with integrity, transparency, and inclusivity. It's
estimated that anywhere from 7-11 percent of
college students have food allergies6
23 percent of 18-to-25-year-olds follow either
a vegan or vegetarian diet7
. Digital food labels
help these marginalized groups better find the
nutrition or allergen information they need to fuel
their studies and lives.
Digital food labels are simply a more responsible
use of your resources and time, and they
ultimately make your operation more sustainable.
The market's response to digital labeling
solutions has been enthusiastic. Everyone has
been struggling with an outdated approach
that's not only bad for the environment, but a
significant challenge for their teams.
Food labels may be small, but their impact on
the environment and on foodservice operations
is outsized. Finally, there are solutions that help
move us in a better direction.
, and up to
1
2
3
https://blog.nutrislice.com/digital-labels-for-sustainablefoodservice
https://www.rebnews.com/120000-tonnes-of-label-wastebeing-sent-to-landfill-annually/
https://labels.network/2021/01/29/a-label-experts-speciallabel-liner-and-matrix-recycling-the-picture-today/
4
https://www.labelsandlabeling.com/features/minimal-labelwaste-new-way-forward
5
https://zerowasteboxes.terracycle.com/products/laminatedpaper-packaging-zero-waste-box
6
https://www.uptodate.com/contents/food-allergyin-college-and-university-students-overview-andmanagement#:~:text=INTRODUCTION%20Food%20
allergy%20may%20affect,reactions%20%5B3%2C4%5D
7
https://www.humanesociety.org/news/sodexo-and-humanesociety-united-states-team-tackle-climate-change-plant-basedmeals
USING
PAPER LABELS? IT'S TIME TO STOP THE WASTE. | CAMPUS DINING TODAY
17

https://blog.nutrislice.com/digital-labels-for-sustainable-foodservice https://www.rebnews.com/120000-tonnes-of-label-waste-being-sent-to-landfill-annually/ https://labels.network/2021/01/29/a-label-experts-special-label-liner-and-matrix-recycling-the-picture-today/ https://www.labelsandlabeling.com/features/minimal-label-waste-new-way-forward https://shop.terracycle.com/en-US https://www.uptodate.com/contents/food-allergy-in-college-and-university-students-overview-and-management#:~:text=INTRODUCTION%20Food%20allergy%20may%20affect,reactions%20%5B3%2C4%5D https://www.humanesociety.org/news/sodexo-and-humane-society-united-states-team-tackle-climate-change-plant-based-meals

CDT Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CDT Fall 2022