PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Amy Lewis, 651.450.9222, amy@renowmarketing.com
Eldon Brustuen, 612.710.3461, eldon@ckcgoodfood.com
CKC GOOD FOOD’S ECO-CONSCIOUS INITIATIVES EXTEND TO CLIENT SCHOOLS
School Food Service Vendor is Among First to Provide Only
Biodegradable, Disposable Trays, Utensils and Napkins to Client Schools
Saint Paul, Minn., May 29, 2013 – With an eye toward the environment and food safety, CKC Good Food
announced today that it will be one of Minnesota’s first school food service vendors to implement the best
practice standard of providing all biodegradable, disposable food trays, utensils and napkins – some of
which are also compostable – to its National School Lunch Program client schools. Beginning with food
service contracts for 2013-2014, CKC Good Food will absorb the extra cost of providing these alternative
paper products to those schools. This is the first major step in CKC Good Food’s efforts to transition all of its
and its clients’ paper products to more environmentally sensitive alternatives made from natural fibers,
corn, sugar cane and ground pulp. Gradually over the next year or two, all of CKC Good Food’s public and
private school, day care center and meals-on-wheels clients will transition to biodegradable, disposable
products.
For many years, schools have used disposable Styrofoam trays or reusable trays and utensils that require
washing after each use. Research has shown, however, that washing and reusing trays carries potential
health hazards attributable to improper drying and restacking of the trays before they are completely dry.
Washing trays is a time- and water-intensive process that results in large quantities of dish soap in waste
waters. If trays are transported for off-site cleaning, the large transport containers must also be properly
washed, sanitized and dried, increasing the potential hazard, and the amount of water and cleaners used.
Energy consumption by these delivery vehicles and the pollution they generate further increase the carbon
footprint of the industry.
“CKC Good Food provides over 20,000 meals a day to our client schools,” said Nancy Close, president of
CKC Good Food. “We feel it is our responsibility to ‘do the right thing’ and minimize our environmental
impact any way that we can. Not only are biodegradable, disposable paper products the most
environmentally sensitive alternative to food service trays and utensils, they’re also the best way to
eliminate sources of potential hazardous contamination and decrease our energy use. It’s a win for our
schools, the students and the environment.”
Some of the biodegradable, disposable products CKC already purchases include:
-
Compostable forks and spoons made from a corn-based starch
-
-
Bowls and take-out cartons made from bagasse, a sugarcane by-product, that are free of plastic,
chlorine and coatings. In the right environment, these products are biodegradable, compostable
and recyclable.
Certified biodegradable plates made of 100 percent post-industrial recycled and molded fiber – no
virgin wood fiber is used
CKC Good Food works with Trio Supply Company of Minneapolis to procure these products. Don Larson,
owner of Trio Supply Company, said, “As a leading distributor of the highest quality eco-friendly disposable
products to the food service industry, we applaud CKC Good Food’s efforts to protect the environment. Its
use of these biodegradable, and sometimes compostable, products has the potential to positively impact
the environmental waste stream.”
CKC Good Food’s clients also appreciate the expanded level of service and attentiveness to students’ safety
and the environment. According to Hiawatha Academies, “CKC has consistently been a leading expert in
providing healthy, nutritious meals for our scholars throughout our long standing partnership. CKC’s new
‘green’ initiative continues its distinction as a leader in school food services and we take great value in all
that they do for our scholars, our community, our environment.”
About CKC Good Food
CKC Good Food is a Saint Paul, Minn.-based catering company that specializes in creating delicious,
nutritious meals for charter, private and public schools. The company provides over 20,000 lunches,
breakfasts and snacks total each day to school students. Known for tasty meals and a rigorous approach to
children’s nutrition, CKC Good Food is an industry leader in adhering to the federal government’s new
HHFKA (Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act) standards for school lunches. For more information, visit
www.ckcgoodfood.com.
###