Better practice organizations banding together
We have reported on Darden Restaurant Inc. in the past, parent company of Olive Garden, which has more than 1,500 casual-dining restaurants around the world, and it’s considered the largest full-service restaurant employer in the United States.
Over 50 organizations have banded together to start the “Good Food Now!” campaign, directed at DRI, to “adopt better labor practices and greener menus” supporting not only the environment, but also farmers, animals, customers, and the staff at their restaurants.
An historic coalition
According to one manager, never before have environmental, worker justice, animal welfare, and public concern organizations come together under one umbrella to target the restaurant industry. The focus of the campaign is on Olive Garden, even though DRI also owns Bahama Breeze, Longhorn Steakhouse, and a number of other popular restaurants. Olive Garden accounts for the majority of the sales of DRI.
The petition sent to Darden urges the company to support:
• A valued workforce
• Environmental sustainability
• Local economics
• Good nutrition
• Animal welfare
GoodFoodNow demanding local, nutritious and fair
The campaign wants Darden to make a commitment to providing a better experience to its customers by sourcing ingredients locally and at fair prices. To promote animal welfare, the organizations want DRI to source proteins that are certified humane raised and handled and raised without the use of anti-biotics. In addition, DRI is being asked to provide smaller portion sizes, more vegetarian and vegan entrée options, and to improve nutrition through including more fruits and vegetables.
Is it possible for Darden to take action?
The principles which outline the GoodFoodNow campaign are those being used in the LA Unified School District to govern the entities which purchase food for the school district. According to GoodFoodNow supporters, Darden claims to support and value animal welfare, their employees, and their customers, but they don’t demonstrate their commitment to these key issues. The group has requested a meeting with DRI, but to date, Darden has not granted a meeting or acknowledged the issues raised by the coalition.
#GoodFoodNow
Tiffany
March 25, 2016 at 9:49 pm
It seems to me that its just someones thought and hope to have restaurants participate in their plan. As i see it , The company shouldnt have to discuss what they do regarding this. I dont blame them for not talking to them.
Tiffany
March 25, 2016 at 9:51 pm
I personnally think if people want a restaurant running the way they propose , maybe they should start their own restaurant.
Kathy
July 12, 2016 at 5:34 pm
Sorry this post got longer than I intended, but I found myself making the points for the group that the group should have been making themselves. This article is too short.
It’s absolutely correct to approach Darden with the idea that they need to clean up their act. Red Lobster has already been sold. But you can only expect so much from major old chains like the Olive Garden. I doubt if Darden will make all the changes the group is demanding, at least not all at once, or address them at all, since Olive Garden may be sold next. And although vegetarian choices are nice (I’m not one), it sounds whiny to a big chain and there are bigger fish to fry, like the crap that’s in the food itself that needs to go.
Sourcing locally is great but not always feasible. When you eat at a major chain you get what they can buy to deliver to ALL their locations. But I agree that something organic, like tomato sauce, is reasonable and readily available anywhere. Not speaking for everyone, but also many people are aware of the toxic ingredients in our food these days. And I’ve found that different regions of the US have more awareness than others.
I use to love Olive Garden and Red Lobster until about six years ago when it seemed the quality was going down hill. But I also discovered you can look up the food ingredients and allergens online. I found there is so much Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), preservatives, and other chemicals in the food. These two chains, and especially fast food, are riddled with MSG! No wonder the food tastes good (sort of), that’s what MSG does. Hey, restaurant owners, ever hear of actual real spices! I cook very simply at home, and it tastes really good, and with no chemicals and MSG.
MSG has an effect on the brain that makes the food taste good. It also has an effect of making you start to crave that food. It also can cause diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain, adrenal gland malfunction, and even seizures (info from Global Healing Center). Look around at people who frequently eat at these places. Their health and quality of life goes down hill. So was my families until I made changes and now cook at home everyday.
But even with all the MSG you still can’t hide microwaved, frozen, processed reheated food. That’s like putting an air freshener in a garbage can!
I remember going into a grocery store with some friends in about 1982, and one of the guys bought a spice. He said this makes food taste really good. The label said Monosodium Glutamate. They actually use to sell it right along with all the other spices! It’s funny how it’s not sold anymore, but yet they allow restaurants to put in abundance in their food! MSG and all it’s forms need to be banned, right along with High Fructose Corn Syrup. But I digress.
Another thing the restaurants need to get smart about is the massive use of GMO oils in the use and process of their food. These days people are really concerned about that, even other countries. I have made phone calls to ask what kind of oil is used to fry food. The most frequent answer I get is Soy. That’s because of a new-fangled GMO one that makes machines it’s used in easier to clean, among other reasons. And when I ask if it’s Non-GMO, they say “it doesn’t say on the label.” If it doesn’t say, then it is GMO. For those of you who aren’t aware of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) food, please do the research. It’s too much of an overreach to explain it here.
On some points, the group is making valid concerns. On other points they may be that businesses like Olive Garden can’t make huge changes overnight, so they should stick to the most important priorities first, like ditch the chemicals and MSG, and hormone free meat. That’s a huge start. They might get more notice that way.
Panera Bread is slowly cleaning up it’s food item by item, and to my surprise not doing a bad job. So I sent them an email thanking them for that, but then also pointed out that they should switch to Non-GMO wheat flour. I said since many people are concerned about GMOs that they would be really noticed for that, especially since they are Panera BREAD, bread being their main identifier! Sure, I’d like organic wheat while they’re at it, but too much demand might result in nothing at all, so I’ll except Non-GMO for now.