Earth Day Inspires a Myth-Busting Campaign for One of the Nation's Top Dining Services

BRISTOL, RI (04/17/2010)(readMedia)-- In celebration of Earth Day on April 22, Bon Appétit Management Company – food services provider at Roger Williams University – will host a Low Carbon Diet Day that aims to alter perceptions RWU students have about the food on their plates.

Committed to providing delicious, economical, low-carbon meals to all patrons, Bon Appétit dining at Roger Williams University will ensure that the story of every bite served up on Low Carbon Diet Day will be told.

Members of the media are also encouraged to attend Low Carbon Diet Day at RWU on Earth Day. Media can share an inside look of the low carbon diet movement and the event itself by touring the dining facilities, sampling low carbon food and arranging interviews with chefs and consumers. Marketing Manager for Bon Appétit at RWU Stephanie Colliton may be reached at (401) 254-3217 to arrange a visit.

On Earth Day, some 400 Bon Appétit cafes in colleges, universities, corporations and specialty venues will offer some of their favorite examples of low-carbon dining. That day, RWU students can expect their beloved beef burger to be replaced by a delicious turkey burger dressed in special spices. Why? Because turkey is considered the more sustainable choice as opposed to beef from a cow that produces methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas.

Pizza lovers who think they can't do without their late-night greasy cheese-slathered pie may change their minds after they sample that same pizza minus the grease and cheese, loaded with tasty organic roasted veggies. And for ice cream lovers who think Cherry Garcia is irreplaceable, Bon Appétit's low-carbon, tart sorbet alternative may surprise them.

The Low Carbon Diet is the first program to acknowledge the significant connection between food and climate change, according to Stephanie Colliton, marketing manager/financial manager for Bon Appétit at RWU.

Also according to Bon Appétit, a low-carbon diet is less complicated than most: use seasonal vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Replacing meat and cheese with poultry and seasonal salsa and spices protects the environment, but it also can expand your wallet and melt inches of fat.

Bon Appétit Management Company expects to meet its goal of reducing the carbon footprint in areas typically impacted, over the next two years, by more than 25 percent by implementing the following at all of their cafes across the nation, including RWU:

• Reduce beef by 25 percent

• Reduce cheese by 10 percent

• Source all meat and poultry from North America

• Source nearly all fruits and vegetables from North America, using seasonal local produce as a first preference and using tropical fruits only as "special occasion" ingredients

• Reduce food waste by 25 percent

• Reduce consumption of processed sweets snacks and chocolate by 10 percent

• Eliminate air-freighted seafood

• Reduce the use of water and energy

In addition, Bon Appétit has created a Facebook quiz that allows users to test their knowledge of the carbon impact of favorite foods, like burritos and lentil soup. The company has also created an online food calculator to help consumers evaluate their choices.

About RWU: Roger Williams University is a leading independent, coeducational liberal arts university at which students live and learn to be global citizens. With 40 academic programs and an array of co-curricular activities on its Bristol, R.I., campus, RWU is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. Under the leadership of President Roy J. Nirschel, Ph.D., the University has achieved unprecedented academic and financial successes. In 2009, U.S. News & World Report named RWU the seventh-ranked baccalaureate college in the north.

About Bon Appétit Management Company: Bon Appétit Management Company is an onsite restaurant company offering full food service management to corporations, universities and specialty venues. It is committed to sourcing sustainable, local foods for all cafes throughout the country. A pioneer in environmentally sound sourcing policies, Bon Appétit has developed programs addressing local purchasing, the overuse of antibiotics, sustainable seafood, cage-free eggs, and most recently, the connection between food and climate change. The company has received numerous awards for its work from organizations like Seafood Choices Alliance, The Humane Society of the United States, and Food Alliance. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., Bon Appétit has more than 400 cafes in 29 states, including Oracle Corporation, American University and the Getty Center.