NEW REGULATIONS
GAS VS. ELECTRIC Around 100 US cities – many in California alone – have moved to or have begun to consider restricting natural gas use, primarily in new construction projects and at the consumer level, but this could bleed into the commercial foodservice industry – and in many cases already has. “At the moment, these bans don’t
necessarily pertain to commercial equipment, however, we need to continue to watch this because there are certain entities and organizations that are taking a leadership or forward-thinking role and moving toward all-electric kitchens,” Souhrada says. Case in point: a Stanford University official discussed a move toward all-electric at a NAFEM meeting earlier this year, and Chipotle already announced this goal last year. Other large chains, universities, tech companies and healthcare institutions are following suit. Even though a switch from electric
to gas won’t happen overnight, as many states and jurisdictions don’t have the infrastructure to support it, “Consultants will need to take this into account and be prepared to communicate some of these changes and challenges to their clients when designing for the future,” Souhrada says.
ESG REPORTING ESG, the acronym which spelled out in full means Environmental, Social and Governance, is a relatively new concept or framework by which to measure a company, organization or entity’s sustainability goals. “ESG reporting will continue to be an
area of emphasis in 2024,” says Souhrada, referring mostly to publicly traded companies, many of whom are required to track and show their ESG performance. However, he notes, even though more
“Consultants will need to take this [switch from gas to electric] into account and be prepared to communicate some of these changes and challenges to thier clients when designing for the future”
than half of NAFEM members are not publicly traded and don’t have to report ESG performance, they may supply to publicly traded companies (like large chain operators) who do. Tose clients, in turn, might require manufacturers to provide carbon footprint and related data. As such, manufacturers, and by default, consultants, need to stay on top of these requirements.
“There is a lot of discussion right now on how to eliminate or regulate the use of PFAs ... consultants should pay attention to these chemicals”
REGULATIONS ON PFAS Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) are “forever chemicals” used in many non- stick and water- or grease- resistant coatings and products like Gore-Tex clothing and fire-fighting foams as well as food wrappers and cookware in the foodservice industry, Souhrada explains. “Tere is a lot of attention and discussion right now on how to eliminate or regulate the use of PFAs,” Souhrada says. According to the American Chemistry Council, there are 240 active PFA bills in 28 states. “Tis means that consultants
who are designing kitchens for the future should pay attention to these chemicals and where they live as they can be in anything from pots and pans to rails for tray slides,” Souhrada says. “Tis is not a problem we’re going to solve today, but it bears our attention.”
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