Peddie News — Featuring Peddie Food Service

Interviewing Chef Stahl: PFS's Sustainability Initiative Highlighted by PEST

Peddie students and faculty depend on Peddie Food Service (PFS) for their meals. Beyond nutrition, PFS actively supports environmental sustainability initiatives, partnering with Peddie Environmental & Sustainability Team (PEST) to highlight their conservation efforts.

Composting

PEST questioned Chef Stahl about PFS's composting program, which has operated for approximately eight years. The initiative began when Stahl was a sous chef and has evolved into an optimized system minimizing waste.

The composting process involves a contracted company retrieving waste twice weekly and delivering eight clean containers. PFS places containers in both the dining hall and kitchen for food and paper waste collection, which the company then processes for various applications.

Waste Management

PFS produces minimal waste because students consume most prepared food. Chef Stahl noted that garbage bag weight indicates consumption patterns and composting effectiveness.

By food safety regulations, leftover items can only be reheated once. For example, Spanish macaroni prepared Monday can be reused Wednesday if heated to 185 degrees internally, then must be discarded.

PFS tracks consumption through descending dollar reports from major suppliers and maintains prep logs documenting starting amounts and leftovers, enabling informed decisions about future preparation quantities.

PFS discourages taking food outside the dining hall for two primary reasons: food safety concerns after four hours and waste prevention, since removed items frequently end up uneaten.

Community Involvement

Approximately 65% of produce comes from local farms, sourced through Licciardello Brothers (serving Philadelphia and New York markets with six-day delivery) and Common Market (connecting to tri-state area farms based on seasonal availability).

All meats originate from Sysco Philadelphia and Performance Food Group of Elizabeth, sourced exclusively from USDA-regulated U.S. producers in the Midwest. The companies maintain specific quality guidelines, and incoming food is temperature-checked, with seafood especially scrutinized.

Future Sustainability Initiatives

PFS will continue composting while implementing new napkin dispensers that reduced weekly usage from 5,000 to 2,500. Future redesigns over three to five years will incorporate campus environmentalists' recommendations through touring comparable facilities.

Chef Stahl emphasized that "everyone has to be all in" for sustainability to succeed. He credited current students for excellent composting practices without requiring training.

Student Recommendations

Students can support PFS sustainability by accepting single-entrée limits, reducing cup and utensil removal from campus, practicing proper composting, and taking only quantities they will consume.