A report done by the organization Unite Here Local 1 exemplified the demand for fresher food at Chicago's expansive O'Hare airport. Unite Here 1 Local represents cooks, servers, bartenders and baristas at O'Hare.
The report, "Putting Sustainability on the Table: Airport Workers' Vision for $3 Billion of Food and Drink at O'Hare," shows that travelers and workers want access to healthy, fresh and local foods at the airport. The report says that the city of Chicago will soon set
"guidelines for companies interested in providing food concessions at the airport and ask those companies to submit proposals for how they'd do it. With the contract worth up to an estimated $3 billion."
There were 66 million passengers who traveled through O'Hare in 2012. Unite Here Local 1 completed more than 200 surveys with workers from every concourse and terminal of O'Hare. They also surveyed passengers about what types of food that they'd like to see offered.
The Huffington Post reported that of the worker surveys 57 percent said that customers have asked if the food was cooked from scratch or from frozen or premade ingredients. Of the passengers surveyed, 78 percent of them said they wanted to see fresh food cooked while 89 percent of workers said they want to see the restaurants cook their food from scratch.
Healthy food was also an important factor with 68 percent of passengers saying they'd like an increase in healthy food and 86 percent of workers saying they believe there should be local food served at O'Hare.
The report said in summary that the key points they'd like addressed include:
"1) ORD-er Fresh, Healthy, and Local
- Require bidders to provide fresh, scratch cooking concepts in each concourse.
- Ensure every outlet includes clearly labeled healthy, vegetarian,vegan, and gluten-free options for travelers.
- Require that bidders develop a plan to purchase at least 10% of produce from the Midwest, with preference for produce grown in Illinois and Chicago.
2) Make the Most (and Least) of Food Waste
- Require bidders to detail how they will donate food that would otherwise be thrown out, minimize waste, and use eco-friendly disposal methods.
3) Make Real Food Work: Invest in Airport Workers
- Require job stability for O'Hare's existing food and passenger experts - airport workers - and labor harmony throughout the transition.
- Invest in developing a worker training program for the transition and beyond.
We believe that taking these steps will improve not only the food at O'Hare, but also the passenger experience, and the City's goal of a more sustainable airport."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
