It is so tidy in Kokkola!
We have received thanks from Ostrobothnia. “For once someone has been thinking of the kitchen staff when creating a new innovation that saves time and effort,” says Johanna Vähärautio, the head of food services at the Federation of Education in Central Ostrobothnia. In her work, she can closely observe how the FOODDUCK® spread dispensers have since August impacted the everyday life in the canteens and kitchens of both the Kokkola campus for vocational education and the Kälviä folk high school.
“Our first observation was that we now have a solution for the mess,” says Johanna Vähärautio when listing the remarkable changes brought about by the spread dispensers. Although the FOODDUCK spread dispensers have only been used in Kokkola and Kälviä since August the positive impacts are already clearly visible. Every day, some 1000 students have lunch at the canteen of the Kokkola vocational training campus. In addition, there are 300 children from the nearby Torkinmäki primary school that have their lunch in the canteen. Due to the large number of lunch guests, it is easy to understand the thankfulness for easier work practices. In Kokkola, tidiness and time-savings go hand in hand.“Since we do not any more have margarine on the tables and trays, our staff can – instead of cleaning these – do other tasks in the kitchen. A clear time saving also results from not needing the change the spread cases,” Vähärautio continues.
“When I got to know about the spread dispensers, I immediately decided that we need such devices.”
– Johanna Vähärautio, food services manager, Federation of Education in Central Ostrobothnia
GREEN STEPS FORWARD
There are three FOODDUCK spread dispensers in Kokkola. Prior to this, they served margarine in 600-gram cases. Each day, some 16 cases were used. If we count the amount of melted spread that cannot be used any more, we get some perspective on the amount of spread waste created as well as on the decrease in the amount of waste brought by the new devices. Johanna Vähärautio says that at their campus, some seven spread packages are enough for each day. She also notes that now everyone is served with the right amount of spread.
In the Kälviä folk high school the “Duck” greets some 130 lunch guests every day. Although there is a remarkable difference in the number of customers between Kokkola and Kälviä, Vähärautio sees no difference in how FOODDUCK works in practice.
“At both locations our students really like the ”Duck.” Same positive impacts go for both the big and the small canteen. A big bonus in Kälviä is the fact that also physically challenged customers can easily take the spread themselves. The spread dispenser is also safe for people with allergies or coeliac disease.”
According to Johanna Vähärautio, green values and sustainable development were the primary reason for choosing the FOODDUCK spread dispensers.
“We have thought a lot about how to strengthen the ecological aspects in the kitchen. For instance, food waste was discussed and we had tried to decrease it. When I got to know about the spread dispensers, I immediately decided to get them,” she says with determination.
Ecology is complemented with economy. When spread consumption goes from more than ten cases a day to seven spread packages, it translates to a decrease from a daily consumption of almost ten kilos of spread to some six kilos. It’s easy to count that this equation only has positive results.