MRSA superbug in US Factory Farm Operations

Researcher Tara C. Smith has just published a study in PubMed Central, a peer-reviewed journal, linking Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to swine in Confined Animal Feed Operations (CAFOs), or factory farming facilities. This potentially fatal Staph bacterium is resistant to certain antibiotics, which include methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.

Although previous studies linking MRSA to swine and swine workers have been conducted in other countries, Ms. Smith's study, albeit small in size, is the first to be conducted in the U.S. The Iowa State researcher and her team found MRSA strain ST398 present in 45% of swine workers and 49% of swine at production facilities, housing approximately 87,000 live animals in Iowa and Illinois.

Factory farming operations confine a large number of animals to relatively small areas. These operations require both antibiotics and pesticides to reduce the spread of disease and pestilence. An excessive reliance on antibiotics can result in the incubation of virulent, resistant bacterial strains. A similar phenomenon occurs in hospitals, another area that is heavily-antibiotic reliant.

In March 2008, in a presentation to the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Canadian researcher Dr. David Weese reported that 10 per cent of pork chops and ground pork samples from four provinces tested positive for MRSA. An expert on zoonoses, the pathogens that are transmitted between people and animals, Dr. Weese said that proper cooking would kill the bacteria on pork. However, he wondered about meat handlers who may come into contact with MRSA on the surface of meat.

MRSA infections were once mainly limited to hospitals, but in recent years, there have been reports of people with the infection who have not been in hospital or taken antibiotics. According to the Center for Disease Control, some 94,360 people developed a serious MRSA infection, which resulted in 18,650 deaths in 2005. The incidence of MRSA is on the rise in the U.S., and this bacterium is now recognized as a major community-acquired pathogen.

Tim Hortons: Freshly Baked Environmental Solutions

AKAmamma could not end a 4-part investigation without serving up some freshly baked solutions.

On the Tim Hortons Web site, the company attempts to sell itself as an environmental leader. Yes, it uses biodegradable packaging, offers reusable dinnerware in its stores and gives a 10-cent discount to patrons bringing their own cup. And indeed this is a step up from most fast food restaurants, but does that make TH a leader? No. If the company aims to be an environmental leader then it has to do away with the following three practices:

1. The Roll up the Rim to Win Contest
Although there are no figures available to the public about how much revenue this contest generates, we can safely assume that it's a success. After all, how many companies are willing to run a contest that wasn't profitable the first time. Judging by the increased number of prizes and the general banter around water coolers everywhere, I'd say that it's a hit...for selling and using millions upon millions of paper cups. And let's not forget, the contest targets children who enable their caffeine-addicted parents, by convincing them they need just one more cup... But I digress.

Not only is this contest irresponsible, but it also taxes the finite resources of our municipal waste diversion programs. As I learned from the TH media relations team, Ontario businesses collectively pay 50% of municipal recycling programs in that province, but obviously municipal taxpayers foot the rest, through their municipal and provincial taxes. Ah sorry, did Tim Hortons ask Ontario taxpayers whether they wanted their tax dollars to be used on disposing of avoidable waste instead of on recreational facilities? In essence, Tim Horton's increased revenues are at the expense of the taxpayer.

Surely, TH can come up with an imaginative contest that doesn't further burden our municipalities or taxpayers.

2. Kill the Drive-thru

One way to get more people into the restaurant and use an actual dinner plate and cup is to kill the drive-thru. In the interest of adult fitness, have customers get out of their cars and walk across the parking lot for their coffee. Drive-thrus are bad for two reasons. One, people using drive-thrus are notorious for letting their cars idle as they wait, wasting gas, polluting the air and causing traffic jams. Two, this is a convenience that requires disposable containers and packaging, creating a monumental amount of avoidable waste. I also have a hunch that the very people using drive-thrus are the ones throwing empty cups out onto the sidewalk when no one is looking.

I say phase out the drive-thru and create a new corporate model of environmental responsibility. Implement a surcharge ($2.00) on every drive-thru order and have two sets of prices, one for those eating in and the other for those behind the wheel. Make it a noticeable difference. After all, convenience is a luxury that people should pay for. And for patrons coming into the store for their take-out coffee, give them a 30-cent reduction if they bring their own cup and charge them 30 cents more if they opt for the paper model. Of course, people sitting down in the store for their coffee would pay the regular price. This could all be part of TH's friend-of-the-environment campaign.

TH should focus on ways of getting large groups of people out of their cars and into its stores. Instead of the drive-thru, I suggest adding an extra room for holding community events, such as minor sports registration, town hall meetings, union meetings, conferences, PTA meetings, etc. You could even cater these events, and everybody would be using porcelain plates and cups. Another suggestion, put in some more bike racks to encourage cyclists.

3. A reusable and recyclable cup for your Ice Cap
Last summer I went to a TH with my family and asked for my Ice Cap in a china cup. I was told that it only came in the plastic container even if I drank it in the store. Apparently, the plastic cup was the only one that could be used with the mixer. Funny, I seem to remember way back in the 80s that we used a metal cup with this type of mixer. Would it be a corporate faux pas to use a metal cup to mix the Ice Cap and then pour it into something reusable? Must be...The worst part is that Ice Caps are served everywhere in number 6 plastic, the evil polystyrene, which cannot be recycled in the Montreal area. Surely, TH could come up with a cup made from number 2 or 5 plastic, two types of plastic that according to RECYC-Quebec can be recycled almost anywhere in the province.

As I have said before Tim Hortons has the customer loyalty to implement changes like these and set itself apart from the other fast food chains. However, its current outlook with respect to the environment is shortsighted. This will inevitably lead to a backlash, which as far as I can see is already off to a good start.

I'd also like to say kudos to the City of Toronto for standing up to corporations on behalf of municipal taxpayers. Push for your discount for consumers with refillable cups!

Check out what you can do as consumers and voters in Part 3 of this investigative series.

Tim Hortons: Success Is Not All Roses

In this post, AKAmamma argues that litter is just the tip of the iceberg and asks everyone to ponder the fate of trash and recyclables after they’re tossed.

Unsightly Success

Tim Hortons organizes 125 clean-up events across Canada and posts do not litter signs in its stores and on its cup. As I have said before, the company can't do much about litterbugs, but the iconic Tim Hortons cups crumpled on the sidewalk should be a red flag to company brass.

Yes, Canadians may have an insatiable thirst for coffee, but perhaps the state of our sidewalks is a telltale sign of market saturation. Opening another Tim Hortons store may still be a profitable venture, but consumers may soon tire of the litter and "smell the coffee."

As we have already witnessed in the media, City of Toronto councillors are angry that part of the parks budget has to be used to pick up Tim Hortons cups and paper instead of improving the intended public areas. We know that TH did not dump the cups there, but unfortunately the company name is on them.

But in all honesty, litter is the visible part of the problem. The real issue is the sheer number of cups that end up in landfill, 1,000,000 a day in Toronto alone. In addition, the company serves its coffee in a porcelain cup to customers who drink their coffee in its stores, which is a step up from most fast food outlets. Tim Hortons also favours paper for its wrappers and containers, which is more environmentally friendly than styrofoam or plastic.

The company also offers the symbolic gesture of a 10-cent discount to all customers bringing their own cup.

These small gestures may make Canadians feel better about frequenting Tim Hortons, and many Canadians really don't want to know what happens to their used containers after they discard them anyway. They also don't want to question marketing copy on environmental issues, such as sentences like this one on the Tim Hortons corporate Web site, "We offer recycling and/or composting at various stores in Atlantic Canada, Ontario and most recently Quebec."

This sounds to me like Tim Hortons actually recycles and composts on the store premises. "Is this actually the case?" I asked the TH Environmental Affairs Manager. No, it means that some stores have three- and four-stream sorting stations, and sorting is done on the premises, and then the recyclables are sent off to the appropriate facilities.

However, many people would be satisfied by simply reading the words recycling and composting and not give it any further thought. (In all fairness, TH’s modeling responsible behaviour is a fine initiative.) Although everyone agrees that clean-up events are good all round, they are also foolproof PR. After all, picking up other people's trash not only casts Tim Hortons in a favourable light, it also gets rid of the problem. Remember there isn't a problem if you can't see one.

If Tim Hortons is the environmental leader it claims to be, it may have to get rid of certain practices that are not environmentally friendly.
Check out my next post to find out what they are.

(PART 3) Tipping Point of Tim Hortons Cup

Inspired by the Presidential inaugural address, AKAmamma has decided to advocate change, both big and small.

No Need to Despair Coffee Lovers

Change is Good…For Everyone

I would just like to remind readers that I am not advocating a boycott of Tim Hortons or any other company selling take-out coffee. I’m merely asking you to consider the fate of the disposable paper cup.

You may have heard reports in the media that TH paper cups are recyclable. Just remember that the term "recyclable" means that a cup can be recycled if the facility exists in the municipality where it is discarded. For instance, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) has three facilities that recycle polystyrene (number 6 in the recycling symbol). Yet, no such facility exists in the Greater Montreal Area, Canada's second largest city.

Under the FAQs for Investors on the Tim Hortons corporate Web site, the company reiterates this point, "The Tim Hortons coffee cup is recyclable where facilities exist, such as in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Windsor, Ontario. The biggest challenge is that recycling capabilities, options and requirements vary significantly between municipalities."

This means that in Moncton and Windsor, they have the facility to recycle the cups. Can they recycle the polystyrene lid? What happens if the lid and the cup are not separated? In other words, you may wonder how much recycling is actually going on?

If in doubt, consult your municipality’s Web site to see exactly what can be recycled in your area.

And all you self-confessed caffeine addicts need not forgo your dose of java. Just bring your own cup or frequent places that serve coffee in a porcelain mug.

Vote for Change

I heard from Greta Najcler, the Manager of Environmental Affairs, at Tim Hortons, and I am pleased to report that I got some answers to my questions via e-mail.

For starters, I asked whether TH paper cups where coated with a biodegradable, compostable film. Ms. Najcler replied, “Cups do not need to be lined with a biodegradable or compostable plastic to be accepted in a compost facility. Our cups have a thin polyethylene film on the inside (industry standard) and are accepted in some composting facilities across Canada.” (Polyethylene is a thermoplastic).

I contacted Sabrina Charron at RECYC-Quebec to verify this. She said that cups with a thermoplastic coating may be composted if they are not rejected in the screening process. My best bet, she said, was to contact individual composting facilities. Hmm…

As the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is Canada’s largest urban centre and Timmie’s premier market, I contacted the York, Halton, Peel and Durham regions, four GTA municipalities, and the City of Toronto to see if TH paper coffee cups were accepted in their curbside composting programs.

Short answer: York, Halton and the City of Toronto do accept paper coffee cups as long as the lids have been removed. Peel and Durham do not.

Admittedly, it may be excessive to expect one company to come up with a different cup model to suit the diverse waste diversion capacities of our municipalities. Maybe we should use our voting power to demand that our provincial governments implement a policy requiring some uniformity in our municipal recycling and composting programs so that one cup fits all.

It’s Time to Overcome Our Reluctance to Change

Initially, my proposal was to ask Tim Hortons to give a 30-cent discount to customers bringing their own cup as an incentive to change consumer habits and significantly reduce the number of paper cups going to landfill sites. Given that TH commands 75% of the coffee market and boasts of customer loyalty bordering on obsession, I thought that the company was in an ideal position to effect change...

This was not a novel idea. Awash in a sea of paper coffee cups, the City of Toronto asked that a mere 20-cent discount be given to customers bringing their own cups. The request, as reported in the Toronto Star, was not taken lightly.

"Tim Hortons currently offers 10 cents for customers who bring a mug, and that's about how much that's saved by not having to supply a cup, according to the industry. Forcing shops to dole that much out would eat into profits, they said."

Alas, I surmise that my proposal would fall on deaf ears.

In the same article, Nick Javor, Senior VP of Tim Hortons, stated that the company already made a contribution to recycling efforts. I later learned from the TH Environmental Affairs office that TH and other businesses collectively pay for 50% of the Blue Box program in Ontario, in addition to its own recycling services.

We may have to wait until April to find out the outcome of the Timmie’s vs. the City of Toronto saga, but change is in the air.

In the next post, AKAmamma will look at an unsightly consequence of success and some of Tim Hortons environmental initiatives.

(Part 2) Tipping Point of Tim Hortons Cup

If you missed Part 1, AKAmamma revealed just how big Tim Hortons has become in terms of market share and size (fourth largest quick service chain in North America), and how, through its community initatives, the company has created droves of loyal patrons. The writer argues that TH should be using its position to effect change and influence consumer habits. She is proposing that the company offer a 30-cent discount on take-out coffee orders to customers bringing a refillable cup in an effort to stem the flow of discarded paper cups.
In Part 2, AKAmamma looks into the issue of recyclability and hazards a very conservative guess as to the number of paper cups disposed of each day. But sit tight, the actual number going to landfill in Toronto will astound you.
The Fate of the Single-Use Paper Cup
As promised, I consulted an expert about the recyclability of the paper cup. Sabrina Charron of RECYC-QUEBEC, the provincial body governing recycling in la Belle Province, confirmed my suspicions: paper coffee cups cannot be recycled.

Ms. Charron said that sorting facilities reject paper coffee cups because they have a coated film, which prevents the coffee from soaking through. This film makes recycling very difficult. However, used paper coffee cups may be accepted by a composting site if they are coated with a biodegradable, compostable type of film.

At last, a glimmer of hope...

Except that composting is still in its infancy in the Montreal area. In fact, just last year, the Plateau-Mont Royal borough sent out a notice of interest for residents wanting to take part in a composting pilot project. In other words, several years from now, Tim Hortons coffee cups may be composted if they are coated with a biodegradable, compostable film.

But there is another human factor that should be considered.

"You can imagine what these containers are like after several weeks in a recycling bin, soaked with coffee and often dairy products," said Ms. Charron. "The vast majority of these single-use containers head straight to a landfill site or incinerator."

This is another valid point. I cannot nor do I want to imagine what these cups look like several weeks after use. But maybe we all should. After all, sorting centres are staffed by people like you and me.

Yes, the argument stands that paper is biodegradable and still a better option than polystyrene, which will stay with us indefinitely. But as I recall, most take-out coffee does come with a polystyrene lid.

To illustrate my point that Tim Hortons needs a further cost-reducing incentive to foster customer use of refillable cups, let's do a little number crunching. If each of the 3,294 Tim Hortons stores in Canada and "select" US states, many of which are 24-hour operations, sold on average a very conservative 300 cups of take-out coffee a day, some 988,200 coffee cups (nearly 1 million) and almost as many polystyrene lids would be discarded every day. And given the difference in recycling and composting capacities of the many municipalities with TH stores, my guess is that the vast majority of these cups and lids ends up in landfill.

Is it environmentally responsible to continue this practice? Absolutely not.
Is it a wise use of our natural resources? Absolutely not.
In terms of our municipal tax dollars, do we really want to spend this money disposing of an endless number of paper coffee cups? No.
Although corporations contribute to waste diversion programs, should limits be imposed on the amount of avoidable waste they produce? Yes.

Tim Hortons is not by any stretch the worst offender in terms of using disposable dishes and packaging, and it does have some programs in place that make it more environmentally responsible than other leading fast food corporations. But Tim Hortons could become an environmental leader and corporate model if it were to give rebates to customers using refillable cups for take-out orders.
For all those self-confessed caffeine addicts check in on Thursday, January 20, for Part 3 of the Investigation to see how you can help.


Timmie's vs. Toronto

I came across a few online stories about the face-off between the restaurant industry, headed by Tim Hortons, and the City of Toronto.

Last fall, the City was considering a ban on paper coffee cups by the end of 2009. Apparently consumers toss their used coffee cups into the recycling bin without first removing the lid. As a result, neither the cup nor the lid is recycled. Apparently, the plastic contaminates the paper, and in the end, the City sends 365,000,000 paper coffee cups and lids to landfill every year (http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/2008/11/toronto_or_tims_who_should_pay.html).

Well, I can see that the estimate in my previous post was conservative indeed. I estimated a mere million a day went to landfill from all 3,294 Tim Hortons stores. Although this figure is for all Toronto coffee vendors combined, you may recall from my previous post that, according to the TH corporate Website, the company controls more than 75% of the coffee and baked goods sector. Lion's share of the market, lion's share of the discarded cups.

Interestingly enough, in the above-mentioned article, TH said that it was not responsible for how its coffee cups get recycled, and the City should find a way to separate the lid from the cup.

Oh, I understand. Once the coffee cup is purchased, it belongs to the consumer, but once it's discarded, it's the responsibility of the municipality. And where do the municipalities get their money from? Municipal and provincial taxpayers. Funny I didn't order a coffee to go. Did you?

In order to present a fair argument, I must point out that industry, too, makes financial contributions to waste diversion programs. However, how do we reconcile the finite resources of our municipalities with a corporate mission of selling an ever increasing number of items requiring disposal?

You tell me.
To find out more about the brouhaha brewing between Timmie's and Toronto check out Part 3 of the Investigation on Thursday, January 20. In addition, AKAmamma has heard back from TH's corporate affairs manager regarding some tough questions about the company's environmental initiatives. Read about them here.

Investigation: Tipping Point of Tim Hortons Paper Cup

In this four-part series, AKAmamma will investigate the enviable status of Tim Hortons and how the company could use its position to effect change and become a corporate environmental model. She will also investigate the recyclability of the TH cup,what every caffeine-addict can do, and the issue brewing with the City of Toronto. And of course, AKAmamma will serve up some freshly baked environmental solutions.

As a Guerrilla Gardener last summer, I picked up more than a few Tim Hortons paper coffee cups and brown plastic lids on our gardening site. Can I blame Tim Hortons for lazy, inconsiderate, cowardly consumers who toss their coffee cups onto the sidewalk simply because no one is looking? Not really. But when the corporate goal is to sell as many cups of coffee as possible, they bear some responsibility.

First of all, although biodegradable, paper is an unsustainable option. My guess is that soiled paper cups cannot be recycled, but I will have to consult an expert to make sure (Part 2 of my investigation). Secondly the brown, non-biodegradable, polystyrene lid, made of number 6 plastic, cannot be recycled in the Montreal area and ends up in landfill. Hmm...

But Tim Hortons will allow you to bring your own cup and deduct 10 cents from the price. This symbolic gesture is also used by its competitors, Second Cup and Starbucks. Symbolic gesture, yes, incentive to bring your own cup, not really. It demonstrates that the company is open to solutions, but not interested in changing consumer behaviour.

According to its 2008 Q3 Investor Fact Sheet on its corporate web site, Tim Hortons commands more than 40% of the quick service restaurant sector and more than 75% of coffee and baked goods sector. Well, sounds like TH already has the lion's share of the market and is in the perfect position to influence consumer behaviour. If the company were to knock, say, 30 cents off the price of its take-out coffee then it would convincingly establish its brand as environmentally friendly.

But would people still litter? Of course. Would we find fewer Tim Hortons coffee cups and polystyrene lids on the sidewalk? Yep. Are fewer cups on the sidewalk good for the corporate image? Absolutely.

My goal here is not to ruffle any company feathers, but rather to provide company brass with some valuable feedback. As a mother of two, I think that our society as a whole has to work towards sustainability now for future generations.

Tim Hortons: Community Initiatives and Customer Loyalty

I did some extensive surfing on the TH corporate site and found a number of surprising facts. For starters, Tim Hortons is the fourth largest quick service food chain in North America and the largest in Canada, with 3,294 stores system wide (2,870 in Canada and 424 in the US). As a Quebec resident, I have heard but not witnessed the proliferation of this franchise. I shudder to think of the sheer number of soiled paper coffee cups piling up all over Canada and "select" American states. But I digress.

What I cannot overlook is Tim Horton's community involvement, specifically its camp for economically disadvantaged youth and its sponsorship of community activities for children and families. TH's focus on keeping children active through swimming, cycling, skating and minor sports programs is impressive indeed. The company also promotes Hallowe'en safety, provides poppies for Remembrance Day and assists charities. On these fronts, a model corporate citizen.

Unsurprisingly, this community involvement has created droves of loyal customers, and I mean droves. Consider this tidbit (timbit?) of information from the company's 2008 Q3 presentation to investors: 40% of customers visit Tim Hortons four times a week or more.

Now that's brand loyalty bordering on obsession, isn't it?

And again I raise my point: Tim Hortons is in an ideal position to influence consumer habits. By giving take-out coffee customers with their own cup a 30-cent discount, a noticiable difference in cost, more people would buy reusable cups, and the number of cups headed for landfill would be substantially reduced.

In tomorrow's articles, AKAmamma will look at the recyclability of the Tim Hortons cup, the problem in terms of sheer numbers, and the trouble brewing with the City of Toronto.