PHILADELPHIA, May 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), the $15 billion global provider of award-winning services in food, facilities management and uniforms, is celebrating National Salad Month (May) with recipes and menus featuring fruit and vegetables grown and harvested from local farms and gardens.

"Aramark is committed to finding innovative ways to enrich and nourish the lives of those we serve with unique health, wellness and environmental programs," said Brent Franks, Chief Operating Officer of Aramark's Education division.  "Responsible purchasing is a priority for us, and sourcing locally, whether from partnerships with area suppliers or from onsite gardens, has a positive impact on the environment, on our local economies, and on our health."

Aramark sources ingredients and products from counties and states surrounding client locations whenever possible, including from onsite gardens, farms, and orchards. Sustainable and local products are incorporated into its dining operations, while meeting all industry safety standards.

Several Aramark locations have introduced onsite gardens that are used as demonstration sites and in some instances, provide fresh herbs and produce for dishes served at the various venues. For example:

• Coors Field in Denver, introduced baseball's first onsite, sustainable garden producing food for use in the stadium, three seasons ago. The 600-square-foot garden mimics the layout of a baseball stadium, and provides Aramark with herbs and vegetables for use in Coors Field's Mountain Ranch Club menu and build-your-own salad station.
  
• At Clemson University in South Carolina, produce grown in campus gardens is served in the university's dining halls and food courts. Blue cheese made and ripened at the school's agricultural center is featured on the menu along with locally grown almonds, peaches, and Bibb lettuce. 
  
• The University of North Carolina Wilmington's (UNCW) aquaponic tank, located in the middle of the school's Wagoner Dining Hall, combines aquaculture and hydroponic technology, allowing plants and fish to coexist. The special tank is expected to produce herbs and vegetables.
  
• This baseball season, the Boston Red Sox introduced "Fenway Farms," a rooftop garden behind the Gate A Fenway Park facade that grows vegetables and herbs used in food products prepared at the ballpark, including menu items in the EMC Club restaurant. At 5,000 square feet, "Fenway Farms" is the largest onsite garden in Major League Baseball.
  
• The Anaheim Convention Center utilizes a 2,000-square-foot rooftop garden, equipped with an irrigation system, indigenous ground cover and 16 wooden boxes, for growing fresh herbs used in the culinary operation. In addition to the rooftop herb garden, the convention center boasts an onsite composting and recycling center, and is currently installing an onsite, hydroponic micro-greens garden.

Across its vast portfolio, Aramark is committed to providing safe, nutritious, quality food and has taken steps to ensure that many products, including its fresh produce, are grown and sourced in a responsible way. In addition to supplying fresh food, Aramark's local sourcing results in other benefits including greater transparency in the way food is produced and a positive impact on the local economy. Aramark's environmental commitments address responsible purchasing, efficient operations, waste minimization and fleet management.

Want to recreate the farm-to-table experience at home? Try the following recipe, utilizing ingredients currently grown near you.

Coors Field Garden Salad
Serves 6

Ingredients:
4 Ripe tomatoes large diced
4 Peppers large diced
12 Beans cut on a bias and blanched

Dressing:
3 Tablespoons of fresh herbs (whatever is freshest)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Cut all vegetables so they are approximately the same size.
Make dressing by adding all Ingredients except oil into a bowl.
Slowly whisk in oil until thick.
Mix dressing with vegetables and chill for up to one hour.

About Aramark
Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) is in the customer service business across food, facilities and uniforms, wherever people work, learn, recover, and play.  United by a passion to serve, our approximately 270,000 employees deliver experiences that enrich and nourish the lives of millions of people in 21 countries around the world every day.  Aramark is recognized among the Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE and the World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Contact:
David Freireich
215-238-4078
Freireich-david@aramark.com

Erin Noss
215-409-7403
Noss-erin@aramark.com

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SOURCE Aramark