FOOD DRINK & FRANCHISE
Improving on Sustainability While HERO Certified Burgers has been committed to the quality of its beef from the start, the chain is still striving consistently to make improvements in every area wherever it can. Part of this commitment to improvement means taking steps to increase sustainability measures through new packaging and display efforts. Starting in 2010, HERO partnered with GreenDustries Packaging on innovative PleatPak™ wraps for its burgers and the Magic Bag™ for its fries. This highly functional packaging options is made from 100 per cent post-industrial/postconsumer recycled paper and uses 35 to 70 per cent less paper per piece than most traditional packaging options in the fast food industry. Elsewhere, HERO has implemented digital menu boards across more than 50 per cent of its stores already to both reduce waste and streamline its menu process. “It’s easy to change, so it’s very green friendly and we’re able to change our menu right from home base,” said Lettieri. “There are also
two to three screens on the sides to promote any type of special in-store LTO—any type of communications we want, we can have that on screen. Even though they’re stacked, the screens act as one.” While these actions have already been implemented, HERO also has further green innovations in the works further down the line. “We’re working on changing our foil paper to a brown paper, getting rid of all that aluminum,” said Lettieri. “We’re working aggressively to be able to offer as many green alternatives as possible.” A Non-GMO Promise One major consumer-driven trend that has been picking up steam within the QSR and fast casual industry is an interest in going fully GMO free. HERO Certified Burgers has committed to this idea in full, revamping its entire ingredients list. “We’ve been working very strongly on removing all GMOs from our food,” said Lettieri. “Our bread will now be totally GMO free, as we’ve taken out and replaced the fat with olive oil in our recipe. Our efforts will be ongoing with non-GMO foods as w w w. h e ro b u r g e r s . c o m
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