GW Today reported recently on research from the Global Food Institute at George Washington University and the James Beard Foundation® that illustrates how climate change poses an immediate threat to the independent restaurant industry—endangering a powerful economic engine that creates millions of jobs across the country and supports the growth and viability of farms and other local businesses.
The product of the Global Food Institute’s first research grant, the report, “The Climate Reality for Independent Restaurants: A Deep Dive into the Supply Chain,” details how rising temperatures, extreme weather events, floods, drought, fire and shifts in agricultural patterns are all driving up costs for an already vulnerable industry, undermining the ability of chefs to meet consumers’ expectations for high-quality affordable meals. 
“Independent restaurants are already experiencing the impacts and immediate threats of climate change, along with the millions that they employ, the farmers that they rely on and the people they feed,” said Tara A. Scully, director of curriculum development for the Global Food Institute, a contributing author on the report, and a GW Alliance affiliated faculty member. See more in GW Today. (Click here for the rest of the story.)