Packing a lunch for kids tends to involve a variety of plastic packaging, bags and wrappers that are harmful not just to the environment—heading directly to landfills as they so frequently do—but also, potentially, to the kids themselves. Whereas Kids Konserve's plastic-free lunch kits were driven by environmental considerations, a new line of stainless steel lunch containers was inspired instead by concerns over bisphenol-a, or BPA.

Several studies have contributed to fears that BPA—a chemical widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers, and linings in food cans—may be linked with cancer, diabetes and hyperactivity, among other disorders. Though by no means conclusive at this point, such concerns were strong enough to motivate the Canadian government recently to ban the chemical's use in baby bottles. Working on the premise that it's better to be safe than sorry, California-based LunchBots now offers a line of brightly coloured, stainless steel containers for kids' food. The LunchBots Uno is a 6.25-by-4.5-by-1.75-inch container made entirely of stainless steel with a powder-coated blue lid. The LunchBots Duo, meanwhile, is the same size but features an orange lid and two compartments. Both are dishwasher-safe and priced at USD 14.99; special pricing for school fundraisers is available.

Health fears aside, of course, reusable containers are also better for the environment, and crafting them from stainless steel is bound to make them more durable and longer-lasting—all benefits that could appeal to parents around the globe. LunchBots, however, currently ships only within the United States; one to help bring to the little lunch eaters in your part of the world?

Website: www.lunchbots.com
Contact: info@lunchbots.com

Spotted by: Brian Ghidinelli

If the underground restaurant known as Charlie's Burgers departs from the norm in part through its secrecy and its constantly changing venue, Open ChefAMe is in some ways its opposite, featuring instead the creations of different aspiring chefs at each of its well-publicized monthly events.

Through the participation of a few Philadelphia restaurants, Open ChefAMe offers what it calls an "open mic night" for local aspiring chefs on one Monday each month. The chosen culinary talents for each event get to pick the menu for a three-course meal, take over the kitchen at the participating restaurant and then cook dinner for a crowd. The dinner in May, for example, featured the talents of local food blogger Felicia D’Ambrosio and pastry arts student Alyssa Shilliday; the menu included sweet corn soup with chives and bacon garnish, gougéres with dry-cured ham, watercress and Dijon cream, Moroccan spiced braised lamb shoulder with lentils and minted yoghurt, Thai watermelon soup, sake-poached halibut with marinated cucumber salad, and Korean style skirt steak with pears. The next event—the fourth so far—will be on July 27; tickets are USD 35. (Open ChefAMe is accepting menus until July 3rd at 5:00pm.) After each event Open ChefAMe donates more than 25 percent of its profits to at least one charity, chosen by the night's chefs.

It's not hard to see why aspiring chefs would want to cook for an Open ChefAMe event, since the opportunity would provide both exposure and a chance to try their hand at cooking in a commercial kitchen for a real crowd. For consumers, though, the potential benefits are equally compelling: fabulous food, creatively conceived and delivered; a novel, one-of-a-kind experience sure to inspire status stories aplenty; and the chance to be able to say, "I met [insert chef's name here] back before she was famous!" Hospitality entrepreneurs: a concept to try out in your hometown?

Website: www.openchefame.com
Contact: hellothere@openchefame.com

Spotted by: Cass Oryl

There's a new truck roaming the streets of LA—just in time for summer—and it's being followed by legions of devotees who track its whereabouts via Twitter. It's not Korean barbecue tacos on the menu this time, however—rather, it's gourmet ice cream sandwiches.

Much in the manner of Kogi Korean BBQ, which we covered earlier this year, Coolhaus sells handmade ice cream sandwiches from a pink and chrome converted postal jeep. Featuring local and organic ingredients whenever possible, Coolhaus sandwiches are 2-by-2-inch confections, about 1 inch deep, assembled to order using two cookies and a scoop of ice cream. Five architecture-inspired, "prefab" flavours are currently available from Coolhaus's two-woman team (for example: the Frank Behry, made from sugar cookies and strawberry ice cream; the Mies Vanilla Rohe features chocolate chip cookies and vanilla ice cream), but customization is also possible, they say. The sandwiches are also available with an edible, rice-paper wrapping that can feature a brand, name or logo in edible ink. Pricing is about USD 3 per sandwich, or USD 3.50 with the edible wrapper, according to LAist.

In addition to broadcasting information about its whereabouts via Twitter (@coolhaus), Coolhaus actually partners with Kogi in Venice on Saturdays, LAist reported; coming soon from its truck are edible spoons and popsicles shaped like famous buildings.

Have we ever mentioned that everything can be upgraded? Well here it is again! Both Kogi and Coolhaus are perfect examples. Then of course there's the fact that recessions tend to make people value little luxuries more. What's next? How about mobile restaurant rows, like the one at Dwell on Design '09 two days ago, which included the new Sprinklesmobile alongside Coolhaus, Kogi and others. (Related: More high-end dessert trucks — Sprinkles Cupcakes: Betty Crocker, upgraded.)

Website: www.eatcoolhaus.com
Contact: freya@eatcoolhaus.com

Spotted by: LAist via Judy McRae

Cutting both costs and carbon emissions, British supermarket Waitrose shipped its new range of ‘Virtue’ wines from Chile in 24,000 liter flexitanks and bottled them in the UK. One tank equals 32,000 bottles—or 16 tons of glass—that no longer need to be shipped. In addition, the bottles used are lightweight and made of 60% recycled material.

Besides reducing carbon emissions, this shipping and distribution method lowers end-to-end production costs by up to 40%. Waitrose claims to be sharing these cost reductions with customers, charging GBP 3.99 per bottle. Currently on offer are a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon/Chardonnay, both from Chile. They’ll be joined by two Californian wines later this season, and Waitrose is looking to further expand the method to other countries it imports wine from.

A green innovation that saves money for both retailers and consumers? Producers and retailers: it’s time to get virtuous ;-)

Website: www.waitrose.com
Contact: www.waitrose.com/footer/contactus.aspx

Spotted by: Maria Dahl Jorgensen

There's nothing original about canned food—except when it's the restaurant that comes in a can. Sitting in Montreal's old shipping port, the Müvbox is a standard shipping container that's 8ft deep and 20ft long. The wonder moment comes when it is miraculously turned from a container into a 'chic fast food' restaurant in 90 seconds at the touch of a button.

Müvbox features a fully functional kitchen with enough space for four members of staff and a wood-fired pizza oven. The walls of the container collapse to create a covered patio with enough room to serve 28 people, half of whom can be seated at small bistro tables. The concept has some laudable eco features, too: the structure is a reused container and little construction is needed to install it. Müvbox's floor is made from recycled tires and its roof contains solar panels to provide up to 40% of required energy. And it's easily shipped by land or sea. The food is mostly local, too, serving lobster rolls, seafood pizza and other local lobster dishes.

Müvbox wasn't developed as a one-off restaurant: it's a business concept that can be used the world over. The price of the unit comes in at USD 150,000, and the basic design can be tailored to other business's needs. (Related: In Malaysia, shipping containers pop up as budget hotel rooms — Pop-up nightclub — Shop-in-a-box.)

Website: www.muvboxconcept.com
Contact: info@muvboxconcept.com

Spotted by: Daniel Jusseaume

Our coverage of ad-supported FreePaperCups earlier this year sparked quite a reaction from eco-minded readers, many of whom very rightly pointed out the wastefulness inherent in using disposable cups. We're happy, then, to present the KeepCup, a sustainable, reusable alternative designed to reduce the massive waste created when coffee cups are meant to be thrown away.

The average paper cup consumes 2.5 times its final weight in raw wood, and is also coated in a polyethylene lining that makes it not just waterproof but also unrecyclable. Similar in intent to I Am Not a Paper Cup, the KeepCup is a lightweight, reusable and recyclable cup crafted from polypropylene—otherwise known as No. 5 food-grade plastic. Two sizes are currently available—a small, 8oz. size and a medium, 12oz. version—with both a large, 16oz. size and a "Babycino" 4oz. size on the way. Particularly notable is that Australian KeepCup replicates standard sizing on disposable coffee cups commonly used by baristas, so it can be substituted for paper cups without any modification; the small and medium cups fit directly under the nozzle at the coffee machine. Cups, lids, plugs and silicone bands can also be mixed and matched to create colourful combinations, and the cups are dishwasher-safe on the top rack, with an estimated lifespan of four years. Melbourne-based KeepCup is targeting cafes and employers with the product; corporate branding is available. Introductory pricing on the KeepCup begins at AUD 7.80 for the small version, increasing to AUD 9.80 in July.

KeepCup is currently seeking "crusaders" to manage and distribute its cups in overseas markets. Given that Australians alone use some 500 million disposable cups each year—throwing out 951 every minute—there's sure to be considerable opportunity in virtually every neck of the woods. One to get in on early! ;-)

Website: www.keepcup.com.au
Contact: info@keepcup.com.au

Spotted by: David Cairns

Consumers who lack the time, energy or skills to prepare delicious home-cooked meals themselves already have semi-cooking options to help them along—including shopping and delivery services such as I Love Mother—as well as meal prep stores, with or without instruction. When even those are too much, however, BookOfCooks is a new online marketplace that can help consumers find local foodies who are willing to cook for them.

Professional and amateur chefs around the world can use BookOfCooks to set up an online restaurant or bakery that showcases their cooking talents with menus, prices, licenses and videos. Using BookOfCooks is free both for those in search of food and for those who prepare it. Consumers then can search BookOfCooks by city for the dish or food type they're craving, or they can browse the site's online Google maps and archives for links to local cooks and food aficionados, including ratings and reviews. When they find one that sounds good, they can place an order with the cook for pickup, delivery or even in-home preparation.

Meals purchased this way are frequently less expensive than what one would pay in a restaurant, BookOfCooks says, and can also make it easier to find less common cuisines such as vegan or gluten-free. For cooks, meanwhile, BookOfCooks provides a free way to establish a consistent clientèle, whether as a full-time business or—meshing nicely with what our sister site would call the sellsumer trend—for a little extra money on the side. There are, of course, legal issues to be navigated when preparing food for the consumption of others—and the related question of how many consumers will be willing to buy food from amateurs. Nevertheless, with ratings and reviews providing at least a small measure of protection, it seems possible this could spark a recession-inspired anti-restaurant trend. (Related: Roaming 'anti-restaurant' hand-picks its guests.)

Website: www.bookofcooks.com
Contact: support@bookofcooks.com

Fast food restaurants have long been domains of guilty indulgence, something that Burgerville is set to change. Although it's been around in the Pacific Northwest since the 1960s, Burgerville is committed to supplying its patrons with local, seasonal and organic food options.

Beef and cheese are purchased from hormone-free farms in Oregon, and all of Burgerville's produce is locally sourced—meaning customers won't find a strawberry shake in December. They will, however, find sweet potato fries and pumpkin shakes in autumn and Walla Walla onion rings in the summer. In addition to its focus on sustainable ingredients, Burgerville runs its 39 restaurants as greenly as possible. Its canola oil is recycled into biodiesel fuel after its cooking life has ended, it has a wind-generated electricity investment programme, and there is a staff-initiated composting and recycling scheme. Food is priced marginally above other chains (for instance, a Yukon & White Bean Burger costs USD 5.29 and rosemary shoestring potatoes USD 2.99), but can be justified by the extra effort involved.

Although Burgerville certainly isn't the only fast food joint to source locally and act sustainably, it's one of the biggest chains that have gone that direction. If fast food chains, so recently the antithesis of all that's eco-friendly, healthy and democratic, can do a 180 with their business—can't anyone? (Related: Meatless fastfood chains.)

Website: www.burgerville.com
Contact: www.burgerville.com/about-us/contact-us

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

It's been almost three years since we wrote about California-based Ghetto Gourmet, and the "wandering supper club" still seems to be going strong. Now, across the continent, a similar concept has been launched in the form of Charlie's Burgers, an underground "anti-restaurant" in Toronto that hand-picks its guests and has nothing to do with burgers.

Prospective diners who want to experience a Charlie's Burgers dinner must first apply for an invitation, a process that involves filling out a survey about their interest in food. If they're lucky, they'll then be sent an e-vite to the next Charlie's Burgers event. Neither the identity of "Charlie" nor the location of the event is disclosed, however; rather, on the evening of the dinner, invited guests are directed to a public spot—such as a newspaper box—to pick up directions, TheStar.com reported. The five-course meals are priced at CDN 110 including cocktails, wines, dinner and dessert, and the menus are reportedly a far cry from what the name would suggest. "Duck in a Can"—a signature dish brought in from Montreal's Au Pied de Cochon—is commonly featured, according to reports; also included in a dinner earlier this spring were an elaborate cheese tray, Malbec poached Bosc pear, and almond and walnut ice cream, according to a Chowhound blogger who attended. While only 30 or so guests are served at each four-hour event, applications can number as high as 250, another article in The Star reported.

Charlie's profit margins could be slim, many attendees seem to feel, given the quality of the food and the generosity of the portions. Also adding to the value of the events, of course, are the feeling of exclusivity—sure to generate status stories galore—the uniqueness of the experience and the off-the-beaten-path culinary possibilities. Yet with zero to little overhead required and virtually limitless creative opportunities, an underground restaurant could become an increasingly attractive option for chefs wanting to start their own business. One to emulate in a top-secret location near you...? ;-)

Website: www.charliesburgers.ca

Spotted by: Stas Zlobinski

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has already put children's nutrition in the spotlight with his School Dinners documentaries and Feed Me Better campaign. Now, through a partnership with Swedish Scandic Hotels, he's bringing his philosophy right to the table for travellers with children.

The three-year partnership will focus on a different target group each year, beginning with children. Specifically, starting this summer, kids will be able to try out completely new children’s menus at all 150 of Scandic’s hotels. Many traditional meals will be revamped; other, new ones will also be introduced, featuring natural preparations and organic ingredients. Kids will begin by choosing their food from a photo-based menu designed specifically with them in mind, according to Fashtastic. They'll also be able to assemble their own salad. Entrees will include spaghetti and meatballs, while dessert will feature ice cream “Smushins”—something Oliver apparently invented as kid—including vanilla ice cream with healthy toppings like fresh fruit and berries, "smushed" together with a spatula by the kids themselves.

What's the best way to impress a parent? Take good care of their kids. A concept to emulate throughout the hospitality industry! (Related: Happy healthy meals — More meal prep & cooking instruction, this time by Jamie Oliver.)

Website: www.scandichotels.com
Contact: www.scandichotels.com/settings/Side-foot/Customer-service/Contact-us1/

Spotted by: Robert Olzon