Wake Forest University Dining Featured in 4P Foods’ 2025 Impact Report for Advancing Regional Sourcing and Sustainable Food Systems
Wake Forest University’s Deacon Dining, which is supported by Harvest Table Culinary Group, has been recognized in the 4P Foods 2025 Impact Report for its leadership in value-driven food sourcing and operational innovation, highlighting the work of Culinary Director Chef Jonathan Burns and the campus dining team to strengthen regional supply chains, third-party certified purchasing, and reduce food waste.
“It is amazing how one ingredient, when focused on scale, can impact an entire food system and the equity of a community,” said Deacon Dining Director of Culinary Jonathan Burns.
The report features two Wake Forest stories that demonstrate how intentional purchasing decisions can create system-wide impact. Central among them is the university’s transition from liquid eggs to 100% shell eggs across campus dining—an initiative that supports regional farmers, increases third-party certified purchasing, improves food quality standards, and reduces waste.
Originally piloted at another partner campus of Harvest Table Culinary Group, the egg program addressed a common challenge in foodservice: shell eggs sourced from regional Black and Brown farmers carried higher upfront costs than conventional liquid eggs. Rather than defaulting to lower-cost options, Chef Burns and his partners embraced an operational shift that prioritized long-term impact over short-term savings.
At Wake Forest, the program was expanded further with the installation of an on-site egg‑cracking machine, supported by an investment. The equipment allowed the university to fully transition to shell eggs campus-wide while increasing purchases from regional producers and advancing higher sourcing standards, including Certified Humane products.
Over time, the change delivered measurable results. The egg cracker saves the labor required to crack approximately 39,600 eggs weekly across campus, while reducing the shell volume by 70% and recovering 98% of usable egg mass from broken shells. As a result, food waste declined; kitchen teams used eggs more intentionally, and cost increases were offset through waste reduction. Most importantly, the shift created stable, long-term markets for regional farmers.
According to the 4P Foods 2025 Impact Report, Deacon Dining now represents 4P Foods’ single largest customer—an outcome driven by sustained leadership, operational commitment, and a shared belief that food purchasing is about more than price alone.
