Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 61.98
Liaison Michael Amadori
Submission Date March 2, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.87 / 6.00 Michael Amadori
Sustainability Manager
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on products that are third party verified under one or more recognized food and beverage sustainability standards or Local & Community-Based:
12

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (expenditures on conventional animal products)? (If data is not available, respond “No”):
Yes

Percentage of total dining services food and beverage expenditures on conventional animal products (meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, and dairy products that do NOT qualify in either the Third Party Verified or Local & Community-Based category):
26.50

A brief description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program, including how the sustainability impacts of products in specific categories are addressed (e.g. meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, dairy, produce, tea/coffee):

Sodexo, the HWS dining service provider, has committed to 20% local purchase by 2020 through the Better Tomorrow Plan. Additionally, 100% of fish and seafood purchases are sustainably certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or the Best Aquaculture Practices. Currently, the Colleges source local and community-based foods and beverages from a variety of providers, including Red Jacket Orchards (small independent family-owned local tree fruits and juices - apples, pears etc.), Byrne Dairy (all dairy products from local farms that do not use rBST), Chobani (local yogurt), Boulevard Produce (local fruits and vegetables when in season and available), Midstate Bakery (local bread), Aspretto Coffee and Teas (fair trade certified and ethically sourced), and Purdy & Sons (local meats).

In addition, Hobart and William Smith students have been involved with the Real Food Challenge since July 2013. Within two years, RFC student leaders on campus have gained support from hundreds of students, various faculty and staff members, and several academic and institutional departments on campus, including Sodexo Dining Services, Finger Lakes Institute, Office of Sustainability, Environmental Studies program, Student Activities, Dean’s Offices, and the President’s Office.


An inventory of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchases that includes for each product: the description/type; label, brand or producer; and the category in which it is being counted and/or a description of its sustainability attribute(s):
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):

METHOD: At the Colleges, there is a group of dedicated students who have been working with Real Food Challenge since July 2013. The Real Food Calculator offers a comprehensive and decisive definition for “real food.” Real food is food that fulfills at least one of four categories: 1) Local and Community Based, 2) Fair, 3) Ecologically Sound, 4) Humane. The criteria listed in the Real Food Calculator Guide are third-party certifications and characteristics of the producers from which institutions buy. Students obtain food invoices from our Sodexo Dining Staff and evaluate it based upon the Real Food Challenge definition of “real” food. We currently evaluate the sustainability of our food and beverage purchases through the definition established by the Real Food Challenge. This is a student effort, but it is fully supported by Sodexo Dining Services, Finger Lakes Institute, Office of Sustainability, Environmental Studies program, Student Activities, Dean’s Offices, and the President’s Office.


Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food A (0-100):
2

Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food B (0-100):
10

Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the total food and beverage expenditure figures?:
Present? Included?
Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution No No
Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor Yes Yes
Student-run food/catering services No No
Franchises (e.g. national or global brands) Yes No
Convenience stores No No
Vending services Yes No
Concessions Yes No

A brief description of purchased food and beverage products that have other sustainability attributes not recognized above :
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Additional percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on conventional products with other sustainability attributes not recognized above (0-100) :
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.