Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 73.94
Liaison Caitlin Steele
Submission Date July 21, 2023

STARS v2.2

San Francisco State University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.80 / 6.00 caitlin Steele
Dr of Sust & Energy
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on products that are sustainably or ethically produced:
0

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
26.80

An inventory of food and beverage purchases that qualify as sustainably/ethically produced:
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):

Sodexo ran a report for covering a semester worth of purchases for Aug 2022 - Dec 2022.


Website URL where the institution’s validated Real/Good Food Calculator results are publicly posted:
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Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the inventory/assessment?:
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., regional or global brands) No No
Convenience stores No No
Vending services No No
Concessions No No

Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
$1 million - $4.9 million

A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:

In addition to the many initiatives we take on as a company, we have implemented the following programs specific to San Francisco State University.

The Sustainability Management and Reporting Tool (SMART) is a comprehensive, yet easy to use dashboard that provides baseline sustainability performance, prioritizes initiatives, and tracks continuous improvement in four key areas -- carbon and energy, water, waste, and healthy and sustainable food and environments.

Waste Reduction Efforts

Recycling
On campus we recycle the following products: cardboard, glass, aluminum, paper and plastic.

Composting
Food waste in landfills creates more methane, a greenhouse gas which is 21x more potent that CO2. (www.epa.gov) Our first priority is to reduce food waste. We compost food waste that is unavoidable which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and can also be used to amend soil thereby increasing drought tolerance, improving soil structure and health as well as reducing need for water and fertilizers.

Weigh the Waste
Periodically throughout the school year, we conduct a Weigh the Waste event. During the event, we weigh all of the uneaten food from guest's plates. We consolidate the findings and report back to the community. We tie this to an awareness campaign that informs guests about food waste and its impact to our environment and our communities. We hold frequent campaigns in which we compare out results (and hopefully see our waste decline).

Trayless Dining
We are a trayless campus. Customers without trays typically waste less food and beverages. It is also a healthier approach to eating, as we all know that at times our eyes are bigger than our stomach. Trayless dining also reduces the amount of water and detergents needed to wash trays as well as saves energy.

APEX Dishwashing System
APEX combines technology and products designed to save water and energy, minimize the impact of products on the environment, and has a built-in method of measuring results. The APEX management approach uses a tablet PC and wireless technology to communicate with the system's controller to download, process and analyze data to establish each foodservice operation's "rack-to-guest ratio". By monitoring and improving this ratio, the system helps reduce the amount of water and energy used at each facility, and improve total operational efficiency.

Recycling Fryer Oil into Biofuel
French fries to fuel. Our fryer oil us recycled into biodiesel that is used to power a variety of vehicles- from delivery fleets to farm equipment,

Choose to Reuse
Choose to Reuse is a reusable container program designed to reduce waste and help achieve Sodexo's Better Tomorrow commitments by replacing single-use disposable food and beverage containers with reusable containers.

Energy Reduction Efforts

Daylighting
The windows in out dining room allows us to enjoy a tremendous amount of natural light while dining. Natural light not only provides a more comfortable environment, it also reduces our energy usage by allowing us to turn off the lights.

On/Off Protocol
To save energy, we only turn our equipment on when it is needed and turn it off as soon as we are finished using it for the day.

No Idling at Loading Docks
Working with our vendors, our catering staff and our campus facility services staff make sure all vehicles are turned off while they are parked in our loading dock.

Local/Seasonal/Responsible Sourcing

Local Suppliers
We work closely with local produce distributors to maximize the fruits and vegetables purchased from local farms. We also purchase from local dairies, and participate in farm to school initiatives. Tracking local purchases helps us to meet our Better Tomorrow Plan commitment of 20% local purchase by 2020.

Seafood ImageSustainable Fish and Seafood
We are committed to serving sustainable seafood and fish. By 2015 100% of our fish and seafood will be sustainably certified by the Marine Stewardship Council or the Best Agriculture Practices. We do not purchase any at-risk species.

Local Dairy
All of our fluid milk is purchase from local dairies that do not use rBST.

Organic
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soul and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled 'organic', a Govermnent-approved certifier inspects the farm where to food is grown to make sure the farmer us following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Look for the menu icon identifying organic foods.

Sustainable Catering
We feature menus that are locally grown, seasonal, organic, vegetarian and/or well balanced. We use china serviceware whenever possible, but if necessary, we try to use compostable and/or recycleable disposableware. We try to eliminate bottled beverages when possible by replacing them with pitcher of drinks and reusable glassware.
Each season we unveil a ceterin menu that highlights the season's bounty. not only does it increase variety, it also features food that is in season.


Website URL where information about the food and beverage purchasing program is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Purchasing data files provided by HeeBong Hyun, Sodexo.


Purchasing data files provided by HeeBong Hyun, Sodexo.

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.