| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.22 |
| Liaison | Rebecca Walker |
| Submission Date | June 30, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Southern Oregon University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.55 / 6.00 |
Roxane
Beigel-Coryell Sustainability & Recycling Coordinator Facilities Management & Planning |
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:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (expenditures on conventional animal products)? (If data is not available, respond “No”):
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):
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):
Southern Oregon University Dining works hard to get as many ingredients locally as possible. Our professionally-trained chefs write our menus to take advantage of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are naturally in season in the Northwest. In addition to using fresh, seasonal, and locally grown foods, SOU Dining also uses ethical and responsible sourcing practices that support community development and help move the food sector onto a sustainable path. These include purchasing foods that are:
-Organically grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers;
-Sustainable caught from properly managed wild fisheries and aquaculture facilities operated to protect natural fish populations and the surrounding environment;
-Fairly traded and contribute to an improved quality of life in agricultural regions;
-Sustainable grown using agricultural practices that protect natural habitat, conserve energy, restore soil health, and protect water quality.
-Of food and beverage purchases on campus, 30% are locally grown and processed, some of which is also third-party certified (Organic, Fair Trade, Humane, etc). Of the food and beverage purchases that are not sourced locally, 25% are third-party certified.
Unfortunately, heavy turn over in Dining staff has resulted in a lack of record keeping pertaining to sustainable purchases. We are working with our Dining Services to improve record keeping to get a better picture of actual purchasing practices.
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):
The Sustainability Office is working with SOU Dining to maintain a spreadsheet to track the volume of sustainable food and beverage purchases, highlighting inventory sourced from local farms, and those operated sustainably (pesticide free, organic, non-GMO, etc.).
Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food A (0-100):
Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food B (0-100):
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 | Yes | No |
| Vending services | Yes | No |
| Concessions | No | No |
A brief description of purchased food and beverage products that have other sustainability attributes not recognized above :
The university purchases the majority of dairy products from Umpqua Dairy, located only 100 miles from the campus. Umpqua Dairy is a family-owned business, however it has grown to have gross sales exceeding the requirement to count as a local/community-based source.
Additional percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on conventional products with other sustainability attributes not recognized above (0-100) :
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.