| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 57.39 |
| Liaison | Tina Woolston |
| Submission Date | Nov. 12, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Tufts University
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.48 / 4.00 |
Patricia
Klos Director of Dining and Business Services Dining Services |
Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
A copy of an inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:
An inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (food and beverage expenditures for on-site franchises, convenience stores, vending services, or concessions)?:
Percentage of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending services, and concessions food and beverage purchases that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
A copy of an inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:
An inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:
A brief description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
Sustainability has been a priority at Tufts Dining for 20 years. In 1995 with the renovation of our largest dining center, Dewick-MacPhie, it was established that both dining centers would feature organic whole grains and legumes exclusively on the vegetarian stations. Other organic items were sourced as well, including (local) oatmeal, tofu, granola, and peanut butter.
The commitment to purchase locally grown food during fall semester began in 2002. Today, we purchase as much locally grown produce as is available from our produce distributor, Costa Fruit and Produce, and in the fall of 2015 we added local tomatoes and hand fruit from Red Tomato. We also are working closely with Roberts in Rhode Island (who distribute through Sysco Boston) for processed vegetables, directing them to acquire as much local vegetables as possible throughout the growing season. Although we are limited by the short New England growing season we maximize what we purchase by creating seasonal menus that highlight the produce which is grown locally. Tufts also sources organically grown produce during September and October from the Tufts New Entry Sustainable Farming Project. The NESFP, a non-profit organization affiliated with Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition, is devoted to providing the next generation of farmers with the skills to find land, reach consumers, and get the training to succeed.
With regards to seafood, we began sourcing from Red's Best in September 2015 to feature locally fished seafood. We are mindful of our purchases, preferring to purchase fish from local waters that are deemed as acceptable based on government information and seafood guides.
Tufts Dining purchases its milk from Garelick Farms (Dean Foods), which sources it locally from dairy farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. All of our yogurt is local, coming from Green Mountain Creamery and Stonyfield. We purchase local cheese from Cabot and a local cheddar through Paul Marks.
A brief description of the methodology used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases:
Tufts Dining receives annual reports from its purveyors, which track sustainable food and beverages based upon our definitions.
Total annual food and beverage expenditures:
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 | Yes | Yes |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor | No | No |
| Franchises | No | No |
| Convenience stores | Yes | No |
| Vending services | No | No |
| Concessions | No | No |
Has the institution achieved the following?:
| Yes or No | |
| Fair Trade Campus, College or University status | No |
| Certification under the Green Seal Standard for Restaurants and Food Services (GS-46) | No |
| Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification | No |
| Signatory of the Real Food Campus Commitment (U.S.) | No |
A brief description of other sustainable restaurant and food service standards that the institution’s dining services operations are certified under:
The website URL where information about the institution's sustainable food and beverage purchasing efforts is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional information about Tufts' sustainable food and beverage purchasing efforts can be found at the following websites:
http://dining.tufts.edu/sustainability/supporting-organic/
http://dining.tufts.edu/sustainability/fair-trade/
http://dining.tufts.edu/sustainability/think-global-buy-local/
Information in Excel sheet based on 2014 calendar year.
Additional information about Tufts' sustainable food and beverage purchasing efforts can be found at the following websites:
http://dining.tufts.edu/sustainability/supporting-organic/
http://dining.tufts.edu/sustainability/fair-trade/
http://dining.tufts.edu/sustainability/think-global-buy-local/
Information in Excel sheet based on 2014 calendar year.
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.