| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 46.18 |
| Liaison | Suzanne Wood |
| Submission Date | April 3, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
UMass Chan Medical School
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.13 / 2.00 |
Suzanne
Wood Sustainability & Energy Manager Facilities Managment |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
Yes
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Sodexo's "better tomorrow plan" which is centered around sustainability -saving on energy, reducing waste, and using the most local ingredients possible.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
No
A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
---
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, and/or urban agriculture project, or support such a program in the local community?:
Yes
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
Farmers’ Market is hosted on University Campus is from 12-5 on Tuesdays beginning in early July through October.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a vegan dining program that makes diverse, complete-protein vegan options available to every member of the campus community at every meal?:
No
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
No, vegan options are not available at every meal, however during lunch vegan options are available at the deli and at the expo station, upon request. Vegan options at the grill as well but are cooked on separate sauté pan to avoid contamination with animal products. Additionally, the menus do identify which items are vegan with the symbol "VG" next to menu item.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes
A brief description of the low impact dining events:
Sodexo does offer meatless Mondays, though the program does not occur every Monday. For both lunch and dinner there is at least one entree that is vegetarian. Every dining area also has a salad bar and deli bar that includes fresh vegetables, daily specials and a variety of a variety of vegetarian and vegan spreads and sandwich fillings. For customers that are vegan and lactose intolerant consumers, soy milk is available in all of our dining rooms. Additionally, Dining Services operates on an “open kitchen” policy. Any student who needs specific/individual help with their meal (dietary need, choice, or allergy) can speak with one of our cooking staff to have a meal made custom for their needs. In the case of vegans, we often have complete protein grain based foods available. However, some may choose to have other foods stir-fried for them by our staff instead.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
No
A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
---
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a sustainability-themed food outlet on-site, either independently or in partnership with a contractor or retailer?:
No
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
---
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labeling and signage in dining halls?:
Yes
A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Sodexo offers different vegetarian stations and highlights many different vegetarian "limited time only" specials throughout their menu cycle. Much of Sodexo's marketing is based around these items.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
No
A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
---
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have other sustainability-related initiatives (e.g. health and wellness initiatives, making culturally diverse options available)?:
Yes
A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Mindful program to promote healthy choices through education and challenges. Sodexo continually promotes culturally diverse foods as part of their expo station and host ethnic restaurants on Fridays.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor participate in a competition or commitment program and/or use a food waste prevention system to track and improve its food management practices?:
Yes
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
Pre-consumer food waste is donated to a local pig farmer to be used as feed.
Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented trayless dining (in which trays are removed from or not available in dining halls) and/or modified menus/portions to reduce post-consumer food waste?:
No
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
No, however, we do not have "all you can eat" dining at UMMS
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
Yes
A brief description of the food donation program:
Pre-consumer food waste is donated to a local pig farmer to use as animal feed. Every Friday the farmer arrives at UMASS Medical School and picks up about 200 gallons of pre-consumer food waste.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses (e.g. converting cooking oil to fuel, on-site anaerobic digestion)?:
Yes
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Yes, diverts pre-consumer food scraps for donation to local pig farm and recycles used cooking oil.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
No
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
No, donate to local pig farmer instead
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
---
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
No
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
---
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor provide reusable and/or third party certified compostable containers and service ware for “to-go” meals (in conjunction with an on-site composting program)?:
No
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
---
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
Yes
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Dining Services offer a $0.25 discount for using reusable mugs rather than disposable mugs. Additionally, reusable mugs are sold by dining services for convenience.
Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented other materials management initiatives to minimize waste not covered above (e.g. working with vendors and other entities to reduce waste from food packaging)?:
No
A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
---
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.