| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.18 |
| Liaison | Ezra Small |
| Submission Date | Feb. 5, 2015 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Massachusetts Amherst
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.75 / 4.00 |
Rachel
Dutton Sustainablity Coordinator Auxillary 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:
The attached sample is from our working spreadsheet of sustainable/local food sourcing. This is specifically for our local dairy purchases for residential and retail locations. This particular spreadsheet is comparing the first half of FY14 to the first half of FY15. There are similar sheets for all categories of food items.
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:
-Currently halfway through a grant project to increase local food sourcing and creation of a cost defensible model for other institutions.
- Signed Real Food Challenge Campus Commitment
- One local farm (Joe Czajkowski Farm, just 2 miles from campus) brokers for additional local farms in order to allow UMass Dining to source as much local produce as possible. Because of this relationship we are able to source local produce from a consortium of about 20 local farms
- All seafood served through UMass Dining is certified sustainably sourced using Seafood WATCH guidelines
- 100% cage-freel local, heirloom hard shell eggs
- We source produce from the UMass Student Farming Enterprise and our on-campus permaculture gardens in addition to our local farms
- Working to supply the dining commons with more local vegetables off season using individually quick frozen (IQF) techniques to extend the time that we can supply local fruits and vegetables
- We source free range turkeys from Diemand Farms located within 20 miles of campus
- We have an agreement with our prime produce vendor that local and regionally sourced items should be used fisrt before sourcing elsewhere.
- We source some free range local chicken, beef and pork within 250 miles from campus for use in Hampshire Dining Commons.
-100% local honey
-Local maple syrup
-Sourcing more underutilized, local "trash fish"
-All spring rolls are sourced from a local family restaurant who hand roll the product. About a third contain local vegetables when seasonally appropriate.
A brief description of the methodology used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases:
A 2 person team composed of the Sustainable Food Systems Coordinator and an outside consultant work with UMass Dining's purchasing software, FoodPro, to research past spending habits of local and sustainable foods. Through this process, the team is able to have an in depth understanding of what was purchased when and to where it went. This advises projections for future spending to ensure that UMass Dining meets its local/sustainable sourcing goals. This is an in-depth process that is then presented to a team including sustainability, purchasing, and dining for review and ultimate approval.
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 | Yes | Yes |
| Convenience stores | Yes | Yes |
| Vending services | Yes | No |
| Concessions | Yes | Yes |
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 | Yes |
| Signatory of the Real Food Campus Commitment (U.S.) | Yes |
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:
For the last year, UMass Dining has been working to transform one of our four dining commons into a model for sustainability, health and wellness that is cost defensible. This grant funded
To do this, we have needed to explore cutting edge and creative solutions in menu design, operational culture, and local food sourcing. We will be releasing a how-to-guide highlighting best practices for a local/sustainable food initiative in 2015.
For the last year, UMass Dining has been working to transform one of our four dining commons into a model for sustainability, health and wellness that is cost defensible. This grant funded
To do this, we have needed to explore cutting edge and creative solutions in menu design, operational culture, and local food sourcing. We will be releasing a how-to-guide highlighting best practices for a local/sustainable food initiative in 2015.
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.