| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.71 |
| Liaison | Keisha Payson |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Bowdoin College
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.07 / 6.00 |
Matt
Caiazzo Sourcing and Menu Manager Dining |
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):
Bowdoin Dining Service operates two dining halls, three cash operations, and provides campus catering service. Our purchasing staff includes a Sourcing and Menu Manager and three purchasing assistants who actively seek out local products and vendors. Our prime food vendor is PFG-Northcenter. Their local food supply chain has increased dramatically year over year but we also utilize many local vendors for items like fresh vegetables, beef, fish, shellfish, groceries and vegetables. We have had a focus on local purchasing since 2002 when we became a charter member of Farm Fresh Connections, a not-for-profit that coordinated the sale of food from local farms to institutions. In 2005, we started our campus organic garden. Our purchasing policies seek to promote a sustainable economy in Maine and New England by spending our considerable food budget locally for goods and services whenever possible. The College purchases fresh local vegetables in season and contracts for off-season deliveries. We buy tomatoes year-round from a local commercial greenhouse operation and our apples from a local orchard. Our in-house meat shop uses Maine beef for all ground beef. Our fish/shellfish is MSC-certified or local. We are part of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute's (GMRI) responsibly harvested seafood branding program and were the first institution to partner with them on the “Out of the Blue” underutilized seafood promotion. Our shell eggs are cage-free. We use only local oats and honey. We feature fair trade coffees in all operations. Our dining hall menus have a strong emphasis on local cuisine. Traditional recipes are the outcome of the local “terroir” and tie the food to the culture. The Bowdoin Organic Garden continues to be a campus focal point where sustainability, academics and agriculture meet.
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):
Full vendor and product analysis using menu management software. Full fiscal year results utilized from 2017-2018.
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 | Yes | Yes |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor | No | No |
| Student-run food/catering services | No | No |
| Franchises (e.g. national or global brands) | No | No |
| Convenience stores | Yes | No |
| Vending services | No | No |
| Concessions | No | No |
A brief description of purchased food and beverage products that have other sustainability attributes not recognized above :
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.