Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 72.81
Liaison Austin Eriksson
Submission Date Nov. 29, 2021

STARS v2.2

California State University, Northridge
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, 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:
The University Corporation in conjunction with Associated Students coordinates a weekly Farmers Market on CSUN's Campus. The market features produce and other products from local growers, and also accepts EBT funds from California's food aid benefit program.

Sustainability-themed outlet

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
All Freudian Sip coffee houses on campus serve organic, locally roasted coffee and tea.

CSUN's residential dining hall , Geronimo's, does not provide straws and all pre- and post-consumer food waste is collected and turned into compost. All post-consumer waste in this facility is compostable food scraps and unbleached paper napkins, meaning it is all compostable. A back-of-house dishwashing system collects this waste for composting by the campus' waste hauler. The residential dining hall has a waste diversion rate of over 70%.

Inclusive and local sourcing

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor support disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its food and beverage purchasing?:
No

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
n/a

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
---

Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Matador Eats hosts a number of low-impact events monthly that promote healthy eating. We have a program in place called FYUL (Fuel for Life on Campus) which is a campaign focused on making it easy for customers to find foods with embedded health benefits otherwise known as functional foods that are important to their personal lifestyle. We host at least 2 to 4 dining themed events aimed at promoting healthy options that combine lean protein, good fats, and fiber to create the right nutrient balance to sustain energy.

Vegan dining program 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
We have a full service salad bar at the residential dining hall as well as a G8 Station. Our other stations always feature vegan, vegetarian and Halal options as well. There are also two full service juice bar locations on campus, Shake Smart and Juice it Up.

We have a campaign to promote foods with functional benefits. Our recipes are meticulously prepared by chefs and evaluated by our nutritionists and nutrition leaders.
Daily menus are rich in complete proteins to provide energy and support muscle development: beans, lentils, grains, tofu along with lots of fruits and vegetables.

Labelling and signage 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labelling and signage in dining halls?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
We have 6 large flat screen monitor menus that have identifiers for vegan, vegetarian and balanced recipes. We also have identifiers for Halal recipes displayed. Our website also has a detailed menu with very clear identifiers for vegan, vegetarian and balanced choices.

Source separation bins are placed at the dining units to encourage the campus community to recycle and compost their trash instead of placing everything in the landfill bin.

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

Food recovery program

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:
Each year, CSUN participates in the EPA Food Recovery Challenge and Recyclemania.

Under normal (non-COVID) conditions, CSUN Dining regularly donates leftover food to the CSUN chapter of the Food Recovery Network. A new program is launching this year which is an opt-in notification system for leftover edible food. Participants will be notified whenever edible food is available on campus so that it can go to feed students rather than being composted.

Trayless dining and portion modifications 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
CSUN's dining vendor has gone trayless within all their units. We also have a “Take Only What You Can Eat” campaign in place to help reduce food waste while promoting a healthy eating/portion control.

Food donation 

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:
CSUN donates food to the CSUN Chapter of the Food Recovery Network.

Food materials diversion 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Used cooking oil is collected and converted into bio-fuel. A contract is in place for an on-site anaerobic digester, which will be located behind the residential dining facility and handle all of the facility's post-consumer food waste.

Composting 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
CSUN's pre-consumer composting service is provided by the campus' waste hauler. Back-of-house bins in dining facilities are used to collect pre-consumer food scraps, which are then placed in an exterior food waste bin. This bin is serviced by the campus' waste hauler and the material taken to their composting facility.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
CSUN Dining's student housing dining location, Geronimo's, is participating in both a pre- and post-consumer food waste composting program. The pre- and post-consumer food waste is handled by CSUN's waste hauler and composted off site at their facility.

Dine-in service ware 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
The residential dining hall and on campus restaurant provide reusable service ware, utensils, and cups for "dine in" meals. The only disposable items offered in the residential dining hall are unbleached paper napkins, which are composted.

The on campus restaurant also offers linen napkins in addition to reusable service ware.

Take-away materials 

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
The campus dining units transitioned to using compostable cutlery made from a plant starch, biodegradable paper plates and to-go boxes, as well as napkins made from recycled materials. The cutlery is not packaged as a set, customers only take what they need to reduce waste.

Coffee locations also offer wood stir sticks and unbleached paper bags for baked goods.
BPI-certified compostable cups are used in all of our dining units.

The Subway on campus offers paper bags for to go orders. The dining locations will ask if a bag is needed and not automatically bag all orders.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
A $0.30 discount is offered to customers who bring in a reusable cup to any of the on-campus coffee shops.

Customers who bring in a reusable container may fill it with water at no charge.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
---

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://dineoncampus.com/CSUN

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.