California State University, Sacramento
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Austin
Johnson Sustainability Director Aramark Collegiate Hospitality |
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indicates that no data was submitted for this field
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:
Sac State hosts regular community supported agriculture programs on campus in partnership with Associated Students (ASI) that replicates a standard farmers market framework allowing disadvantaged students regular access to fresh produce.
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:
Engrained Restaurant is a fast-casual, full service restaurant designed to highlight sustainable food systems through a living and learning environment. The mission behind Engrained is outlined in our six intentions: Radius 150, Wall to Wall, Waste Not Want Not, Around the Community, Daily Commute, and Buy Smart. Engrained's menu changes seasonally and features both vegan and vegetarian entrees, and the Executive Chef engages with local suppliers and producers to consistently innovate and develop climate-friendly recipes.
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?:
Yes
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Aramark has a dedicated Supplier Diversity Manager who works with the local team at CSU Sacramento State to identify women and minority owned businesses, along with disadvantaged businesses and social enterprises available in the region. Aramark’s Supply Chain team is also able to generate diverse supplier purchasing reports to track this spend over time and show the economic impact within the community.
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
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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:
Aramark/Hornet Hospitality regularly serves recipes at the Dining Commons that are certified as “Coolfood Meals” by World Resources Institute (WRI). WRI has determined that these recipes have a carbon footprint at least 38% lower than the average meal consumed in the region. In addition to Coolfood Meals, vegan and vegetarian options can be found daily at the Hearth station at the Dining Commons, as well as retail locations, coffee shops, Epicure Catering, and more. The Hornet Hospitality Culinary team partners with the Sacramento State Sustainability Department to utilize produce that waws grown in the campus Organic Garden, as well as Hornet Honey, in multiple recipes throughout the year.
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:
The “Hearth” station can be found at The Servery at the Dining Commons and features a daily rotation of vegan breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus. Vegan protein sources of beans, legumes, whole grains, and vegan meat alternatives can be found at Hearth. Vegan options can often be found at all other stations within the Dining Commons and are noted on menus with a vegan icon to further expand options for guests.
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:
“Coolfood Meals” icons are used on menu boards to inform customers of low climate impact food choices. Signage is also utilized throughout all locations to educate students on local partners, waste reduction efforts, sustainably certified seafood and animal protein options, seasonal produce, composting and recycling efforts and more.
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:
Aramark/Hornet Hospitality uses the “5 P’s” system of managing food purchases and waste: Plan, Product, Production, Portion, and Post-Analysis. Each one of these steps has a set of tools available to our operators through a tablet application called Enable, allowing them to manage food production and waste along the way. The Hornet Hospitality team also hosts a variety of customer facing sustainability events, which are intended to educate customers on their role to help reduce food waste within the all you care to eat dining locations and to inform our culinary team of any improvements or modifications they can implement to further these efforts.
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:
Trays are not offered in The Servery at the Dining Commons. The vast majority of stations have a dining employee present to serve food, which allows for proper portioning and oversight. Customers are always welcome to come back for seconds. Aramark’s Regional Sustainability Director is also working with dining team at Sacramento State on a “Pick Your Portion” campaign, which will expand the choices for customers and allow them to create a meal that better compliments their dining habits.
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:
Excess food due to overproduction can be donated as long as it is kept within the temperature control zone for food safety and has not been served to customers on a catering buffet. Hornet Hospitality coordinates with Sacramento State to operate the Epicure Extras notification system, which alerts students to free food left over after the conclusion of a Catering event. Hornet Hospitality also donates food directly to the ASI Food Pantry, and partners with national organization Food Donation Connection (FDC) to donate larger quantities of food to local rescue agencies as needed.
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 fryer oil is collected from dining locations and recycled for biodiesel through a partnership with Filta Fry. All plastics, aluminum, paper, and cardboard in back of house spaces is collected for recycling.
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:
All campus dining locations have a robust pre-consumer composting program which includes employee training, educational signage, and waste tracking. Appropriate bins are provided to reduce compost stream contamination.
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:
Employees working in the Dining Commons dish room are trained on compost procedures and how to properly sort waste that is left on customers’ plates. All food waste and napkins left on plates is composted. Front of house compost bins are also available around campus for anyone to utilize.
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:
Reusable plates, bowls, utensils, and hot/cold cups are used in The Servery at the Dining Commons for dine-in meals.
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:
Residential students with a meal plan have access to a reusable to-go container in The Dining Commons which can be exchanged for a clean and sanitized container after each use. Students are provided one free container with their meal plan and can exchange it for a clean and sanitized container each time they decide to take their meal to-go. Customers at Retail locations receive their meal in a certified compostable or recyclable container depending on location and type of meal ordered.
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:
Coffee shops on campus offer a $0.25 discount for any student, faculty, or staff who uses a reusable mug.
A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
The Hornet Hospitality team offers a wide variety of Sustainability and Health & Wellness themed programs and events throughout the academic year. The Chef Spotlight program highlights recipes developed by Aramark chefs with unique and diverse backgrounds, expanding the number of culturally diverse options in our locations to meet the growing demand of our campus community. “Empowering Healthy Consumers” is a key priority of our Be Well. Do Well ESG platform, so we have implemented a number of events with a Health & Wellness focus, led by the Hornet Hospitality Registered Dietician. In addition to physical wellness, these events prioritize mental wellness and give students ideas and tools for managing stress. Hornet Hospitality’s Executive Chef also works closely with the Sacramento State Sustainability department to plan interactive events within the Dinning Commons, featuring campus-grown and other local ingredients. Finally, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality’s regional support team works together to plan interactive pop-up events around Earth Day, National Nutrition Month, and more.
For more information, please visit: https://calstate.policystat.com/policy/6987526/latest/
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
https://www.aramark.com/environmental-social-governance
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.