| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 48.39 |
| Liaison | Connie Morales |
| Submission Date | Feb. 14, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Claremont McKenna College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.88 / 2.00 |
Kristin
Miller Admin Roberts Environmental Center |
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
CMC contracts with Bon Appétit Management Company for Collins Dining Hall and the Hub food store.
Bon Appétit Management Company’s definition of sustainability:
A sustainable future for food service means flavorful food that’s healthy and economically viable for all, produced through practices that respect farmers, workers, and animals; nourish the community; and replenish our shared natural resources for future generations.
Bon Appetit's path toward greater social responsibility and sustainability started as a quest for flavor. When you cook from scratch, you want the freshest ingredients. That led us to launch our Farm to Fork program back in 1999, long before local food became the phenomenon it is today. Working directly with farmers and ranchers opened our eyes to the many problems of our modern food supply: while it is abundant and cheap, it has many hidden costs, such as environmental pollution and worker abuse.
We want to play a part in making it better.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
We are proud to be the first food service company to commit to:
Supporting local agriculture (with a defined purchasing target), since 1999
Striving to serve only seafood that meets Seafood Watch® sustainability guidelines for commercial buyers, since 2002
Reducing antibiotic use in farm animals (2003)
Serving rBGH-free milk (2003)
Switching to cage-free shell eggs (2005) and cage-free liquid eggs (2016)
Tackling food’s role in climate change (2007)
Addressing farmworkers’ rights (2009)
Switching to humanely raised ground beef (2012)
Phasing out pork raised with gestation crates (2016)
Banning plastic straws and stirrers companywide (by October 2019)
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
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?:
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
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?:
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
http://collins-cmc.cafebonappetit.com/wellness/sustainability/animal-welfare
-Vegetarian/vegan options offered every meal day (always).
-COR icons are used consistently to denote foods with particular nutritional qualities (In Balance, Vegan, Vegetarian, Well-Being, and Made without Gluten).
-Our menus emphasize the use of fresh vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains as a featured ingredient. Our first choice is to use locally and sustainably produced items.
In addition, Bon Appetit and CMC, stress the following:
"Launched in 2007, our Low Carbon Diet program was the product of two years of research. We designed the Low Carbon Diet to reduce our carbon “foodprint.” And we did it, meeting our goals and resulting in reductions of the equivalent of approximately 5 million pounds of carbon dioxide each month.
After a few years of happily maintaining our weight, we decided it was time to mentally move from a time-limited diet aimed at a quick reduction to a long-term, sustained way of living. Enter the Low Carbon Lifestyle, a new set of commitments that we can live for the foreseeable future and continue our dedication to reducing the climate-changing impacts of our food choices. We consulted with food and climate change experts across the country, from the Environmental Working Group to the Union of Concerned Scientists and Rainforest Alliance. We settled on these four focus areas:
Prioritizing Plant-Based Proteins:
Serving reasonable, clearly defined portions of animal proteins based on U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommendations
Skewing the menu mix away from beef and cheese
Emphasizing plant-based proteins
Tracking the ounces of various proteins we serve per guest per meal period, to make sure we stay on target"
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
A brief description of the low impact dining events:
Once a semester, the Impossible Burger event happens. In addition, students host a farm to fork dinner twice a year, which incorporates vegetables and herbs from the student garden and is 100% plant-based.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
CMC hosts a farm-to-fork meal using vegetables from the CMC garden. Happens once a year, and students cook in a dorm kitchen; serves 30 people.
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?:
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?:
A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Labels exist on relevant food, taken from these themes:
Vegetarian
Vegan
Made without Gluten-Containing Ingredients
In Balance
Farm to Fork
Seafood Watch
Humane
Also, there are ingredient lists in several locations, including details posted daily on the CMC website and at the exact location of the food.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
Yes, this is posted on the website: https://collins-cmc.cafebonappetit.com/wellness/#sustainability
There is also a Weigh the Waste campaign and a few events that promote plant based, all student initiated and run with the help of CMC Dining Services.
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)?:
A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Bon Appetit, CMC's dining provider, has committed to:
Supporting local agriculture (with a defined purchasing target), since 1999
Striving to serve only seafood that meets Seafood Watch® sustainability guidelines for commercial buyers, since 2002
Reducing antibiotic use in farm animals (2003)
Serving rBGH-free milk (2003)
Switching to cage-free shell eggs (2005) and cage-free liquid eggs (2016)
Tackling food’s role in climate change (2007)
Addressing farmworkers’ rights (2009)
Switching to humanely raised ground beef (2012)
Phasing out pork raised with gestation crates (2016)
Banning plastic straws and stirrers companywide (by October 2019)
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?:
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
All pre- consumer food is composted through a City of Claremont composting program.
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?:
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
No trays in dining halls.
We work with food banks and nonprofit organizations such as the Food Recovery Network (press release) to take excess, nutrient-dense food from our cafés and get it to food-insecure people.
All other post-consumer food, in addition to pre-consumer food waste, is composted with the City of Claremont organic food recycling program.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
A brief description of the food donation program:
Collins Dining Hall and the Athenaeum donate food through Food Recovery Network, which, with student help, delivers food to a local food bank.
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)?:
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Collins Dining Hall and CMC's Athenaeum and the faster food operation named the Hub all compost food waste through the City of Claremont's organic food waste program. Collins and the Athenaeum donate pre- and post- consumer food waste at the end of every week throughout the academic year.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Collins Dining Hall and CMC's Athenaeum and the faster food operation named the Hub all compost pre-consumer food waste through the City of Claremont's organic food waste program.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Collins Dining Hall, CMC's Athenaeum and the faster food operation named the Hub all compost the food that is not donated to a food bank through the City of Claremont's organic food waste program.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Reusable service ware is provided for dine-in meals, and plastic takeout ware must be specifically requested.
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)?:
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
Collins Dining Hall provides a deposit and check-out system for reusable to-go containers for all students enrolled in the college meal plan. Reusable to-go cups are also provided for beverages.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Deposit and check-out system for reusable containers allows an initial $5 security deposit and year-long use, while disposable containers cost $0.50 to $1.00 each meal.
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)?:
A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
As part of our Low Carbon Diet program, Bon Appétit launched a 12-week Food Waste Reduction campaign in all cafés nationwide. By April 2009, we reduced food waste generated in our cafés by 30% through
educating chefs and kitchen staff on proper portioning and prepping techniques,
a daily waste-monitoring program in all kitchens, and
a consumer-waste reduction educational campaign, which included weighing and measuring food at dish return stations and encouraging trayless dining where appropriate.
As a result of these efforts, we achieved a weekly reduction in CO2-equivalent emissions between 40 and 50 tons.
In 2014 we launched the Imperfectly Delicious Produce program, working with our farmers, suppliers, and chefs to source cosmetically challenged produce that would otherwise be left to rot in the fields or discarded in the processing plant.
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:
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