Columbia University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Columbia Dining purchases from the local greenmarket and numerous vendors within 250 miles of Columbia's Morningside Campus. Apples and fresh apple cider are purchased from Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, New York. All milk is distributed by GAF Seelig and come locally from Clover Farms. Chobani Yogurt is manufactured in Central New York. Purveyors provide locally grown fresh vegetables to both dining halls as well as retail units. Products include: cucumbers, green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, Boston lettuce, red radishes, green, red and white cabbage, leeks, turnips, jalapeno and Serrano peppers, escarole, red bell peppers, red beets, carrots, portabella, shiitake, enoki, crimini, and button mushrooms, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, yellow squash, pumpkin, eggplant, collard greens, spinach, white and red potatoes, Swiss chard, green peppers, Italian peppers, green beans, corn, parsnips, sweet onions, zucchini, pico de gallo, salsa, and green peas. All tomatoes are provided by Thomas Colace Company, whose tomato vendors are all audited by Social Accountability. The tomatoes used to make the salsa are locally grown at Olds Maids Farm in South Glastonbury, CT and crafted by Onofrio’s of New Haven, CT. Dining also contracts with a local farmer and canner to make salsa and strawberry jam. The strawberries are grown and harvested at Hindinger Farm in Hamden, CT and processed, packaged and delivered by Onofrio’s of New Haven, CT. Coffee comes from Brooklyn Roasting Company and is fair trade, organic, shade grown, and bird friendly. All bakery and grab-and-go sandwiches are purchased from local vendors. From the green market, honey is bought from Ballard’s Honey that is based in Roxbury, New York. At John Jay Dining Hall's annual “Local Dinner,” items such as Long Island Yukon Gold Potatoes, Mint, Bell Peppers, and Mushrooms, New York State Maple Syrup, and cheese from green market vendor Millport Dairy, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are served. Columbia Dining follows The Northeast guidelines of Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for buying fish. The program provides science-based recommendations so that buyers can make ocean-friendly seafood choices. Dining buys “Best Choices” fish, meaning that they are abundant, well managed, and caught or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Additional URLs for local and organic food suppliers: www.hindingersfarm.com www.oldmaidsfarm.com www.redjacketorchards.com www.gafseelig.com www.tomatobycolace.com www.brooklynroasting.com http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx?c=ln

Each vendor provides an annual report of purchases from the prior year; Dining's Executive Director analyzes data to delineate vendors and purchases that are sustainable & local. Columbia Dining specifically seeks out and requests local products from vendors.

Columbia supports the Harlem Small Business Initiative and Harlem Park to Park (HP2P), which is a social enterprise representing 100+ local entrepreneurs committed to cultural preservation, small business, and economic development in Central Harlem.