| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 76.02 |
| Liaison | Rochelle Owen |
| Submission Date | July 21, 2021 |
Dalhousie University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.19 / 6.00 |
Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on products that are sustainably or ethically produced:
Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
An inventory of food and beverage purchases that qualify as sustainably/ethically produced:
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):
Each year food contractors at Dalhousie request that suppliers provide a purchase report and investigate what purchases qualify as Local & Community based. Using a spreadsheet developed by the Office of Sustainability, the food purchases data is analyzed by commodity groups and organized to sum local & community based and third-party verified purchases. The definition of small to medium based enterprise (1-499 employees) as provided by the Government of Canada was used in assessing community-based food and beverage purchases, in addition to the guidelines supplied by STARS.
Website URL where the institution’s validated Real/Good Food Calculator results are publicly posted:
Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the inventory/assessment?:
| Present? | Included? | |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution | No | No |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor | Yes | Yes |
| Student-run food/catering services | No | No |
| Franchises (e.g., regional or global brands) | Yes | Yes |
| Convenience stores | No | No |
| Vending services | No | No |
| Concessions | No | No |
Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
Menus change with the season to allow for increased local produce offerings year round. Examples of strategies to incorporate local produce include hand cutting french fries from local potatoes in all four dining halls year-round and offering local apples only at all dining locations across campus. Food Services at Dalhousie sources food from many local farmers, growers and distributors. The list changes throughout the year depending on seasonality and availability. Aramark uses Keddy Brothers as a wholesale produce supplier because they are a Nova Scotian company that distributes local produce whenever possible. The Chef's Garden on Dalhousie's Agricultural Campus provides produce to the Agricultural Campus dining services and a portion of the produce used in Food Services on the Halifax Campus. It is a 1.1 acre plot that follows organic farming principles. In 2016, the farm produced 16,833 lbs of food, valued at approximately $13,000.
Aramark has committed to a sustainable seafood policy that incorporates ocean health, ethical labour, transparency, and a renewable seafood industry. In addition to a purchasing policy, they commit to education and tracking of sustainable seafood purchases. The policy can be found here: http://www.aramark.com/files/seafood-principles-policy
Fair trade tea and coffee are served at all dining halls and in many cafes.
See here for more information about Aramark's Green Thread sustainability program: https://dal.campusdish.com/BeingGreen
The Dalhousie Sustainable and Healthy Food Framework released in 2016 outlines purchasing targets and actions to achieve these targets for different food categories. See here for the framework, which guides work on sustainable purchasing:
https://www.dal.ca/dept/sustainability/programs/Eating_Sustainably.html
Website URL where information about the food and beverage purchasing program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Information in this report is from dining operations and catering contracted to Aramark on the Halifax campuses and Chartwell's on the Agricultural campus. Data on food expenditures from franchises and vending was not included because this information was not provided by both food service providers.
Chartwell's also operates food services on the Halifax campus in the Student Union Building and caters campus-wide, but their purchases are not included in this inventory because they are hired by the Student Union, not the University. The University Club is another food service provider on campus that strives to purchase locally, but their expenditures are not recorded in sufficient detail to allow for inclusion in the STARS report.
Dalhousie University is exploring Fair Trade campus certification to reflect the widespread use of Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate on campus.
Information in this report is from dining operations and catering contracted to Aramark on the Halifax campuses and Chartwell's on the Agricultural campus. Data on food expenditures from franchises and vending was not included because this information was not provided by both food service providers.
Chartwell's also operates food services on the Halifax campus in the Student Union Building and caters campus-wide, but their purchases are not included in this inventory because they are hired by the Student Union, not the University. The University Club is another food service provider on campus that strives to purchase locally, but their expenditures are not recorded in sufficient detail to allow for inclusion in the STARS report.
Dalhousie University is exploring Fair Trade campus certification to reflect the widespread use of Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate on campus.
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.