Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 56.21
Liaison Robert Monico
Submission Date July 19, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Fleming College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Trish O'Connor
Special Projects Leader
Academic/ Human Resources
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1: Sustainable Dining Initiatives 

Sustainable Dining Policy

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Here at Aramark, providing exceptional service to our customers and clients is just the start. Our mission is to enrich and nourish lives, so when we interact with millions of people and communities across the globe, we strive to ensure we’re serving them with integrity, respect and in the most responsible way possible. Every day, we work to develop innovative product and service solutions that put our social responsibility goals into action. We focus our energies on initiatives that support our diverse workforce, protect our environment, advance consumer health and wellness and strengthen our communities. Our approach to Corporate Responsibility: Lead by example, and increase transparency and dialogue within our industry Continuously improve our operations and create consistent, replicable programs Identify innovative, responsible and cost-effective solutions to the issues we believe matter most to our employees, customers and communities Offer clients and customers a wide range of eco-friendly and responsibly sourced product options Empower our clients to achieve their corporate responsibility goals by sharing our insights and experience

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
Our frost campus has a hatchery and the trout is used in the dishes. The hatcheries are certified under the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) approved. This is involves regular external audits.

Local Community Engagement 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
Our farmers market occur every Thursday from 10AM to 2 PM

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?:
No

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Aramark offers a vegan menu option at every meal for all three campus locations. They also offer a made to order vegan option. Aramark offers at least one vegan option per meal while many of our other recipes are easily made vegan upon request. Aramark also has a Meatless Mondays program which can be introduced immediately should Fleming students become interested.

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
We have hosted Meatless Mondays in the past, however found the college environment did not seem very enthusastic about it, nor did it really go over well. We will be re-launching it in the fall and hopefully have more participation

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Host Local Food Day promotions periodically throughout the year which are themed with a specific produce item available from local producers. Also, in partnership with the College and the Sustainable Agriculture program, Aramark worked to host a College community evet-a 100 mile local feast

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:
Fulford Lunch box offer a sustainability-themed food outlet on-site and is mobile.

Labeling and Signage 

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
We have the Who's Your Farmer? campaign which helps 'introduce the customer to local farming communities

Outreach and Education 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
Our health & wellness way-finding labeling system makes it easy for customers to find vegetarian and vegan options, kosher and halal, menu items with locally-sourced ingredients and certified sustainable options such as MSC seafood

Other Initiatives 

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Features international cuisine, hosts cooking events with international student groups and works to engage international students in the Food Advisory Committee by having an international student representative offering feedback, input and menu suggestions.

Part 2: Food and Dining Waste 

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:
Yes, Food Waste Management Program. The service contractor uses projecting and production records to estimate portions and prep work; they track portions and reduce in case of leftovers; apply waste bin program: track waste bins based on stations, weigh the waste and record bin content in order to reduce food waste

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:
Yes, use modified menus/portions to reduce post-consumer food waste. Based on tracking menus and portions are adjusted to reduce left overs.

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:
Aramark currently makes food donations 3 times/year, usually just before classes end each semester and before major holidays. At those times, a bulk amount of food is donated to the Brock Mission - a local shelter for the homeless. Donation frequency is limited due to liability risk associated with food donations.

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 (e.g. converting cooking oil to fuel, on-site anaerobic digestion)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Yes. In the performance year, $310 worth of organic produce was donated to the College and community food banks for reduce food waste and to offer nourishing options for student and community food bank visitors.

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:
At Fleming all pre-consumer waste is collected in green bins situated adjacent to the food preparation areas. Food preparation staff deposit the food waste in the bins as part of their routine. Fleming's custodial contractor collects the organic waste on a daily basis and deposits it in the College's Hobart composters located on campus. The Hobart systems dehydrate organic food waste and prepare it for compost uses. Aramark kitchen staff have recently undergone training to maximize the diversion of organics from land-fill waste streams. In addition, Aramark is in the process of instituting standards for pre-consumer waste-handling through a country-wide audit.

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:
In 2015, Fleming's Frost and Brealey campuses both have a new food desiccator, known as a Hobart system, being operated by their 3rd party cleaning contractor GDI. Collection bins for post-consumer organics are available in dining and food preparation areas. Organics are collected by GDI and placed into Hobart system. This system is a unique automated, on-site system that efficiently decomposes organic waste into a soil amendment without using any micro-organisms, enzymes or additives. The system is capable of handling food waste, cardboard and compostable disposables such as the compostable plates currently in use on campus. Repairs have been costly and the college is currently (2016) exploring other options.

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:
Yes, we put a focus on the china plates and silverwear instead of disposable. We have discounts for when china soup bowls and re-usable mugs are used to help encourage student use of these things

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:
We currently utilize compost-able containers and cutlery at all our stations and locations.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
All campuses offer a discount for customers bringing their own reusable mug instead of using a disposable cup. The price of coffee with a reusable mug is $1.46 + tax. This is 10 cents cheaper than the regular price of a small coffee. At franchise vendors Tim Hortons and Starbucks, the discount is 11 cents discount on any size. Aramark has their own reusable mugs for sale for students who do not already have one, but accepts other reusable mugs as well.

Other Materials Management Initiatives 

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
Fleming College's food service provider views the responsible management of waste as a requirement to sustain and restore our natural resources as well as the communities in which we serve. They are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint by fostering a culture that reduces, reuses, and recycles waste. To support closed-loop waste management processes, their innovative practices include partnering with suppliers who share their vision, working to reduce source packaging, enabling recovery and reuse of discarded materials, and recycling waste to create raw materials for other purposes.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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