Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 67.49
Liaison Elizabeth Swiman
Submission Date March 15, 2023

STARS v2.2

Florida State University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.88 / 2.00 Sarah Williams
Sustainability Coordinator
Aramark - Seminole Dining
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

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:
Seminole Dining hosts a monthly fresh market for the FSU community to highlight local producers, community partners, and Fresh From Florida items.
Suspended due to COVID; return to programming currently being planned.

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
n/a

Inclusive and local sourcing

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:
Seminole Dining aims to purchase locally harvested and produced items from small and medium-sized enterprises when seasonally available.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
2

Low-impact dining

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:
Seminole dining hosts Mindful Mondays in our dining halls to encourage the FSU community to choose a climate friendly meal on Mondays. Seminole Dining hosted a Vegan Thanksgiving in the fall 2021 semester to provide students a climate friendly option. That same semester, we hosted several plant-based menu events to promote different climate friendly options available to students. Each event included a survey so we can improve and increase these events in the coming semesters. Seminole dining also provided plant-based snacks to Sustainable Campus events in the Organic Garden.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Seminole Dining provides a vegan station at both all-you-care-to-eat dining halls. We also provide educational materials to students about how and where to eat vegan at our retail locations. Plant Forward program: https://seminoledining.campusdish.com/Sustainability/PlantForward

Labelling and signage 

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:
Yes. Seminole Dining created an educational campaign titled “Nole Your farmer” for supporting our local producers and farmers. A visual representation hangs in both all-you-care-to-eat dining halls for the community to learn more in depth about each local producer. Seminole Dining participates in the Cool Foods program that specifically labels menu items that have a low environmental impact. We also have a large pull up banner in each dining hall that explains our Green Thread sustainability commitments.

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

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:
Aramark’s food management process is our preventative measure in our dining halls to ensure that we create as little food waste as possible during each meal period. All menu items are tracked from beginning to end of meal period to understand how much was prepared, how much was served, and how much was leftover. This helps us better estimate how much to prepare in the future to eliminate waste possibility.

Seminole Dining partners with FSU’s Food Recovery Network to redistribute excess food from our retail locations to students in need across campus and the community.

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:
Trayless dining encourages customers to take only what they can eat and reduces food waste by an estimated 1.5 ounces per person each meal. Trayless dining helps prevent nearly 75 pounds of food waste per person each academic year. Aramark has been trayless in dining services since 2008.

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:
Seminole Dining partners with FSU’s Food Recovery Network to redistribute excess food from our retail locations to students in need across campus and the community. We also host food donation drives several times in a school year for our campus food pantry.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Seminole Dining participates in fryer oil recycling through Restaurant Technologies Inc.

Composting 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
n/a

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
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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:
Seminole Dining provides reusable service ware in both dining halls for dine in guests, and reusable to-go containers for students taking their food with them.

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:
Aramark provides containers for to-go meals that are either compostable, recyclable and made from recycled materials, or reusable to-go containers. Compostable service ware is available in select locations.

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:
Resuable mug discount program

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Energy and water-saving protocols are implemented before locations close for holidays or summer months to prevent any unnecessary energy and water use. Equipment is deep cleaned regularly to maximize efficiency. Designated employees are appointed to oversee energy and water use in their locations and report problems at monthly meetings.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://seminoledining.campusdish.com/Sustainability

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.