George Washington University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.71 / 6.00 |
Joshua
Lasky Director Office of Sustainability |
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):
Chartwells HigherEd queried distributors during fall 2022 for FY2022 (7/1/21-6/30/22).
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 | No |
| Convenience stores | Yes | No |
| Vending services | Yes | No |
| Concessions | Yes | No |
Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
Sustainability is core to GW Dining's mission and to its customers. From the farm to the table, GW Dining has identified opportunities to serve healthy and sustainable meals that support the community and contribute to the university's goal of energy and water conservation and waste reduction. With education as the primary focus of our business activity, GW Dining is committed to fostering and promoting sustainable business principles to our clients and customers. Our programs include the necessary information to encourage informed choices on both the food we conserve and the ways we interact with the natural environment. Chartwells prioritizes local, and has a local-first approach when it comes to purchasing.
Chartwells makes it a priority to implement programs and practices that are healthier for the campus community and the environment. Creating a more environmentally friendly dining program means diners are provided with choices that will help them minimize their impact on the environment.
All of the chicken served is hormone and antibiotic-free. We only offer dairy milk and yogurt that have been certified rBGH/rBST free as well as Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) certified cage-free shell eggs. We are also committed to protecting the threatened global fish supply, in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, Chartwells established a landmark purchasing policy in 2006 that removes unsustainable wild and farmed seafood from its menu, and we are proud to adhere to this policy.
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:
The numbers provided for Food & Beverage Sustainable Purchasing correspond to Chartwells Higher Ed purchases, GW's vendor that manages two dining halls (at Thurston on the Foggy Bottom campus and at Pelham Commons on the Mount Vernon campus). The Thurston dining hall is a food-court style dining hall located on GW's main campus and Pelham Commons dining hall, located on the Mount Vernon residential campus, is accessible by a free, short shuttle ride from the main campus. Both dining halls are accessible to all GW students on the dining plan as an "all you care to eat" venue.
GW has a unique dining program that also allows students to take advantage of the retail dining options in Foggy Bottom, the densely urban neighborhood downtown Washington, D.C. where GW's main campus is located. As a response to student dissatisfaction in the past with the existing, traditional dining program, GW allows students to choose from a wide array of retail dining across the neighborhood, using their GW dining funding to pay.
Students are able to select from a range of options, including food trucks with which GW has arranged several low-cost options ("Meal Deals") to provide more affordable meal options to students. Students are also able to shop for groceries and prepare their own meals using the Foggy Bottom Whole Foods, a full-service grocery store, as well as the weekly Foggy Bottom Farmers Market (which additionally allows students to participate in community supported agriculture shares).
The numbers provided for Food & Beverage Sustainable Purchasing correspond to Chartwells Higher Ed purchases, GW's vendor that manages two dining halls (at Thurston on the Foggy Bottom campus and at Pelham Commons on the Mount Vernon campus). The Thurston dining hall is a food-court style dining hall located on GW's main campus and Pelham Commons dining hall, located on the Mount Vernon residential campus, is accessible by a free, short shuttle ride from the main campus. Both dining halls are accessible to all GW students on the dining plan as an "all you care to eat" venue.
GW has a unique dining program that also allows students to take advantage of the retail dining options in Foggy Bottom, the densely urban neighborhood downtown Washington, D.C. where GW's main campus is located. As a response to student dissatisfaction in the past with the existing, traditional dining program, GW allows students to choose from a wide array of retail dining across the neighborhood, using their GW dining funding to pay.
Students are able to select from a range of options, including food trucks with which GW has arranged several low-cost options ("Meal Deals") to provide more affordable meal options to students. Students are also able to shop for groceries and prepare their own meals using the Foggy Bottom Whole Foods, a full-service grocery store, as well as the weekly Foggy Bottom Farmers Market (which additionally allows students to participate in community supported agriculture shares).
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.