Guilford College
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Three years ago we began a partnership with Meriweather Godsey to greatly reduce food service waste, change the way we purchase our food and materials, and create a more sustainable dining program. As part of that initiative we remodeled the kitchen with an incredibly efficient automatic dish washer, added an organic-waste capture system, eliminated trays, switched to biodegradable napkins, began purchasing more local and organic foods, and started collecting used cooking oil for conversion to biodiesel. There is a huge emphasis on buying local foods, as the transportation cost is lower and more of the money spent stays in the local region. Meriwether Godsey has also promised to purchase produce from our newly established production garden, which is located a mere 1/2 mile from the dining hall. Our local food purchasing percentage will increase once this partnership begins.