Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.70
Liaison David Gibson
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Hampshire College
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Marge Dunehew
Procurement and Auxiliary Services Director
Business Office
"---" 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:
Bon Appetit is a leader in sustainable sourcing by having policies that support local farmers in its "Farm to Fork" program (since 1999), that require chefs to source at least 20% of purchases from local farms; by striving to purchase only seafood that meets the Seafood Watch sustainability guidelines (since 2002); that fight antibiotic use in farming by sourcing chicken, turkey, and ground beef that are raised without routine antibiotic use; purchasing rBGH-free milk (since 2002); purchasing eggs from producers that keep cage-free hens (since 2005); fighting climate change by measuring and reducing climate change impacts on food choices (since 2007); supporting farm workers' rights (since 2009); sourcing only humanely-raised ground beef (since 2012); sourcing pork from farms that do not use gestation crates (since 2016). More information on each of these initiatives is linked here: http://www.bamco.com/sourcing/

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:
Yes, we proudly source ingredients from a campus farm: Hampshire College Farm. We receive weekly deliveries of produce and meat from the campus farm. Our Chef annually meets with the farmers to discuss seed selection for the upcoming year.

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:
The farm has CSA shares available to the students and local community. Bon Appetit chefs also give free cooking classes to teach our students how to get the most out of their CSA shares.

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:
There are vegan hot dishes at every meal and a vegan cold bar is available at lunch and dinner. Menu is available online with a filter option to see only vegetarian/vegan options: http://hampshire.cafebonappetit.com/hungry/

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:
To help promote plant-forward dining we have Meatless Mondays each week at the Dining Commons.

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:
Yes, we host a number of sustainability themed meals throughout the year, including an annual Eat Local Challenge with 100% local ingredients to create excitement around regional food sheds and local agricultural.

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:
Mixed Nuts Coop is an entirely student-run cooperative that intentionally sources its products from local and fair-trade vendors. More information is available here: https://www.hampshire.edu/mixed-nuts/mixed-nuts-food-co-op The Kern Kafe, located in the R.W. Kern Center, serves fair-trade coffee as well as baked goods made on campus from whole, natural ingredients that are sourced as much as possible from local farms.

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 inform guests about low impact food choices and sustainability practices in many ways. On guest tables and in signs around the cafe, we share information about pressing sustainability issues and relevant policies, including antibiotics use, animal welfare issues, sustainable seafood, and farm workers rights. Using our Circle of Responsibility (COR) program, we communicate sustainability attributes of ingredients through our online and in-cafe menus. Menus are labeled with COR icons that denote the following: If the dish includes local ingredients, and which farm they are from, if the dish includes animal products from a farm with a third party animal welfare certification, if the dish includes seafood rated as Green or Yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, if the dish is vegetarian and/or vegan

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:
Yes, Bon Appetit Management Company engages in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems in many ways. One example is through our Fellowship program, where recent graduates from Bon Appetit campuses join the company for 1-2 years to learn about the food system, do outreach to connect Bon Appetit campus communities with where their food is coming from, and perform research to inform future purchasing policies and commitments as a company.

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:
Yes, we always make culturally diverse options available in the cafe. We have two stations featuring culturally diverse offerings. One features Mediterranean food and the other is an Asian themed noodle bowl station.

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:
All pre-consumer food waste is sold to a local farm that uses it to make compost. The Hampshire College Farm buys the compost back to use on its vegetable fields.

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:
We do not use trays in our dining commons and large salad bowls were discontinued in favor of smaller ones.

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:
All usable leftovers from the dining commons are frozen and sent to local shelter (Craig's Doors). Unserved meals and any excess vegetables from the CSA shares are donated to local soup kitchens as well.

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:
We reduce waste in our supply chain by purchasing through Bon Appetit's Imperfectly Delicious Produce program—a program that was developed to create markets for cosmetically imperfect produce that would otherwise go to waste on farms and in processing. By partnering with Filta Environmental Kitchen Solutions, cooking oil is filtered to last longer and then is hauled away and converted to biodiesel. https://www.gofilta.com/services/filtafry

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:
Pre-consumer waste generated in the dining commons is sent along with post-consumer waste to a local farm that composts it. The Hampshire College Farm buys back the compost and spreads it on the vegetable fields. Pre-consumer food waste generated at the Hampshire College Farm center is used with discretion as supplementary food for chickens and pigs.

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:
There are compost stations at all dish drop off areas on campus. There is instructional and educational signage about composting to create awareness. Guests must clear their plates into clearly labeled bins (food waste, paper waste, silverware, glassware). Trash receptacles are clearly labeled "Landfill" to increase awareness.

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:
There is no to-go option for the dining commons. The dining commons supplies china and metal flatware.

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)?:
No

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
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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:
Beverage sales are discounted for bringing a reusable mug to the Bridge Cafe.

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:
Bon Appetit purchases B-Grade items that are not suitable for retail sales from the Hampshire College Farm to use in the dining commons. This includes bruised produce, second day items, eggs with hairline cracks, etc.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://hampshire.cafebonappetit.com/hungry/

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