Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.33
Liaison Michael Amadori
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Hobart and William Smith Colleges
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.11 / 6.00 Sarah Meyer
Food Systems Program Manager
Finger Lakes Institute
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on products that are third party verified under one or more recognized food and beverage sustainability standards or Local & Community-Based:
2

Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (expenditures on conventional animal products)? (If data is not available, respond “No”):
Yes

Percentage of total dining services food and beverage expenditures on conventional animal products (meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, and dairy products that do NOT qualify in either the Third Party Verified or Local & Community-Based category):
42

A brief description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program, including how the sustainability impacts of products in specific categories are addressed (e.g. meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, dairy, produce, tea/coffee):

In 2013, Sodexo and the Real Food Challenge announced an agreement that advances supply chain transparency on Sodexo-contracted campuses, such as HWS. HWS Sodexo staff and managers have worked with HWS students since 2013 to collect and analyze purchasing data using the Real Food Calculator's web-based application and tracking tool. Based on the Real Food Challenge Standards 2.1, HWS purchasing in 2017/2018 represented 2% purchasing of 'Real Food'.

Currently, the Colleges source local and community-based foods and beverages from a variety of vendors, including Boulevard, Bryne Dairy, Geneva Club Beverage, Aspretto, and Sysco, many of which are distributors of local products, produce, and ingredients,

Within two years, RFC student leaders on campus have gained support from hundreds of students, various faculty and staff members, and several academic and institutional departments on campus, including Sodexo Dining Services, Finger Lakes Institute, Office of Sustainability, Environmental Studies program, Student Activities, Dean’s Offices, and the President’s Office. The Finger Lakes Institute has overseen interns, volunteers, club activities involved supporting the Real Food Challenge HWS student campaign since 2013.


An inventory of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchases that includes for each product: the description/type; label, brand or producer; and the category in which it is being counted and/or a description of its sustainability attribute(s):
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):

HWS has completed the Real Food Challenge Calculator annually since 2013 through a variety of approaches to complete the web-based application, such as through student volunteers, paid internships,and club activities. Real Food Challenge standards 2.1 were used in the 2017/2018 analysis conducted by student intern Maddie Schmidt. The Real Food Calculator offers a comprehensive and decisive definition for “real food.” Real food is food that fulfills at least one of four categories: 1) Local and Community Based, 2) Fair, 3) Ecologically Sound, 4) Humane. The criteria listed in the Real Food Calculator Guide include third-party certifications and characteristics of the producers from which institutions buy. Students obtain food vendor receipts from our Sodexo Dining Staff and evaluate it based upon the Real Food Challenge definition and criteria of 'real food' which distinguishes the sustainability of our food and beverage purchases through the definition established by the Real Food Challenge. This is a student campaign and effort with the 2017/2018 intern position supported by Sodexo Dining Services and the Finger Lakes Institute.


Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food A (0-100):
0

Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food B (0-100):
2

Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the total food and beverage expenditure figures?:
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. national or global brands) Yes Yes
Convenience stores No No
Vending services Yes No
Concessions Yes No

A brief description of purchased food and beverage products that have other sustainability attributes not recognized above :
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Additional percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on conventional products with other sustainability attributes not recognized above (0-100) :
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.