James Madison University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

JMU Dining Services, contracted through Aramark, works in conjunction with food and beverage vendors and a third party, FarmLogix, to track and monitor our purchases. By separating out food and beverage purchases on reports created by both vendors and Aramark, Dining Services and FarmLogix can focus on distinguishing between sustainably or ethically produced and plant-based products. Dining Services can confidently report statistics in relation to sustainable food and beverage purchases due to the participation of FarmLogix. JMU Dining also has a full-time Sustainability Coordinator who leads this process and is responsible for the accurate reporting.

JMU Dining Services, contracted through Aramark, seeks to purchase sustainably sourced food and beverages and environmentally preferable products, supplies, and services. Dining Services recognizes and highlights producers who focus on reducing their environmental impact. Dining Services is committed to nurturing new connections from farm to fork and changing the culture of food by nourishing JMU with menus that emphasize seasonal, fresh, local foods that are raised, grown, harvested, and produced within 150 miles of campus or within the state of Virginia as possible.

In order to follow up with the commitment to sustainable food, JMU Dining Services has approached food in many different ways. Dining Services sources all shell eggs from cage-free hens, offers Fair Trade coffee at multiple locations, opened a dining location to highlight local products, and offers extensive vegan and vegetarian option across campus. Dining Services promotes “Meatless Mondays,” hosts biannual Farm-to-Fork dinners highlighting local farmers, has partnerships with local businesses to promote their product on campus, organizes a Farmer’s Market on campus during the fall and spring semesters, and partners with FarmLogix to further understand and increase our local purchases. Dining Services also works with the local Sysco branch to further increase our local purchases wherever possible. Dining Services has an expansive vegan and vegetarian selection in all locations. All residential, retail, and Grab-n-Go locations have vegan and vegetarian options available at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and always contain complete proteins. Our Grab-n-Go programs - Fresh Takes and York Street Market - are dedicated to healthy and plant-based meals on-the-go and feature items such as vegetarian and vegan sandwiches and wraps. Additionally, we prioritize events at dining locations that continue to educate and provide unique vegetarian and vegan options.

JMU Dining Services is committed to hosting plant-forward meals as frequently as possible. In partnership with The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) JMU Dining hosted a plant-based culinary training as part of its ongoing efforts to develop strategies that increase plant-based food offerings for consumers. Currently, as part of its Healthy for Life 20 By 20 commitment with the American Heart Association, 30 percent of the main dishes we serve across locations are vegan or vegetarian, and 10 percent feature whole grains as their main ingredient.