| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.67 |
| Liaison | Julie Newman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 30, 2021 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.13 / 6.00 |
MIT
Office of Sustainability 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):
MIT's dining partner, Bon Appétit, runs regular reports to calculate the percentage of what has been purchased versus the benchmark measure. Bon Appetit has a company-wide initiative requiring it chefs to buy at least 20% of their ingredients from sustainable sources, although the pandemic made purchasing more complex. The information included in this report is for the time period July 2019 through June 2020.
MIT's dining contractor, Bon Appetit, collected the responses for this credit and provided them in the attached spreadsheet.
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 at the heart of the food and beverage program managed by Bon Appetit at MIT. Universally and at MIT, Bon Appétit has a goal to source at least 20% of ingredients, by dollar, from small, local, owner-operated farmers and artisans. Although, their commitment to sustainability doesn't stop there. BA also prioritizes plant-based proteins in all cafés and offers vegetarian options at every meal and cooks from scratch (including stocks, sauces, and soups) to capture flavor while reducing waste. Evenmore, Bon Appétit purchases only cage-free and third party certified eggs, pork raised without the use of gestation crates, and ground beef from Certified Humane operations or small, local farms. In terms of fish, the company’s seafood is never air freighted for transport and is purchased in accordance with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Guidelines for Sustainability.
Since 2009, Bon Appétit has been at the forefront of the fight for farmworkers’ rights. After co-founding the Equitable Food Initiative, BA has also begun hosting an annual National Farmworker Awareness Week on campuses across the country. To best communicate with guests and students alike, Bon Appetit utilizes on-site cafe menus and online sources (www.cafebonappetit.com) to share sustainability related policies, information about local purveyors, and categorized menu items with icons that relay information about relevant sustainability standards.
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:
Since 2009, Bon Appétit has been at the forefront of the fight for farmworkers’ rights. After co-founding the Equitable Food Initiative, BA has also begun hosting an annual National Farmworker Awareness Week on campuses across the country. To best communicate with guests and students alike, Bon Appetit utilizes on-site cafe menus and online sources (www.cafebonappetit.com) to share sustainability related policies, information about local purveyors, and categorized menu items with icons that relay information about relevant sustainability standards.
Since 2009, Bon Appétit has been at the forefront of the fight for farmworkers’ rights. After co-founding the Equitable Food Initiative, BA has also begun hosting an annual National Farmworker Awareness Week on campuses across the country. To best communicate with guests and students alike, Bon Appetit utilizes on-site cafe menus and online sources (www.cafebonappetit.com) to share sustainability related policies, information about local purveyors, and categorized menu items with icons that relay information about relevant sustainability standards.
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.