| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.75 |
| Liaison | Jauna Vitale |
| Submission Date | Feb. 14, 2025 |
New York University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.93 / 6.00 |
Jauna
Vitale Assistant Director, Sustainability NYU 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):
The data is pulled for September 2023 – August 2024 based on our procurement and purchasing data. We work through a company called Foodbuy to procure our vendors and within that we work with several farmers.
If reporting Real/Good Food Calculator results, provide:
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:
Optional Fields
Our sustainability purchasing program is a core element of Foodbuy.
Sustainable Sourcing: At NYU Eats we believe in supporting local farms and choosing products that are certified sustainable and better for the environment.
Buying Local and Organic Products to Support Family Farms – In collaboration with our partners at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, we are seeking to reduce our dependence on factory farming by becoming partners with qualified local and regional growers.
Providing Fresh Yogurt and Milk That Is Free of Artificial Growth Hormones – We only offer fresh fluid milk and fresh yogurt from cows that have been certified to be free of the artificial growth hormones rBGH/rBST.
Promoting Certified Humane Cage-Free Eggs – We offer only Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) certified cage-free shell eggs.
Serving Seafood That Comes from Sustainable Sources – We are committed to protecting the threatened global fish supply. In collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, we established a landmark purchasing policy that removes unsustainable wild and farmed seafood from our menus.
Featuring Socially and Ecologically Certified Coffee – Responsible coffee production methods are certified in a variety of ways, including fair trade, Rainforest Alliance, Shade Grown, Bird Friendly, Coffee, and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, UTZ, and organic.
Purchasing Poultry Produced Without the Routine Use of Human Antibiotics – We only serve chicken and turkey that have been produced with restricted use of these drugs, especially as a growth additive in feed. Our contracted suppliers are required to provide products that adhere to criteria developed in partnership with The Environmental Defense Fund.
Imperfectly Delicious Produce – We also source Imperfectly Delicious Produce (IDP), fruits, and vegetables that don’t meet the industry’s cosmetic standards. Food that would have been sent to the compost pile due to its size, shape, or color is instead incorporated into recipes. This eliminates a sizable amount of methane gas from food decomposing in landfills.
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:
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.