Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.71
Liaison Julie Cahillane
Submission Date March 6, 2020

STARS v2.2

Northwestern University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.39 / 6.00 Sarah Tulga
Sustainability Program Coordinator
Facilities
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on products that are sustainably or ethically produced:
3.96

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
38.46

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):
Northwestern Dining had student interns conduct audits on food purchasing invoices, using the Real Food Calculator template. This process was done for the months of October 2018, February 2019, and October 2019 as samples for the university’s Autumn and Winter spending.

If reporting Real/Good Food Calculator results, provide:

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 Yes Yes
Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor Yes Yes
Student-run food/catering services Yes 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:
$1 million - $4.9 million

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
We have several wellness programs at Northwestern Dining, including our Plant Forward Challenge with over 300 student participants, and our monthly super food. We provide an inclusive dining experience by using exclusively Halal chicken and beef, offering two Kosher stations, offering a Pure Eats station, and dining hall that has menu items without the top 9 most common allergens and gluten. We also run a cultural series that highlights important events in various cultures and highlighting chefs from each culture.

Website URL where information about the food and beverage purchasing program 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.