Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 76.21
Liaison Lindsey Kalkbrenner
Submission Date May 5, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Santa Clara University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Charles Lewis
ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER
Dining Services by Bon Appetit
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit is committed to providing sustainable, healthy options to all guests. Since their founding in 1987, Bon Appetit Management Company has continually taken steps to improve the quality of food they source, as well as tend to the social and environmental justice aspects of the food service industry. Their website provides a clear-cut outline of all the sustainability measures they have taken and steps they plan to implement.

See: http://scudining.cafebonappetit.com/wellness/


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit purchases food on a regular basis from our on-campus 1/2 acre organic garden (The Forge Garden) for use in either the faculty dining hall or main student dining hall.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, and/or urban agriculture project, or support such a program in the local community?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:

The Forge Garden is SCU's 1/2-acre organic urban agriculture project that functions not only as a living lab, but also as a production garden. The Forge hosts a weekly farm stand featuring organic produce harvested on site. It is open to both the school community and the public. The Forge is also a CSA pick-up site for a local, small-scale farm.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a vegan dining program that makes diverse, complete-protein vegan options available to every member of the campus community at every meal?:
Yes

A brief description of the vegan dining program:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit prioritizes plant-based proteins in the cafes and a complete protein vegan option is available to the campus community at every meal served in our cafés. We communicate vegan options to our guests using the Vegan Circle of Responsibility icon, on both online menus and menus in the café. The "Farmer's Pantry" dining stations regularly offers a variety of soy, nuts, legumes and whole grains during every operating hour. At satellite cafes, nuts, fruits and vegetables are available for snacking.

Here is a list of common items served in our cafes daily that are vegan.
Marketplace
California Deli
1. Breads - Sliced potato, marble-rye, gluten-free bread, sweet, sourdough or Dutch crunch rolls are vegan. Tortilla wraps and lavosh (used in grab-n-go wraps) are vegan.
2. Meat & Dairy alternatives - Yves deli slices, soy or rice cheese slices
3. Spreads - sundried tomato, house-made hummus, avocado, cranberry sauce, vegan mayonnaise, mustard

La Parrilla
Rice (rice, tomato, salt, canola oil), beans (beans, water, garlic, salt, canola oil, herbs, onion), corn tortillas and shells, and any marinated, grilled vegetables are vegan (however, vegetables are grilled on a shared cook top).

Bistro
Daily comfort and global vegetarian/ vegan specials are served in addition to entrée sides that can be purchased separately (vegetables, noodles, rice, etc) Asian sauces are made from scratch and bases may contain fish/oyster sauce.

Sauté
Yves Veggie Chick’n or cubed tofu is available as meat alternative for custom stir-fry, pasta, salad, or hot potato.

Farmer's Pantry
1. Breads - bagels, sliced sourdough bread, sliced potato, sliced marble rye, English muffins (whole wheat and regular), and dinner rolls are vegan.
2. Beverages - soy milk is available in a small dispenser near the cereal and/or the coffee machine.
3. Cereal - Raisin Bran*, Rice Krispies*, Lucky Charms*, Cinnamon Toast*, Special K Red Berries, Heart to Heart, Cheerios, Rice Chex (*these items do not indicate source of Vitamin D). Hot cereals (oatmeal, cream of wheat, grits are all vegan).
4. Whole grains, lentils, beans, seasoned tofu, avocado, nuts, and seeds are provided for alternate protein sources.

Mission Bakery
Mission Bakery serves vegan smoothie options and assorted vegan donuts.

The Bronco
540° Pizza & More
House-made local wheat pizza dough and house-made pizza sauce (simply crushed tomatoes and herbs) are vegan. Sautéed vegetables (mushrooms, garlic, etc. are made with olive oil). A cheeseless personal pizza may be ordered anytime.

Tailgaters
Vegetarian burger: Gardenburger vegetable patty (vegan) - you may request non-dairy cheese. It is not possible to cook items separately from other menu items (fried or grilled). Plain or sesame buns are vegan.

Fresco
Look for vegan-friendly salads and salad wraps.

Cellar Market
Our on-campus mini market is a fantastic resource for our vegan/vegetarian guests. Here you will find a wide range of products for preparing in your room or eating on the go. Be sure to request a favorite item—just ask! You can email us at diningservices@scu.edu or 408.554.5411.

More Resources
Santa Clara University Dining Services by Bon Appètit takes pride in providing sustainable, fresh, unique cuisine and exceptional service for our family at Santa Clara University.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit hosts an annual "Low Carbon Diet Day" where specials feature menu items with a lower climate impact.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit hosts a number of sustainability themed meals throughout the year, including an annual Eat Local Challenge with 100% local ingredients to create excitement around regional foodsheds and local agriculture.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a sustainability-themed food outlet on-site, either independently or in partnership with a contractor or retailer?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
---

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labeling and signage in dining halls?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit informs guests about low impact food choices and sustainability practices in many ways. On guest tables and in signs around the cafe, they share information about pressing sustainability issues and relevant policies, including antibiotic use on animal farms, animal welfare issues, sustainable food choices, etc. Using their Circle of Responsibility (COR) program, they communicate sustainability attributes of ingredients through online and in-cafe menus. Menus are labeled with COR icons that denote the following (and more): if the dish includes local ingredients, and which farm they are from; if the dish includes animal products from a farm with a third party animal welfare certification; if the dish includes seafood rated as Green or Yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program; if the dish is vegetarian or vegan.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:

Bon Appétit Management Company engages in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems in many ways. One example is through their Fellowship program, where recent graduates from Bon Appetit campuses join the company for 1-2 years to learn about the food system, do outreach to connect Bon Appétit campus communities with where their food is coming from, and perform research to inform future purchasing policies and commitments as a company.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have other sustainability-related initiatives (e.g. health and wellness initiatives, making culturally diverse options available)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit provides information regarding healthy choices for active students, who comprise a large part of the student population, as well as feature rotating ethically diverse dinner and lunch specials. Sustainability and well-being is at the heart of what Dining Services by Bon Appetit does. For example, they host monthly Well Being Wednesday to educate guests about a variety of healthy eating topics, such as healthy fat and whole grain consumption, and always make culturally diverse options available in the café.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor participate in a competition or commitment program and/or use a food waste prevention system to track and improve its food management practices?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit prepares food from scratch and practices "batch-cooking" in order to not prepare more food than needed.

Dining Services by Bon Appetit has partnered with our campus chapter of the Food Recovery Network to donate leftover food to Martha's Kitchen, a nearby soup-kitchen in San Jose. Also, they closely follow the EPA Food Recovery Hierarchy and have been named to the USDA U.S Food Loss and Waste 2030 Champion list, pledging to take tangible steps to reduce waste by 50% by 2030.


Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented trayless dining (in which trays are removed from or not available in dining halls) and/or modified menus/portions to reduce post-consumer food waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:

Dining Services by Bon Appetit has implemented trayless dining. Many meal stations also serve customers directly, allowing them to dictate if they would like smaller portions or not be served an item they will not eat.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
Yes

A brief description of the food donation program:

SCU established our chapter of Food Recovery Network (FRN) in May 2014. Multiple times per week, volunteers pick up excess food from Dining Services' kitchens and then drive it to a local food bank, which later redistributes to multiple food banks and soup kitchens. As of February 2017, SCU's FRN has recovered 7 tons of food for donation.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses (e.g. converting cooking oil to fuel, on-site anaerobic digestion)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:

Filta Fryer comes weekly to collect cooking oil and containment boxes from the kitchens on campus. This service extends the lifespan of cooking oil, thus minimizing waste.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:

Beginning in 2009, a multitude of compost collection bins have been placed throughout the kitchen prep spaces and behind cafe counters, with additional bins being added or moved as need to support the staff. The Center for Sustainability attends Dining Services by Bon Appetit "10 at 10" minutes to educate staff members on proper waste diversion practices. To supplement this information, extensive signage regarding proper waste diversion is posted above disposal receptacles.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:

Compost collection bins at the dish return make it simple for students to sort their waste, as well as throughout the dining hall and campus cafe areas.

Compost bins are provided adjacent to all recycling and landfill waste containers in Santa Clara's dining hall, all academic buildings, and all residence halls. Residence halls have compost collection bins for paper towels in their restrooms, and students can receive a free in-room compost collection container.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable service ware program:

Reusable, washable dishware is available at the main dining hall. Eco-trays, a reusable to-go container, is also available for usage at every campus cafe. These can be brought anywhere and then returned to a cafe to be washed and redistributed.

Students may also choose disposable serviceware, which is recyclable or compostable.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor provide reusable and/or third party certified compostable containers and service ware for “to-go” meals (in conjunction with an on-site composting program)?:
Yes

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:

Students are encourage to dine-in with reusable serviceware. If students need to take their food to-go, they have a variety of compostable options available including clamshells and salad tupperwares from the ECO-products brand which are ASTM certified compostable, as well as Greenware products which are BPI certified compostable to ASTM standards. Dining Services by Bon Appetit also offers compostable Coke drink cups and compostable straws. All compostable to-go ware can be disposed of at compost collection bins campus-wide. Eco-trays are also available at all campus cafes; eco-trays are resuable plastic clamshell containers that students pay a small, one-time fee for and then can return the tray to any cafe to be washed and redistributed.


Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:

Customers who use their own reusable mug receive a $0.10 discount at SCU cafes.


Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented other materials management initiatives to minimize waste not covered above (e.g. working with vendors and other entities to reduce waste from food packaging)?:
Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:

An “Eco-Tray” membership can be purchased for $5. Students receive a key chain that they exchange for a clean and sanitized tray when they order their meal to go. They can drop off the dirty tray at any venue and pick up the key chain to start the exchange over again.

Dining Services by Bon Appetit reduces waste in their supply chain by purchasing through Bon Appétit’s Imperfectly Delicious Produce program – a program that was developed to create markets for cosmetically imperfect produce that would otherwise go to waste on farms and in processing.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives 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.