Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 75.01
Liaison Jen Crothers
Submission Date Aug. 4, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of British Columbia
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.18 / 4.00 Victoria Wakefield
Purchasing Manager
Student Housing and Hospitality Services
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
54.40

A copy of an inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:
An inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:

See attached inventory for summary list of local suppliers and types of products/certifications sourced.


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (food and beverage expenditures for on-site franchises, convenience stores, vending services, or concessions)?:
No

Percentage of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending services, and concessions food and beverage purchases that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
---

A copy of an inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:
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An inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:

UBC Food Services sources a variety of products from a variety of local suppliers. Some of the food and beverage highlights for our vending and convenience stores include:
- Sip Natural Craft Soda (based in Vancouver)
- Happy Planet (based in Vancouver)
- Hardbite Snack items (based in Vancouver)
- K&K snack and vending supplies (Candies, nuts and snack food) based in Vancouver

UBC Food Services currently measures and monitors Food Service sourcing for total spend inclusive of all business units but does not measure convenience, franchise and vending on their own.


A brief description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:

UBC Food Services has adopted a “local definition” for food service products that states all items that are raised, grown, processed or produced 150 miles from campus are considered local. Monthly measuring and annual reporting is required. UBC is also a FairTrade campus, the first campus to become FairTrade certified in Canada.

UBC Food Services prioritizes planning menus around sustainable products and services and making ethical choices for procuring everything from food, packaging and services. Initiatives include the following:
• Fresh seafood is 100% Ocean Wise certified meaning species are non-endangered and caught using sustainable fishing practices.
• Fresh poultry is free run, Halal certified and locally sourced.
• All whole shell eggs come from free run hens.
• Coffee served in non-franchised outlets is 100% fair trade, locally roasted, organic and shade grown.
• Tea served is 100% fair trade and organic, sourced from Zhena’s Gypsy Teas.
• Produce is locally-sourced and served in season whenever possible.
• UBC Farm produce incorporated into menus at Sage and Point Grill restaurants, Totem and Vanier Dining Rooms, and in our delicious house-made soups and stews served across campus.
• Take-out packaging is compostable or recyclable.
• Cooking oil is collected from residence dining rooms and made into biodiesel.

Food Services partners with the UBC SEEDS Sustainability Program (sustain.ubc.ca/seeds) to research more sustainable dining service operations and purchasing options. Completed projects available online at: http://sustain.ubc.ca/courses-teaching/seeds/seeds-library.

UBC Food Services currently measures and monitors Food Service sourcing for total spend inclusive of all business units, but does not measure convenience, franchise and vending on their own, which is an area for potential development. Totals for local and ethically sourced food is at 54% for this reporting period for overall food sourcing.

In addition UBC Food Services adopted a Supplier Code of Conduct (SCC) that sets the ethical performance expectations for suppliers of goods, services and equipment. The goal of the SCC is to ensure safe and healthy workplaces for the people who manufacture products for UBC, where human and civil rights conditions are in compliance with the core labour conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Purchasing includes and applies the SCC criteria as part of its contract award process. All University suppliers and their subcontractors/suppliers must follow the SCC to the best of their ability in intent and in spirit.


A brief description of the methodology used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases:

UBC Food Services tracks and measures sustainable food and beverage purchases using velocity reports provided directly from our suppliers.

UBC Food Services has set up sustainable measurement categories and requires our food suppliers to provide total spend in the related categories. We also track the number of local farms we source from in a given year.

FairTrade and Certified Ocean Wise certified products are included as well as culturally specific items such as Halal Certified.


Total annual food and beverage expenditures:
10,669,509 US/Canadian $

Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the total food and beverage expenditure figures?:
Present? Included?
Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution Yes Yes
Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor No No
Franchises No No
Convenience stores Yes Yes
Vending services Yes Yes
Concessions Yes Yes

Has the institution achieved the following?:
Yes or No
Fair Trade Campus, College or University status Yes
Certification under the Green Seal Standard for Restaurants and Food Services (GS-46) No
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification Yes
Signatory of the Real Food Campus Commitment (U.S.) No

A brief description of other sustainable restaurant and food service standards that the institution’s dining services operations are certified under:
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The website URL where information about the institution's sustainable food and beverage purchasing efforts is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

UBC Food Services is the primary food service provider on campus and is a 100% self-funded, ancillary operation of UBC. http://www.food.ubc.ca/about-us


UBC Food Services is the primary food service provider on campus and is a 100% self-funded, ancillary operation of UBC. http://www.food.ubc.ca/about-us

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.