| Overall Rating | Platinum - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.82 |
| Liaison | Richard Demerjian |
| Submission Date | March 28, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of California, Irvine
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.98 / 6.00 |
Lin
Tang Interim Director UCI Hospitality & Dining |
Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on products that are third party verified under one or more recognized food and beverage sustainability standards or Local & Community-Based:
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (expenditures on conventional animal products)? (If data is not available, respond “No”):
Percentage of total dining services food and beverage expenditures on conventional animal products (meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, and dairy products that do NOT qualify in either the Third Party Verified or Local & Community-Based category):
A brief description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program, including how the sustainability impacts of products in specific categories are addressed (e.g. meat, poultry, fish/seafood, eggs, dairy, produce, tea/coffee):
1. UCI Hospitality and Dining/Aramark collaborate with produce vendors to source local foods from within 250 miles of campus. Our produce vendor, Freshpoint Produce Company, sends a “Hot Sheet” weekly that indicates what produce is locally sourced. UCI then works this into its menu mix where appropriate.
2. UC Irvine includes a minimum amount of certified organic items on its residential dining salad bar.
3. Organic Greens To Go, a retail dining location on campus, features made-to-order items where the majority of the menu selections are certified organic.
4. All seafood purchases must meet the Monterey Bay Aquarium Guidelines for Sustainable Seafood.
5. All coffee products purchased for residential dining and Java City Coffee locations are Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance certified, organic or a combination of two or more of these categories.
6. All eggs served on campus are cage-free.
An inventory of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchases that includes for each product: the description/type; label, brand or producer; and the category in which it is being counted and/or a description of its sustainability attribute(s):
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):
All food purchases are totaled from invoices for our dining locations and classified as to whether they are sustainable or conventional using AASHE STARS 2.1.3 list of applicable third-party verified products or products that are both local and community-based (using STARS 2.1.3 definitions). The inventory of products is entered into the STARS Food and Beverage Purchasing Inventory, and the percentage of STARS-applicable sustainable purchases is calculated from the total food and beverage spend.
In calculating the percentage, products are counted as sustainable if they meet either one or more of the approved third-party verified criteria or are both local and community-based. Any product that neither meets an approved third-party verified criteria nor is both local and community-based is considered conventional and used only to determine total spend, not sustainable spend.
Classification of products based on third-party verification and local+community-based status is done either by referencing labeling on invoices, where available (e.g. Java City labels which items are Rainforest Alliance Certified, Fair Trade Certified [FT USA] or Certified USDA Organic), or product and vendor research by our Sustainability Coordinator where an invoice does not list an applicable third-party verification, or where local+community-based status may apply.
Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food A (0-100):
Percentage of total dining services expenditures on Real Food B (0-100):
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 | Yes | Yes |
| Student-run food/catering services | No | No |
| Franchises (e.g. national or global brands) | Yes | No |
| Convenience stores | Yes | No |
| Vending services | Yes | No |
| Concessions | Yes | No |
A brief description of purchased food and beverage products that have other sustainability attributes not recognized above :
HEALTHY DINING
Empowering Americans to make better food choices is the goal of a breakthrough initiative between the American Heart Association®, the nation's largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, and Aramark, the largest U.S.-based food services provider. Aramark is the campus's primary food service contractor. Healthy for Life® 20 By 20, a five-year initiative, introduces industry leading menu commitments by reducing calories, saturated fat and sodium levels 20 percent, and increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains 20 percent.
FOOD SECURITY
In September 2017, UCI launched the FRESH Basic Needs Hub, a 2,318-square-foot space featuring a pantry stock with dried and canned goods, baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables, refrigerated items and emergency toiletries. FRESH, which stands for Food Resources Empowering Students with Hope, is a student initiated venture of the Student Outreach & Retention Center (SOAR) aimed at meeting the basic nutritional needs of UCI students so that they can achieve their academic goals. It is the largest and most comprehensive food pantry in the University of California system.
See: https://news.uci.edu/2017/10/02/a-souped-up-pantry/
and
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oa-taHofq7wPfEF7jHR7ZeVoYkudPyDhPuVJDD8D39s/edit
STUDENT MEAL DONATIONS
Zot Out Hunger is an initiative working to end student hunger at UCI. Students can donate up to 5 guest meal swipes to a peer each quarter. Donated meals are redistributed to UCI students who apply for the Emergency Meal Swipes Program.
See: http://www.basicneeds.uci.edu/get-involved/zoh.php
Additional percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures on conventional products with other sustainability attributes not recognized above (0-100) :
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:
Following AASHE Stars 2.1, all calculations include both residential dining commons, catering, 3 proprietary food courts. The locations included are operated by Aramark, the campus's primary food service contractor. Locations not included include national brands, sub-contracted, and independently operated locations.
Following AASHE Stars 2.1, all calculations include both residential dining commons, catering, 3 proprietary food courts. The locations included are operated by Aramark, the campus's primary food service contractor. Locations not included include national brands, sub-contracted, and independently operated locations.
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.