Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.46
Liaison Brandon Raco
Submission Date Sept. 2, 2020

STARS v2.2

University of Guelph
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, 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 Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farmer hosts a weekly market from June to the end of September. Hospitality Services purchases produce from the The Guelph Urban Organic Farm on a weekly basis.

Sustainability-themed outlet

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
The ‘100 Mile Grille’ only uses ingredients from within 100 miles of campus. In fact, they often use vegetables or fruit grown on campus. Every from meat, to condiments are sourced from within 100 miles of campus, and produced on site. The 100 Mile Wall of Fame lists all the local suppliers that the 100 Mile Grille sources from.

https://onehundredmilemark.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/100-mile-grille-u-of-guelph-farm-gate-to-campus-plate.pdf

Inclusive and local sourcing

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor support disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its food and beverage purchasing?:
Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Hospitality Services sources from various social enterprises and/or local SMEs. For example, UOG sources from the Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative. The Elmira Produce Auction Cooperative Inc. (EPAC) is a locally owned corporation established in 2004. Owned and operated by members of the farming community, EPAC supports local growers by creating a new market for regional produce. The goal is to increase family farm revenue by encouraging local farms to diversify into higher value crops like seasonal fruit and produce. The regular wholesale market provides a consistent sales outlet for local farms willing to invest in fruit and vegetable production. All produce must be grown within a 120 kilometer radius of the auction to be included in the sale.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
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Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Hospitality Services is Food Forward partner committed to reducing meat protein by 20% by emphasizing transitioning to plant-based proteins.

For example Hospitality Services now serves the "Sustainable Steak Burger" - which is locally made by our supplier VG Meats - a 100% Ontario beef burger made with 28% mushroom stems (which would be food waste if not used) - this reduces our meat based protein for a more sustainable menu option, while at the same time helping to reduce food waste from the waste stream.

Vegan dining program 

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:
Nature’s Best (Creelman Hall & UC Food Court) specializes in exclusively meatless options

Labelling and signage 

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

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Items that are locally sourced, certified organic, MSC certified or Fair Trade certified are labeled in all dining halls.

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

Food recovery program

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?:
No

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
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Trayless dining and portion modifications 

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:
In the UC food court, customers can serve themselves at Mom’s Kitchen and Nature’s Best. This gives you the ability to dish up exactly as much as you’re hungry for, helping reduce the amount of food wasted.

https://news.uoguelph.ca/2019/10/changes-in-uc-food-court-resetting-the-table/

Food donation 

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:
Through a partnership with Meal Share, Hospitality Services donated 4 tonnes of food that would have otherwise been destined to our post-consumer composting program.

Food materials diversion 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
In 2019, Hospitality Services diverted approximately 21 tonnes of used cooking oil to be recycling into bio-fuel. Food scraps are also picked up by a local pig farmer in the summer months to feed their livestock with food scraps that are not appropriate for human consumption.

Composting 

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:
Foodscraps generated in campus kitchens is collected and composted at the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming.

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:
The University of Guelph currently has multiple composting programs working in tandem. The compost we collect on campus is used on campus grounds and at our campus student farm, the Guelph Centre for Urban Organic Farming. In 2019, 126 metric tonnes of post-consumer organic waste was diverted from landfill and composted on campus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiZ6THibdjI&feature=emb_title

Dine-in service ware 

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:
All dining halls provide reusable service ware for "dine in" meals. Single-use compostable take-out containers are only available in one dining hall, but at a cost of $1 per takeout container.

https://news.uoguelph.ca/2019/10/changes-in-uc-food-court-resetting-the-table/

Take-away materials 

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:
Reduce: choose china plates, beverage tumblers and stainless cutlery when you’re dining in the UC. Drop off your used dishes at one of the two sorting stations (by Starbucks or the back seating area past Mom’s Kitchen). Compostable takeout containers cost $1 as a way to disincentives single-use takeout container use.

"I am Reusable" take-out container program launched in the University Centre 6 Food Court, in 2011. Two sizes of reusable eco-takeout containers are available for purchase. We have a soup bowl-sized and a larger meal container. These containers are dishwasher safe, lockable, and are 100% BPA free.

https://news.uoguelph.ca/2019/10/changes-in-uc-food-court-resetting-the-table/

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

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
IAMReusable Program provides customers with discounts on hot beverages when they use a reusable mug. The

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
https://hospitality.uoguelph.ca/system/files/Food%20Recovery%20Initiative.pdf
https://www.macleans.ca/education/university-of-guelph-best-campus-food-in-canada/

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://sustainability.uoguelph.ca/operations/food-consumption/

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.