Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 74.20
Liaison Juanita Van Norman
Submission Date Aug. 5, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Manitoba
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.88 / 2.00 Michael Yarymowich
Director, Sustainability
Aramark Canada
"---" 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 University of Manitoba hosted its first-ever Farmers’ Market in July 2019. The outdoor market was organized by the Office of Sustainability and operated every second Tuesday throughout June, July and August. The concept for the market was to increase access to fresh foods, support a healthy community, reduce carbon emissions from long-haul transportation, support local businesses and encourage consumers to reconnect with the land. The Farmers’ Market has been put on hold in result of COVID-19.

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:
UM Healthy Kitchen prioritizes the use of local, from-scratch ingredients for all food produced through this vendor. In addition, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified foods are purchased to ensure that all seafood is caught sustainably and that the vendor is doing its part to be supportive of healthy oceans, food security, and the preservation of livelihoods.

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:
Some SMEs that UM supports include: Gunn’s Bakery, City Bread, Bothwell Cheese, Dunnrite, Nature’s Farm. All contain 100 or fewer employees at each company.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
8

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:
UM Dining Services / Aramark menu features recipes from the Plant Forward program. The move to more plant-forward menus is better for the health of the University community, and good for the planet as well. There is a focus on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and a reduced amount of animal-based proteins on the menus. This creates plant-forward versions of recipes from all menu categories without sacrificing quality or flavour. Hundreds of plant-forward recipes have been created as part of this program already, and the culinary development team is constantly working on new innovations focused on additional climate-friendly menu attributes. The Resident Dining menu features at least one Plant Forward-focussed recipe on their menu daily.

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:
Degrees Diner and Pembina Hall are two food locations on campus that offer a complete-protein vegan dining experience. At Pembina Hall, there is always a salad bar in addition to a vegan entrée at mealtimes. Food descriptions are placed near the food being served so customers know exactly what is in a dish. There are chefs are on location to address any additional questions.

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:
Vegan and vegetarian options are clearly labeled at dining services outlets. Outlets selling Fair Trade products also have signage as per the Fair Trade designation guidelines. Electronic signage and postering around the dining service areas on campus highlight vegetarian and vegan options.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
Aramark introduced the Leanpath waste management system in 2017 which allows employees to actively monitor waste by measuring and documenting photos of all organics not being used in the kitchen. Leanpath automates this information to ensure that program enhancements and maintenance are easy and data-driven.

Leanpath also helps managers provide instant feedback and set immediate targets for improvement.

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/618660626/48-49/
https://blog.leanpath.com/aramark-implements-leanpath-cutting-edge-food-waste-tracking-technology

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:
The main UM Dining Services area at Fort Garry Campus has implemented trayless dining for all food outlets.

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:
At the beginning of Fall 2021, Dining Services has partnered with Second Harvest Food Rescue, a program and app that seeks out locations that could use the food donations.

UM has a food bank which the University of Manitoba Students’ Union (UMSU) stocks with donations or purchased goods. The food bank can be used by all students enrolled in the current academic term.

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?:
No

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
---

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:
All UM Dining Services locations practice pre-consumer organics collection. There are collection bins in all kitchens across all independent and Ancillary Services managed businesses. The program is operated in partnership with the Office of Sustainability. To date, 54,175 kg of organic waste has been collected from Dining Services and diverted from the landfill.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
---

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:
Pembina Hall, Belltower Café, Daily Bread Café, Degrees Diner and the Hub have reusable service ware available for all meals.

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:
Pembina Hall Fresh Food Company provides Resident Students with a reusable food and drink container to have their meals to go. They also source compostable take-out containers for their retail locations.

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:
The Lug-A-Mug program is in place at all dining outlets on campuses - if someone brings their own reusable mug they will be automatically provided a 25-cent discount.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Halal options are available at Degrees Diner, The Hub, and Pembina Hall.

https://news.umanitoba.ca/u-of-m-to-host-first-ever-outdoor-farmers-market/
https://umanitoba.ca/sustainability/waste-reduction#!rc-cpage=623237
https://umanitoba.ca/campus-services#eat-on-campus
https://news.umanitoba.ca/bannatyne-campus-to-receive-fair-trade-designation/
https://www.aramark.ca/sustainability/les-gens/empowering-healthy-consumers
https://umanitoba.ca/financial-aid-and-awards/u-m-food-bank

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://umanitoba.ca/sustainability/sustainability-initiatives/land-and-food

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.