| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 69.47 |
| Liaison | Sally DeLeon |
| Submission Date | Feb. 28, 2019 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Maryland, College Park
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.45 / 6.00 |
Allison
Lilly Assistant Director, New Initiatives Dining Services |
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):
UMD Dining Services has formed a Sustainable Food Committee with the endorsement of the University Sustainability Council to advise the department in the development of sustainable goals and strategies. Through an ongoing and collaborative process with the Committee, UMD Dining Services is committed to promoting sustainable food at the University of Maryland and to meeting the following benchmarks:
1) 1-4% annual increase in sustainable foods purchases (meeting the criteria identified for sustainable food categories including local, fair, humane, and ecologically sound) based on financial feasibility and product availability
2) Annual, incremental increases in sourcing from local growers, with special emphasis on Maryland growers and harvesters
3) Annual, incremental increases in sourcing unprocessed, whole foods
4) 20% sustainable food by 2020 (achieved in 2014 using UMD's criteria which include local and sustainably-sourced foods in addition to those accounted for in STARS 2.1)
Overall, there are four primary objectives for the sustainable food program at UMD Dining Services:
1) UMD Dining Services mitigates environmental impact by using local and sustainable food sources
2) UMD Dining Services leverages buying power to encourage availability of healthier food choices
3) Changes in healthy food availability and promotion increases UMD community health and wellness
4) UMD Dining Services promotes community engagement and education about sustainable food issues
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):
A student intern who works with Dining Services completed the analysis for this report. Data for all food purchased between August 14th, 2017 and December 31, 2017 was requested with assistance from Dining Services business staff from UMD's Distributors as well as other suppliers, including UMD's own TerpFarm. Since 2012, this time period has always been used for tracking metrics related to UMD's Sustainable Food Commitment and best encompasses the impacts of UMD's investment in running its own farm to grow produce locally with community involvement. The student intern presented results to the Sustainable Food Committee and included recommendations for improving UMD's score on this STARS Credit.
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 | No | No |
| Student-run food/catering services | Yes | 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 :
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:
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.