University of Massachusetts Amherst
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing

The attached sample is from our working spreadsheet of sustainable/local food sourcing. This is specifically for our local dairy purchases for residential and retail locations. This particular spreadsheet is comparing the first half of FY14 to the first half of FY15. There are similar sheets for all categories of food items.

-Currently halfway through a grant project to increase local food sourcing and creation of a cost defensible model for other institutions. - Signed Real Food Challenge Campus Commitment - One local farm (Joe Czajkowski Farm, just 2 miles from campus) brokers for additional local farms in order to allow UMass Dining to source as much local produce as possible. Because of this relationship we are able to source local produce from a consortium of about 20 local farms - All seafood served through UMass Dining is certified sustainably sourced using Seafood WATCH guidelines - 100% cage-freel local, heirloom hard shell eggs - We source produce from the UMass Student Farming Enterprise and our on-campus permaculture gardens in addition to our local farms - Working to supply the dining commons with more local vegetables off season using individually quick frozen (IQF) techniques to extend the time that we can supply local fruits and vegetables - We source free range turkeys from Diemand Farms located within 20 miles of campus - We have an agreement with our prime produce vendor that local and regionally sourced items should be used fisrt before sourcing elsewhere. - We source some free range local chicken, beef and pork within 250 miles from campus for use in Hampshire Dining Commons. -100% local honey -Local maple syrup -Sourcing more underutilized, local "trash fish" -All spring rolls are sourced from a local family restaurant who hand roll the product. About a third contain local vegetables when seasonally appropriate.

A 2 person team composed of the Sustainable Food Systems Coordinator and an outside consultant work with UMass Dining's purchasing software, FoodPro, to research past spending habits of local and sustainable foods. Through this process, the team is able to have an in depth understanding of what was purchased when and to where it went. This advises projections for future spending to ensure that UMass Dining meets its local/sustainable sourcing goals. This is an in-depth process that is then presented to a team including sustainability, purchasing, and dining for review and ultimate approval.

For the last year, UMass Dining has been working to transform one of our four dining commons into a model for sustainability, health and wellness that is cost defensible. This grant funded To do this, we have needed to explore cutting edge and creative solutions in menu design, operational culture, and local food sourcing. We will be releasing a how-to-guide highlighting best practices for a local/sustainable food initiative in 2015.