Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.09
Liaison Shane Stennes
Submission Date Jan. 11, 2023

STARS v2.2

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.43 / 6.00 Carley Rice
Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Management
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on products that are sustainably or ethically produced:
0

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
47.80

An inventory of food and beverage purchases that qualify as sustainably/ethically produced:
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):
Timeframe: January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019. The inventory was conducted using MaetaData's Open Fields platform.

We acknowledge that the attached food inventory is not detailed or comprehensive. The university has since contracted a new dining supplier. We will have a more complete inventory in the future. The inventory attached is all we have available to us for the reporting period.

If reporting Real/Good Food Calculator results, provide:

Website URL where the institution’s validated Real/Good Food Calculator results are publicly posted:
Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the inventory/assessment?:
Present? Included?
Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution No No
Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor Yes Yes
Student-run food/catering services Yes No
Franchises (e.g., regional or global brands) Yes No
Convenience stores Yes Yes
Vending services Yes No
Concessions Yes No

Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
$5 million - $9.9 million

Optional Fields

A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
M Dining sources local food from the University of Minnesota student organic farm (Cornercopia and The University of Minnesota Bee Lab. Additional local foods in 2017-2018 were purchased from our food distributors BIX and Sysco who provide a local hot sheet weekly. In addition to local, our dining services seeks to purchase 100% sustainable seafood utilizing the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch Guide. All of our pineapple is Rainforest Alliance Certified. Our coffee and tea program on campus utilizes Fair Trade, Organic and Rainforest Alliance products for the overwhelming majority of our coffee and tea purchases.

Website URL where information about the food and beverage purchasing program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The inventory from 2019 provided is as recent as we have due to the COVID 19 pandemic preventing a more recent inventory. Percentage is likely higher, but an assessment aligning with 2.2 standards could not be completed

While data for this STARS report was being collected, the University issued an RFP for dining services providers and selected Chartwells to provide services beginning in July 2022. The data above references practices of the prior dining services provider, Aramark.

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.