| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 85.89 |
| Liaison | Jennifer Andrews |
| Submission Date | Oct. 24, 2024 |
University of New Hampshire
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.46 / 6.00 |
Jennifer
Andrews Project Director Sustainability Institute |
Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on products that are sustainably or ethically produced:
Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
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):
The full record of purchases for UNH Dining and Catering for fiscal year 2023 was included in this analysis. As a result, seasonal variation is accounted for. Interns and staff at the Sustainability Institute at UNH worked with UNH Dining to collect expenditure data from all UNH food vendors, including local vendors.
Certified/verified purchases:
Interns researched the sustainability attributes of the products to determine if they were-third party certified. The third-party certification types included in our dataset are USDA Organic, Fair Trade, American Humane Certified, Best Aquaculture Practices, Marine Stewardship Council, Gulf of Maine Research Institute Certified, and Animal Welfare Approved. The inventory only includes the products purchased during FY23 that meet sustainability criteria.
Institution-affirmed production:
After researching vendors, we have six local vendors that use sustainability criteria but are not third party certified. Those six vendors are Cabot Creamery, Fantini, Jackfruit Company, NH Mushroom Company, Rolling Hills Farm, and the UNH Educational High Tunnels.
Plant-based purchases:
We reviewed our entire food inventory to identify expenditures on plant-based purchases, following the STARS criteria. The full list of plant-based items is reported in our STARS reporting template. It includes produce, grains, and plant-based alternatives (e.g., tofu).
If reporting Real/Good Food Calculator results, provide:
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 | Yes | Yes |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor | No | No |
| Student-run food/catering services | No | No |
| Franchises (e.g., regional or global brands) | Yes | No |
| Convenience stores | Yes | No |
| Vending services | Yes | No |
| Concessions | Yes | No |
Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
Optional Fields
UNH Dining is committed to being an active part of a sustainable food community that promotes healthy food systems from farm to fork to health and nutrition outcomes. Through the Local Harvest Initiative, UNH Dining is focuses on serving locally, regionally, and sustainably grown, produced, and manufactured items to the greatest extent possible. Many of these items are included regularly in the dining halls and campus retail outlets, and others are purchased for special events such as the annual Local Harvest Feast and Sustainable Seafood Dinners.
Serving locally and regionally grown, produced, and manufactured items ensures that the food served is the freshest possible while helping to support our local economy, a vibrant regional agricultural infrastructure, and a healthy food system. We look for farms, fisheries, and food producers or manufacturers located within a 250 mile radius from UNH. Additional criteria that UNH Dining considers in its purchasing decisions include:
USDA Certified Organic:
Examples of USDA Certified Organic foods served on campus include Stonyfield Farms yogurt, Pierce Bros Coffee, Teatulia, Grandy Oats granola, and Heiwa tofu.
Fair Trade Certified:
UNH’s two Dining Halls serve Pierce Brothers Coffee, which is Certified Fair Trade. (As a resutl of student enaggement and leadership, UNH is also a Fair Trade University.)
Certified Humane:
One of UNH’s biggest sources of animals products is Maine Family Farms, which is Certified Humane and Animal Welfare Approved. Nellie's Nest eggs are also Certified Humane.
Seafood Certifications:
UNH Dining utilizes a variety of criteria and third-party labeling programs when sourcing their seafood, including the Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested program for verification of locally sourced species such as mussels and redfish, Marine Stewardship Council certification and Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) for farmed species such as salmon, and purchasing directly from local fleets when possible. They also use Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch as a reference. For the locally sourced products, UNH Dining is able to provide educational information to their customers about the species that are being served such as scallops, Atlantic Pollock or skate wing and their origins in the Gulf of Maine. As a result of student engagement, UNH signed onto a set of Slow Fish Principles in 2014 that were developed along with the international Slow Food organization. The principles help guide their seafood procurement towards supporting local fishermen, underutilized species, traceability, and education of their customers.
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 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.