Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 65.89
Liaison Jonathan Rausseo
Submission Date Nov. 25, 2021

STARS v2.2

University of Ottawa
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Maryann Moffitt
Dietitian and Food Liaison Officer
Food Services
"---" 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:
Health Promotions works with Student Life to offer a local, organic CSA on campus during the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons. The program is available to people on and off-campus.

Food Services operates a hydroponic farm in a freight container on campus. At peak capacity it can produce 5,000 kilograms of food annually.

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:
The University had several restaurants that had sustainability themes, but more and more sustainability themes are making their way into all the food outlets on campus.
- Cafe Nostalgica is a graduate student run restaurant on campus that focuses on fair trade and vegetarian/vegan options for the campus. They are sensitive to food pricing and partner with local growers.
- Premiere Moisson is a franchise specialty bakery from Montreal that offers local, fair trade options.

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:
Food Services at uOttawa specifically sought out a partnership with la Laiterie de l'Outaouais, a farm COOP that specializes in sourcing milk from local farmers.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
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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:
Food Services hosts a variety of events to bring awareness to food issues and to deal specifically with food waste and alternatives.

Environment Week - Food Services hosted a low impact dining event each semester, offering alternatives to beef and meat substitutes in the dining hall to raise awareness about the impacts of our food choices.

Fair Trade Campus Week - Food Services participates in FTC week, partnering up with groups on campus to offer Fair Trade food options and raise awareness about Fair Trade and what it means.

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:
The Dining Hall has a special vegan food stations and offers vegan and vegetarian entrees throughout the dining hall, such as veggie burgers at the Grill, tofu options in the Made-to-order pasta station and soy and almond milk consistently available. Furthermore, there are contractual obligations for minimum numbers of vegan soups, stews and vegan proteins.

Otherwise, a wide variety of vegetarian/vegan items are available in most locations on campus. Most food items are identified with logos or complete ingredient information to let consumers know if they contain no meat, fish, poultry or shellfish. Satellite locations do their own signage/promotion differently, but all are required to do so to some degree.

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:
Fair Trade labelling of coffees, teas and chocolates on products and signage to explain what Fair Trade is and how it impacts workers and the environment.

MSC signage in the dining hall to remind people to chose MSC fish.

Signage to indicate vegan and vegetarian 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:
Food Services has programs that address the front and back of house waste management operations.

Food preparation is closely monitored to ensure that items are used well before their best before date. A program also exists to donate some foods to a local soup kitchen (St-Joe's supper table).

Food Services also organizes a program to help reduce food wasted by the consumer. Food that is not consumed near the end of the day is also donated to charities.

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:
At the University of Ottawa, Food Services strives to reduce the impact of food waste on the environment. By eliminating trays, we not only contribute to reduced food waste but also encourage students to take the time to savour each bite, which can also help them develop healthier eating habits. Over time, trayless dining will also reduce the use of water, electricity and dish soap, helping to contribute to an overall more eco-friendly environment.

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:
Food that is nearing its 'best before date' is collected by our food service provider and donated to four local charities. This program currently applies to food offered through our food service provider and food in our vending machines.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Cooking oil from the kitchen and satellite locations is recycled into biofuel. All food waste (pre and post-consumer) is composted. Compost bins are located throughout the kitchen and dining hall, and all food waste is collected by waste contractors for composting off campus.

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:
Staff in the kitchen areas are trained and equipped with bins to compost the cast-aways from the food preparation process.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Compost bins are are installed in the dining hall and food service areas for consumers to compost any materials they may have. Food Services has converted the majority of their take-away containers to be compostable and requires the same of any third-party providers on campus.

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:
The main dining hall is equipped with reusable cutlery, glassware, and dining ware. No disposable dishware is available in the dining hall.

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:
Nearly all to-go meal containers are compostable.
Our contract specifies that all locations on campus use cups and covers should be made of recycled and recyclable materials, and single use items will be recyclable or compostable, including napkins, plates, forks, knives, clear dome containers, and hot hinged food take away containers. Specifically, napkins, forks, knives, spoons, paper plates, and paper cups are compostable.

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:
All food service locations on campus offer a discount on coffee if you bring a reusable mug. Currently a pilot project is underway to introduce reusable containers on campus, starting with the dining hall.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
Health and Wellness - Food Services work with campus partners to promote healthier food options. There are information kiosks available in the dining hall and online to help guide choices about healthy options. A Dietitian and Food Liaison Officer has also been hired on staff to work specifically on health and sustainability issues.

Culturally diverse options – All whole chicken, beef and lamb served in the dining hall is Halal. We opened the first Quesada restaurant in Canada serving Halal chicken and beef. Our dining hall has a station permanently dedicated to international cuisine; while this may be tacos or butter chicken, it also includes bisteeya, tagines, and traditional staples like mesir wat, an Ethiopian red lentil stew.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://sustainable.uottawa.ca/sustainable-food-systems

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
More waste management details
http://sustainable.uottawa.ca/waste-diversion

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.