| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.80 |
| Liaison | Corey Peterson |
| Submission Date | June 2, 2022 |
University of Tasmania
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.38 / 6.00 |
Sustainability
Team UTAS Infrastructure Services and Development |
"---"
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:
9.54
Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
27.06
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):
All University's café operators were asked to provide information on expenditure per food type and to identify any sustainable or ethically produced food. The inventory provided was reviewed and refined by the University's Sustainability Team to ensure relevance of products. Other minor food and beverage providers are not included because of the difficulty of obtaining data (e.g., food vans for events). Data provided is for 2021 calendar year
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 | No | No |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor | Yes | Yes |
| Student-run food/catering services | No | No |
| Franchises (e.g., regional or global brands) | No | No |
| Convenience stores | No | No |
| Vending services | Yes | No |
| Concessions | No | No |
Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
$1 million - $4.9 million
Optional Fields
The University of Tasmania started transitioning to a principles based catering model in mid-2021. This move supports the University’s strategic objective of being a placed-based institution, and where sustainability is core to service offerings as well as providing opportunities for local providers and suppliers to engage with the University at the local level which will help to embed the University’s placed-based model across Tasmania.
The food strategy is underpinned by a food charter that has been developed by one of the technical working groups in close consultation (co-designed) with students, staff and the community. The key focus of the charter is that the on campus offerings be:
1) Sustainable Food – food on-campus does not compromise the environmental, health, economic and social wellbeing of present and future generations. We define sustainable food as “food that is healthy and produced in a humane, environmentally-friendly, socially responsible and economically fair way”
2) Healthy Food – enables people the thrive by making healthy choices easy choices. In Tasmania we know that we have some of the worst health statistics in the nation. We also know that Tasmanian children and adults do not eat enough vegetables which can offer protection from chronic conditions such as diabetes (stats are 90% of Tasmanian do not eat enough veg ref Eat Well Tas). We need to green-up our on campus menus not only for our health but for our planet as well.
3) Fair food – all people have access to and the means to choose and obtain safe, healthy, local and culturally acceptable food on-campuses. We know that from the March 2020 survey that 38% of UTAS students had experienced food insecurity, which is much higher than the Tasmanian population. We also know that 50% of students perceived that food on campus was unaffordable and they preferred to eat locally grown food if possible.
4) Local Food – food on campus is produced and harvested in Tasmania supporting local farmers and suppliers. Evidence indicates our students aspire to grow, cook and eat their own food which is where a campus community garden / urban agriculture strategy is critical. We also know that supporting local food procurement creates jobs, it has the multiplier effect where 50% of money spent in local business is retained in the local economy, farm viability and indirectly health (Rose, 2014)
5) Informed Food – co-designed with students and staff combining research and education
The food strategy is underpinned by a food charter that has been developed by one of the technical working groups in close consultation (co-designed) with students, staff and the community. The key focus of the charter is that the on campus offerings be:
1) Sustainable Food – food on-campus does not compromise the environmental, health, economic and social wellbeing of present and future generations. We define sustainable food as “food that is healthy and produced in a humane, environmentally-friendly, socially responsible and economically fair way”
2) Healthy Food – enables people the thrive by making healthy choices easy choices. In Tasmania we know that we have some of the worst health statistics in the nation. We also know that Tasmanian children and adults do not eat enough vegetables which can offer protection from chronic conditions such as diabetes (stats are 90% of Tasmanian do not eat enough veg ref Eat Well Tas). We need to green-up our on campus menus not only for our health but for our planet as well.
3) Fair food – all people have access to and the means to choose and obtain safe, healthy, local and culturally acceptable food on-campuses. We know that from the March 2020 survey that 38% of UTAS students had experienced food insecurity, which is much higher than the Tasmanian population. We also know that 50% of students perceived that food on campus was unaffordable and they preferred to eat locally grown food if possible.
4) Local Food – food on campus is produced and harvested in Tasmania supporting local farmers and suppliers. Evidence indicates our students aspire to grow, cook and eat their own food which is where a campus community garden / urban agriculture strategy is critical. We also know that supporting local food procurement creates jobs, it has the multiplier effect where 50% of money spent in local business is retained in the local economy, farm viability and indirectly health (Rose, 2014)
5) Informed Food – co-designed with students and staff combining research and education
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:
There are currently eight food outlets across all Tasmanian campuses.
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.