Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 69.72
Liaison Jim Walker
Submission Date June 6, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Texas at Austin
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.15 / 6.00
"---" 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:
2.23

Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
33.93

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):

Beginning in December of 2021, the Sustainability Coordinator within UHD worked with suppliers to receive full purchase reports for fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Only 3 out of our 5 food suppliers provided the information in time for reporting, which accounted for 70-90% of our total food spend. From these reports, the Sustainability Coordinator worked with a student intern to assess each product and determine if it fit within the definitions of “sustainable” and “plant-based,” as defined by AASHE STARS 2.2.


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 Yes Yes
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) Yes No
Convenience stores Yes No
Vending services Yes No
Concessions Yes No

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

A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:

UT Austin is a member of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a nationwide network of colleges and universities using campus dining halls as living laboratories for behavior change. UT Austin is also a Cool Food Pledge signatory and as such, has committed to a 25% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with food 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 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.