University of Texas at Austin
OP-8: Sustainable Dining
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Rocky
Baier Data Analyst and Reporting Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives
Local community engagement
A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
UT Farm Stand - biweekly, student-run produce market on campus. Foods are sourced from local farms or campus gardens and sold at discounted prices.
Sustainability-themed outlet
A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
Inclusive and local sourcing
A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
UHD prioritizes local enterprises for targeted food items. As a unit of a state agency, UHD complies with HUB procurement guidelines.
Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Low-impact dining
A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
University Housing and Dining hosts regular dining programs to promote sustainable foods and celebrate local farmers. Plant-based options have increased and improved with the support of a monthly vegan/vegetarian focus group. The University of Texas is the first university in the nation to be recognized by the Humane Society of the U.S. for achieving 50% plant-based entree items on the menu. We host Veggie Revolution dinners that showcase sustainable veggie options and no meat is served at these events. Our main produce supplier is local and has partnered with UT to source more local products. As a result of this partnership, our produce company now puts local produce in main slots for all of their vendors and are developing a robust local produce initiative.
Vegan dining program
A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Plant-based options are available in every serving line, including dessert. There is a complete plant-based meal offered every day at all locations. We work with sustainable alternative protein vendors, a local mushroom company, and a local tempeh company.
Labelling and signage
A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
Food waste educational materials are displayed throughout the dining halls. These materials encourage patrons to serve themselves with only what they think they can eat and explains the environmental impact of such waste. We also have compost education signage that helps students divert their food waste. Cool Food Project signage is also placed in our dining halls to help educate students on low-carbon footprint dining choices.
Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery
Food recovery program
A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
University Housing and Dining uses FoodPro management software with a forecasting program that adjusts the quantities of each dish depending on how much was left over from prior weeks.
Trayless dining and portion modifications
A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
UHD has removed trays from the buffets since 2008. This has led to an estimated 50% reduction in edible food waste.
Food donation
A brief description of the food donation program:
Food that is prepared but not served and expired retail food items are donated to a local soup kitchen (Angel House Soup Kitchen). Occasionally, fresh produce grown in the gardens or leftovers from the farmers market are donated to the campus food bank (UT Outpost).
Food materials diversion
A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Select prepacked food items are collected and distributed through the UT chapter of the Keep Austin Fed program. University Housing and Dining also provides unserved food to a local soup kitchen rather than dispose of in compost or landfill. We do back-of-house and front-of-house composting and have industrial compactors at both residential dining locations.
Composting
A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Kitchen scraps and expired foods are all composted through a commercial composting system. UHD’s composting contract was recently renewed with a vendor who has robust composting operations. We have two compost compactors that divert food materials from landfills.
Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
Post-consumer composting was recently reintroduced to the dining halls. Contamination has been mitigated by only offering compostable materials in the front of the house.
Dine-in service ware
A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Two of the buffets use entirely reusable serviceware. The third buffet will introduce reusables in late 2024 after construction is completed on a state-of-the-art dish return service connecting the dish washer on the second floor to the first floor. After this, disposables will not be used in dining halls. In many retail locations, metal forks, spoons, and knives are offered and collected at the waste stations, washed, and restocked.
Take-away materials
A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
The vast majority of "grab and go" items prepared in-house and sold in the retail locations are packaged in a certified compostable container. Additionally, the residential dining locations have reusable to-go containers that can be returned and washed.
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?:
A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
Certain staff groups have coffee programs where on certain days they can get free coffee by showing their reusable coffee mug. The farmers market on campus offers discounts when customers bring their own bags.
Optional Fields
UT Housing and Food Service has two full-time dieticians who implement food safety, nutrition, and education into all food service units. Cultural-themed events are also a regular part of the programing in food service. We have two campus gardens, a compost research garden, pollinator gardens, hydroponic towers, and zero-waste initiatives where students are taught how to engage with sustainable food systems. UHD started Grounds for Grounds, where coffee grounds are collected and turned into compost on campus.
Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs 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.