Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 58.55
Liaison Amy Brunvand
Submission Date April 5, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Utah
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.88 / 2.00 Alizabeth Potucek
Edible Campus Gardens Coordinator
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1: Sustainable Dining Initiatives 

Sustainable Dining Policy

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Yes, Compass group has a sustainability dining policy and it can be found here: https://new.dineoncampus.com/utah/our-sustainability-platform Additionally in 2015, University of Utah President David Pershing signed the Real Food Challenge—a national campaign that commits the University to changing its food purchasing to include 20 percent “real food” by the year 2020. Chartwells, the primary dining services contractor, has also signed on to the Real Food Challenge; “In partnership with the Sustainability Office and the Real Food Challenge student group we have committed to 20% real food by 2020. The Real Food Challenge aims to create a healthy, fair and more sustainable food system at universities all over the nation. The primary goal is to shift $1 billion of existing university food budgets away from industrial farms and junk food. Real Food as an alternative promotes local/community-based, fair, ecologically sound and humane food choices for universities —a.k.a. “real food.” https://new.dineoncampus.com/utah/sustainability-programs http://sustainability.utah.edu/engagement/student-groups/real-food-challenge/

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
Edible Campus Gardens Chartwells purchases organic produce from the Edible Campus Gardens, a university community garden. There is a limited amount of produce due to the small gardens size, but plans are in the works to continue growing crops for on-campus dining. http://sustainability.utah.edu/progress/focus-areas/food-dining/ http://sustainability.utah.edu/edible-campus-gardens/

Local Community Engagement 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, and/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:
University of Utah Farmers Market (UFM) The UFM will be in its 10th year in the fall of 2017. The University of Utah Farmers Market links local growers and artisans with the campus community and provides access to fresh, healthy, local produce and unique arts and crafts. Approximately 30 vendors attend the University of Utah Farmers Market each week during the first part of the fall semester. http://sustainability.utah.edu/engagement/programs/farmers-market/ The Edible Campus Gardens (ECG) The Edible Campus Gardens are inviting spaces that empower the campus community to engage in sustainable food systems, through co-cirrcular and academic programming. The gardens are a public space open to classes, students and volunteers. An ecological, holistic, and beyond-organic approach to gardening is applied. Our produce is sold at the University of Utah Farmer’s Market and campus restaurants, donated to the FeedU Pantry, and exchanged with volunteers. The gardens were established in 1996 by biology professor, Dr. Fred Montague, and have been growing ever since. http://sustainability.utah.edu/edible-campus-gardens/

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:
Complete protein vegan options are offered at dedicated stations in the Heritage Center Dining Room, Miller Cafe and Lassonde Cafe in addition to various options around campus. The Hertage center is the main residence dining hall. The new Lassonde Studio has incorporated a vegan station in to the Lassonde Cafe. Vegan meals are also labeled through the "Balanced U" program. https://new.dineoncampus.com/utah/lassonde-studio

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
The primary dining service hosts “Love Food Not Waste” and catering events that use compostable paper wear. The "Love Food Not Waste" campaign promotes reducing food waste in our dining halls and is an educational piece that is done at the Heritage Center every year.

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Fall Harvest Soiree The Edible Campus Gardens hosts a Fall Harvest Soiree each fall semester. The food is sourced from the gardens, and the gardens celebrates the end of the harvest season. This event is a part volunteer session, part celebration, and open to the public. Social Soup This is a sustainability event and meal, in partnership with Dining Services and the Sustainability Office. Free vegetarian soup is provided along with a speaker on food justice issues. For more information see the 'Outreach and Education' section below.

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:
Counsel Café This 'local' themed cafe is located in the S.J. Quinney College of Law Building. It highlights a variety of local Utah businesses and goods. From their webpage: "The Counsel Cafe uses fresh and local ingredients from Utah's backyard to create delicious sandwiches, salads and soups. We also serve coffee and espresso drinks from Douglas Coffee Roasters, a local company." A list of the local products and other details can be found at: https://new.dineoncampus.com/utah/other-dining-locations

Labeling and Signage 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labeling and signage in dining halls?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
Balanced U Balanced U icons label foods in four categories 1) Balanced (low in calories, saturated fat, cholestrol and sodium); 2) Gluten Free 3) Vegan 4) Vegetarian. URL: https://new.dineoncampus.com/utah/balanced-u Real Food Labels Jennifer Nielsen, an undergraduate researcher, and Adrienne Cachelin, Ph.D. are conducting a study; " Impact of Real Food labeling on student choice behaviors and attitudes". The affects of labeling qualified 'real food' will be monitored at several on-campus dinning locations. Real food qualifies as per the 2016 Real Food Challenge definition: local, humane, fair and or ecologically sound food that is produced and consumed with in a values-based food economy. For more information on the research and labels please see attached research poster in notes section. Cafe Ibis Coffee University Dining Services purchases coffee from Cafe Ibis Coffee Roasting Company headquartered in Logan, Utah. Cafe Ibis Coffee dispensers are labeled with signage that indicates Certified Organic, Certified Fair Trade, and/or Smithsonian-Certified Shade Grown & Bird Friendly.

Outreach and Education 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
Social Soup This event is a reflection on the social, economic & environmental issues surrounding food. Social Soup aims to increase awareness, to build knowledge, and to create conversations about food inequity. The bi-annual series features both local and national speakers who ignite conversations about food justice over a bowl of vegetarian soup made with locally grown ingredients, which is provided for free by University Dining Services. People from all over campus and the community come together to increase awareness, build knowledge and have conversations. http://sustainability.utah.edu/engagement/programs/annual-events/ http://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/social-soup/

Other Initiatives 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have other sustainability-related initiatives (e.g. health and wellness initiatives, making culturally diverse options available)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
Double Your Dollars Farmers Market Token Program For the past nine years, the Sustainability Office has run the University of Utah Farmers Market (UFM) with the mission to increase student access to fresh and healthy food. The Double Your Dollars program expands the mission of the market by providing affordable access to food through the $1 to $1-dollar match for healthy and local food purchases, and is based on the SNAP/EBT token programs used at other Farmers Markets in Utah. Students purchase wooden tokens from the Market Manager’s Booth, where each dollar spent receives two wooden tokens. Each wooden token is valued at a dollar. Students “spend” those tokens on grocery-like food items, including fruits, vegetables, honey, salsa, baked goods, and other prepackaged foods. At the end of the market, the UFM staff buys back the tokens from vendors. http://archive.unews.utah.edu/news_releases/double-your-dollars-at-the-u-farmers-market/ Feed U Pantry The University of Utah food pantry aims to minimize hunger among our students, their families, and faculty and staff by providing free, accessible, and nutritious food. They strive to empower those in need to obtain food resources so they may focus on being healthy, happy, and successful at the University of Utah without the barrier of fighting hunger. From the website: “The University of Utah food pantry provides non-perishable, nourishing food for our students, their families, faculty and staff. Why? Because there are times when we all have struggles: Loss of a job, paying tuition, medical emergencies. The basic demands of life sometimes makes us have to choose between food or bills. We don't want any member of our Campus Community to have to choose between having some food on the table and keeping up with the emergencies that come up.” http://feedu.utah.edu/ Be Well Utah Farmers Market A farmers market hosted by the University of Utah Health Care, part of a week of promoting family health. http://healthcare.utah.edu/bewellutah/farmers-market.php

Part 2: Food and Dining Waste 

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 Recovery Network Food Recovery Network (FRN) is sponsored by Dining Services. FRN collects leftover food from events food. The currently do food recoveries 5-6 times a week and have 85 volunteers involved. The Heritage Center is a main sources of their recoveries.The food goes to the Rescue Mission, about 400-500 lbs per week. This student group was established in 2015 and have recovered 19,000 lbs. of food in a year's time. In fall of 2016, they received internship funding from SCIF for a student coordinator. Salt Lake Excess Salt Lake Excess was seeded from the University of Utah Honors College 2015-2016 Praxis Lab Local Food and the Human Diet. Salt Lake Excess is a volunteer organization with a mission to divert food waste from the landfill to communities in need. Find out more at: https://saltlakeexcess.wordpress.com/about/ Love Not Food Waste The primary dining service hosts “Love Food Not Waste” and catering events that use compostable paper wear. The "Love Food Not Waste" campaign promotes reducing food waste in our dining halls and is an educational piece that is done at the Heritage Center every year.

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:
Trayless dining is implemented at the Heritage Center, the main residence hall dining. Reduced portion size is encouraged the Heritage Center, where it is an all you can eat buffet.

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 Recovery Network From the webpage: "The Food Recovery Network is a student group which collects surplus foods, that would otherwise get thrown away, and donates it to the Rescue Mission and Feed U Pantry. The goal is to build a healthier and more just community while creating a sustainable campus. Since Fall Semester 2015 the group has recovered over 18,000 lbs. of perishable foods. We have recently paired with the FeedU Pantry to donate vacuum sealed meals to provide a healthier alternative to the dried and canned food items." More information at: http://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/utah/ Salt Lake Excess Please see information in food recovery section above. Feed U Pantry From their website: "The University of Utah food pantry provides non-perishable, nourishing food for our students, their families, faculty and staff. " The food pantry is free and open to all U of U students, faculty and staff with a current University of Utah ID. Food donations are accepted and the pantry work partners with dinning services and the Food Recovery Network. More information at: http://feedu.utah.edu/

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 (e.g. converting cooking oil to fuel, on-site anaerobic digestion)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
Yes, cooking oil is converted to fuel, according to the Chartwells Sustainability Coordinator.

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:
The Edible Campus Gardens and Dining Services partner to compost pre-consumer waste. The Dining Services hauls 2-5 trash cans of pre-consumer food waste each week to the Edible Campus Gardens facilities, where volunteers and staff process the compost. The compost is used to organically fertilize the gardens and cut cost in buying soil. Green Waste with Momentum Recycling Pre-consumer green waste composting is coordinated through Momentum Recycling. Weekly pick ups have diverted 160,000 lbs of green waste so far.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
No

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
---

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:
At the Heritage Center (the resident dining hall) reusable service ware is offered. Additionally, reusable ware is sold utensils at some other registers.

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)?:
No

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
--

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
A mug discount is offered for drinks.

Other Materials Management Initiatives 

Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented other materials management initiatives to minimize waste not covered above (e.g. working with vendors and other entities to reduce waste from food packaging)?:
No

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
--

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://sustainability.utah.edu/progress/focus-areas/food-dining/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
Capitol Hill poster Nielsen_Impact of real food labeling_final.pptx

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
RESOURCES Julia Maciunas Sustainability Coordinator University of Utah Dining Services (801) 581-7257 Daniel Waters- Current Sustainability Coordinator & Executive Chef's Assistant University of Utah Dining Services (801) 462-1366 Full-Scale Composting Feasibility Study. Cindy Morris, Office of Sustainability, (2011). URL: https://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/collection/sustain/id/11/filename/15.pdf

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.