Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.68
Liaison John Gardner
Submission Date May 31, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.98 / 4.00 Ryan Peterson
Intern
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
18.48

A copy of an inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:
An inventory, list or sample of sustainable food and beverage purchases:

Real Food A: 7.64%
Real Food B: 10.85%
Total Real Food: 18.48%
Conventional: 81.52%

Disqualified: 8.03%


Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (food and beverage expenditures for on-site franchises, convenience stores, vending services, or concessions)?:
Yes

Percentage of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending services, and concessions food and beverage purchases that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
18.48

A copy of an inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:
An inventory, list or sample of on-site franchise, convenience store, vending machine, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases that are sustainably produced:

Real Food A: 7.64%
Real Food B: 10.85%
Total Real Food: 18.48%
Conventional: 81.52%

Disqualified: 8.03%


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

In an effort to become more sustainable, UWM Restaurant Operations has initiated the concept of Living Operating Consuming and Acquiring Locally. The LOCAL concept offers the students of UWM an opportunity to live and consume locally by participating in the food service programs and notice the steps taken by UWM to procure and promote local products and business. Our local brand is marketed on the produce, prepared foods and equipment that fall under our LOCAL concept.

Some brands that are great examples of the mission that UWM has taken to buy locally and more sustainably are Collectivo Coffee Roasters, Rishi Tea, and Johnsonville. These three are just a few of the many exemplary brands that are now being purchased by our university.

By utilizing brochures, item labeling, and informational screens, vegetarian and vegan options are more widely advertised and the offerings have steadily increased since 2009.

Restaurant Operations has also started an online tool called NetNutrition, which allows students to access the menu for all dining options for the coming weeks. This tool also identifies which products and menu items are locally sourced, vegan-friendly, and vegetarian.

Vegan options are now labeled at the various dining options across campus to provide more transparency for those wishing to choose these dishes. Restaurant Operations has also listed these various options on their website.


A brief description of the methodology used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases:

A representative sample was used to inventory the sustainable food and beverage purchases for this assessment. September 2014 and February 2015 were used as the two sample months. The Real Food Challenge Calculator was utilized to determine the percentage of sustainable food that were present within these two months.


Total annual food and beverage expenditures:
961,574.81 US/Canadian $

Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the total food and beverage expenditure figures?:
Present? Included?
Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution Yes Yes
Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor No No
Franchises Yes No
Convenience stores Yes Yes
Vending services No No
Concessions Yes Yes

Has the institution achieved the following?:
Yes or No
Fair Trade Campus, College or University status No
Certification under the Green Seal Standard for Restaurants and Food Services (GS-46) No
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification No
Signatory of the Real Food Campus Commitment (U.S.) No

A brief description of other sustainable restaurant and food service standards that the institution’s dining services operations are certified under:
---

The website URL where information about the institution's sustainable food and beverage purchasing efforts is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The total food and beverage expenditure amount and the annual food and beverage expenditures that are local and community-based and/or third party verified amount are based on the two month sample size rather than an annual basis.

The data assessment for this credit included both dining service food and beverages purchases and on-site franchise, convenience store, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases. The two categories were not separated. The percentages listed above represent the percentage of all purchases that are local/community-based or third-party verified.


The total food and beverage expenditure amount and the annual food and beverage expenditures that are local and community-based and/or third party verified amount are based on the two month sample size rather than an annual basis.

The data assessment for this credit included both dining service food and beverages purchases and on-site franchise, convenience store, and/or concessions food and beverage purchases. The two categories were not separated. The percentages listed above represent the percentage of all purchases that are local/community-based or third-party verified.

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.