Overall Rating	Silver
Overall Score	60.76
Liaison	Brad Spanbauer
Submission Date	March 4, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status	Score	Responsible Party
	2.00 / 2.00	Brad Spanbauer Campus Sustainability Officer Campus Sustainability Office

"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, 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:

Aladdin hosts a farmer's market one time during the fall semester with produce available from one of their vendors as well as local farms and producers. They also support the maintenance of 15 hydroponic tower gardens in the Reeve Union dining facility which provide greens for the salad bar. This produces about 30% of the lettuce for dining on campus. Our hydroponic units are manufactured locally.

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:

Season’s Harvest – Spring of 2021 new station in Blackhawk, it is a dedicated vegan and vegetarian food station.

Inclusive and local sourcing

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor support disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its food and beverage purchasing?:

Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:

http://www.localveloccity.org/uwo-local-foods/

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:

Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:

Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:

Season’s Harvest – Spring of 2021 new station in Blackhawk, it is a dedicated vegan and vegetarian food station.

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:

Daily at all locations on campus there are vegetarian and vegan deli and to-go options like snack boxes, veggies & hummus, or yogurt parfaits. In Blackhawk on a daily basis there is a oatmeal for breakfast and a vegan bar with freshly made salsas, prepared salads, and corn chips for lunch and dinner. Create-your-own stations like the Salad Bar, Pasta Bar, Sub Stand, and Chilaca have vegetarian and vegan options. At least one of 2 soups in Blackhawk daily is vegan, two selections of pizza are vegetarian. Dairy milk alternatives are provided. Season’s Harvest – Spring of 2021 new station in Blackhawk, it is a dedicated vegan and vegetarian food station. Clash Burger has house-made bean burgers available and impossible burgers. In Blackhawk we offer soyrizzo when applicable.

Labelling and signage

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

Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:

Aladdin provides regular promotion of farms where local food is sourced, including images, a map, and a description of the farm program. Signage in Blackhawk reminds students of these impacts and signage at all cafes reminds students of fair trade practices and impacts.

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

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:

Production Records predict how much of each food to make for a meal based on historical information. These are used in conjunction with batch cooking to minimize waste. In many locations foods are cooked in small batches and toward the end of service periods, foods are cooked more to order. Pre-cleaned produce reduces organic waste by reducing the trimming waste. Commercial produce providers do this centrally which maximizes yields, minimizes waste and can give better control over where that waste goes. Fryer oil is a ‘closed’ system to reduce waste, comes in a bulk tank, and leaves in a bulk tank – reduces waste and packaging.

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:

We no longer use trays in Blackhawk Commons, which reduces post-consumer waste typically by about 16% to 18%. Line servers give a portion size/amount prior to it being put on the plate based on general diet requirements. Customers can request additional portions if they want more. Plates returning to the dish return are monitored during meal periods to note any excess waste trends which may be caused by a product issue or a portioning issue. Action is taken immediately with the appropriate server or, in the case of food being too salty for instance, removal from the serving line until it has been properly prepared.

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 that can be donated is packaged and frozen or refrigerated and donated to the on-campus food pantry, the Cabinet, instead of being landfilled. When practical, food is sent to the Oshkosh Community Food Pantry or Father Carr’s. In particular, prepared foods and ingredients are sent there prior to closing dining services for winter, spring, and summer breaks.

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:

All pre-consumer and post-consumer organic waste from Blackhawk and pre-consumer organic waste from Reeve is diverted to an on-campus commercial-scale anaerobic biodigester.

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:

All pre-consumer and post-consumer organic waste from Blackhawk and pre-consumer organic waste from Reeve is diverted to am on-campus commercial-scale anaerobic biodigester. The digestate is then sent to a local landscaping company to be processed into compost.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:

Yes

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:

In our Catering and Blackhawk All You Care To Eat locations melamine or china serviceware; stainless steel flatware; and glass, plastic or china cups are used. Prior to the pandemic, the university established a program with OZZI in Reeve Union so that dining to go in that location would make use of reusable containers. During the pandemic, all dining operations used OZZI to-go containers to allow students to take their meals with them since dining in person was prohibited. Where possible meals taken to go are wrapped in compostable containers, instead of disposable foam and plastic products. Reeve Union does not use china plates (more to-go items), but everything else is reusable.

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)?:

Yes

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:

Prior to the pandemic, the university established a program with OZZI in Reeve Union so that dining to go in that location would make use of reusable containers. During the pandemic, all dining operations used OZZI to-go containers to allow students to take their meals with them since dining in person was prohibited. All dining locations use various compostable to-go containers, however, there has not been a separate collection for these items in the last three years.

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?:

Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:

In Titan Underground there is a 25-cent discount for using a reusable mug. There is a 10 cent discount on coffee and hot beverages purchased in your own mug or reusable container at all campus coffee locations.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:

University Dining hosts "Taste of Nations" once per month, focusing on a different cultural cuisine each time to give students a taste of international foods.

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:

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Additional documentation to support the submission:

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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

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