| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 55.50 |
| Liaison | Cora Kenfield |
| Submission Date | July 22, 2014 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Vassar College
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.96 / 4.00 |
Maureen
King Senior Director of Campus Dining Campus Dining |
Percentage of dining services food and beverage expenditures that are local and community-based and/or third party verified:
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:
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)?:
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:
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:
A brief description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
Vassar’s efforts to increase the percentage of seasonal, locally grown and produced foods used in the dining halls began in 2002. Today, 24% of Vassar’s purchases are local and community-based, and/or third party-verified sustainable, including fruits and vegetables from local growers, hormone-free dairy products from local dairies, cage-free eggs, and sustainable seafood.
There is a monthly Local Foods Night in the All Campus Dining Center, celebrating the bounty of the Hudson Valley.
Vassar also hosts its very own weekly indoor farmers’ market from November to May, featuring twelve local vendors selling bread, produce, apples, pastries, meat, cheese, eggs, jam, pasta and pickled goods.
Campus Dining has removed all trays from the All College Dining Center. Research has shown that trayless dining saves thousands of gallons of water, saves energy, and lessens food waste.
A brief description of the methodology used to track/inventory sustainable food and beverage purchases:
Manually track purchases using Excel spreadsheets and conduct research to confirm supplier claims of local and community-based production and/or third party verification.
Total annual food and beverage expenditures:
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 | No | No |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor | Yes | Yes |
| Franchises | No | No |
| Convenience stores | No | No |
| Vending services | No | No |
| Concessions | No | No |
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:
N/A
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:
Another URL: http://pages.vassar.edu/ccs/campus-dining/
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.