| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 73.17 |
| Liaison | Emily Vollmer |
| Submission Date | May 16, 2024 |
Virginia Tech
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.93 / 6.00 |
Emily
Vollmer Sustainability Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on products that are sustainably or ethically produced:
Percentage of total annual food and beverage expenditures on plant-based foods:
An inventory of food and beverage purchases that qualify as sustainably/ethically produced:
A brief description of the methodology used to conduct the inventory, including the timeframe and how representative samples accounted for seasonal variation (if applicable):
Our current inventory represents purchasing data from the last academic year for VT Dining Services, on our main campus in Blacksburg, VA. We rely on reporting from our main vendor to contribute to our tracking of organic and local products throughout the year. In addition, we utilize the FoodPro management system to track products internally for reporting as needed. Percentages are based on the total spend with our main vendor. Organic and local purchases are then accounted for – ethical purchases, such as Fair Trade Certified, are not formally tracked at this time. In addition to our current report, we also utilize roughly 50,000lbs of local/organic produce from Homefield Farm. Homefield Farm is our campus partnership with the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Produce from the farm is not accounted for in our percentage of sustainably sourced products.
Website URL where the institution’s validated Real/Good Food Calculator results are publicly posted:
Which of the following food service providers are present on campus and included in the inventory/assessment?:
| Present? | Included? | |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by the institution | Yes | Yes |
| Dining operations and catering services operated by a contractor | No | No |
| Student-run food/catering services | Yes | No |
| Franchises (e.g., regional or global brands) | Yes | Yes |
| Convenience stores | Yes | Yes |
| Vending services | Yes | No |
| Concessions | Yes | No |
Total annual dining services budget for food and beverage products:
A brief description of the institution’s sustainable food and beverage purchasing program:
VT Dining Services is committed to working with our vendors to source local and organic when and where possible. We make it a priority to have conversations with our representatives to set clear and distinct goals. This year, we began implementing an internal tracking system, through FoodPro, that will allow us to report more accurately on sustainable purchases internally. We also rely on our vendors to report data to us for transparency. In addition to our relationships with our vendors, we have a strong partnership with our campus producers. We utilize Homefield Farm produce, the VT Meats Lab and the VT Poultry Center’s eggs throughout the year. Note regarding URL to FoodCalc results: We do not publicly post our results. Note regarding total expenditures on plant-based foods: This is an estimate as we are still building out our inventory.
Website URL where information about the food and beverage purchasing program is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
VT Dining plans to expand tracking to include plant-based expenditures and ethical expenditures in the future. Currently, our vendors do not prioritize this form of tracking.
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.