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With the publication of the College Sustainability Report Card 2010, more than 1,100 school survey responses from over 300 institutions are now available online. In total, these surveys offer more than 10,000 pages of data collected from colleges and universities during the summer of 2009. To access surveys from other schools, go to the surveys section of the website. To see grades, or to access additional surveys submitted by this school, please click the "Back to Report Card" link at the beginning or end of the survey.
Name: Michele Newhard
Title: Special Programs Training Coordinator
Date survey submitted:
1) Total annual food budget: [$ Prefer not to release specific financial information ]
LOCALLY GROWN AND PRODUCED FOOD
Note: Geographic location and seasonal availability are taken into account in assessing your response. "Local" is defined as within 150 miles of your campus.
2) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to local purchases?
[ ] No
[x ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
PA product (product will be considered a PA product if it meets any or all of the guidelines listed below)
- Product is grown in PA (This qualifier is for fresh produce, and all other unprocessed foods)
- Raw materials in the finished product originate from PA. Minimum of 40% of the raw materials must originate from PA sources.
- Products are processed and or manufactured in PA. Products may be considered if they are processed or manufactured in a PA Facility. (Raw materials need not originate from PA sources for this qualifier)
3).From how many local farms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ # 16 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor:
Hartel Farms, Harner Farms, Tait Farms, Hillandale Farms, Hogs Galore, Palumbo Meats, Susquehanna Fuels, Ritchey’s Dairy, Turner Dairy, Meadowbrook Dairy , Turkey Hill Dairy, Inc., Rutter’s., Guer’s Dairy., Hershey Creamery Co., Blue Ribbon Farm Dairy, Galliker’s Dairy
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[$ Prefer not to release specific financial information ]
5) Please list foods you purchase that are grown or raised locally (e.g., fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, fish, honey, maple syrup; foods that are processed locally should be listed in question 8):
Milk, ice cream, yogurt, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, ricotta cheese, and various other dairy products
Pork products including sausage, ham, primal, sub primal, and portion cuts.
Mushrooms, apples, peaches, cantaloupes, and various other fruits and vegetables (depends on seasonality)
Eggs
Canola Oil
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # 31 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 9 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor:
Kessler Meats, Kunzler Meats, Hatfield Meats, Palumbo Meats, Butterkrust Bakeries, Stroehmann Bakeries, Pacifico Bakeries, Mex-America Foods, Furman Foods, Hanover Foods, Berks Packing, L & S Sweeteners, Herr’s Snack Foods, Synders of Hanover, Utz Snack Foods, Benzel Pretzels, Land O’ Lakes, Hershey Foods, Gardners Candies, Automatic Roll of PA, ATV Bakery, Irvings Bagels, Super Bakery, Tasty Kake, Knouse Foods, Giorgio Foods, Del Monte Foods, H. J. Heinz, Wilbur Chocolates, Frankferd Farms, Snavely Mills, Herlocher’s Mustard, Devault Foods, Dutch Valley Foods, Schwebel’s Bakery, Terranetti’s Italian Bakery, Carmen’ Bakery & Deli. Longo’s Bakery Inc., Senape’s Bakery Inc., National Bakery
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[$ Prefer not to release specific financial information ]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese): Sliced breads and rolls, ice cream, some yogurts, some cheeses
Bagels, Chili sauce, black beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, red beans, kidney beans, baked beans, beets, chick peas, roasted red peppers, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato, paste, and tomato puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, hot dogs, ham, sausage, primal, sub primal, and portion pork cuts. Potato chips, pretzels, snack items, flour tortillas, corn tortillas, wraps, trail mixes, chocolate and confectionaries, apple sauce, cider vinegar, sliced apples, pudding, pie fillings, Cheese sticks, catsup, pc condiments, mustard, burgers (union street, 2 oz only)
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[x] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location: PSU’s The Berkey Creamery, Ritchey’s Dairy, Turner Dairy, Meadowbrook Dairy , Turkey Hill Dairy, Inc., Rutter’s., Guer’s Dairy., Hershey Creamery Co., Blue Ribbon Farm Dairy, Galliker’s Dairy
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ ] No
[x] Yes. Please describe source and amount: Mushrooms
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ ] No
[x] Yes. Please describe program: Farm to College program limited
ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD
12) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to the purchase of organic and/or sustainably produced food?
[ ] No
[ X] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available: Organic products must be USDA certified organic
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[] No
[ x] Yes. Please list items: some coffees, coffee syrups, organic stevia; much of the product inventory for our SISU c-store; Stonyfield Farms yogurt, soymilk, A portion of the usage for the following items are organic, but not all. whole wheat pasta, tahini, frozen soups, chocolate, salad dressings, sugar, granola, peanuts, raisins, condiments, wraps, sub rolls, honey, miso, eggs.
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ Prefer not to release specific financial information ]
For questions 15-19, please indicate percentage based on annual dollar amount spent.
15) Do you purchase cage-free eggs and/or confinement-free meat products?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage cage-free eggs
[ %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:
[ %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:
16) Do you purchase any grass-fed animal products?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product:
[ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product:
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
18) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products?
[ ] No
[ x] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product:
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product:
Creamery dairy products have no added hormones. We do not specify this as a requirement for our Commonwealth locations’ dairy bids, but many of our current dairies are hormone free, including Gallikers, Schneider’s Valley Farms, Rutter’s Dairy, Ritchey’s Dairy, and Turner’s Dairy.
19) Do you purchase seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship Council standards?
[ ] No
[ x] Yes. Please indicate.
[ Very limited, since we do not track specifically, a percentage would be hard to estimate, but probably less than 5%] Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used:
Info below is based on Monterey Bay Aquarium Standard, I divided acceptable products out by their best Choices and Good Alternatives categories.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Std-(items not specifically purchased to meet std)
Cycle menu items:
Best Choices:
Skip Jack and Albacore Tuna (this covers both of our canned tunas)
Salmon Wild Caught. (Although we do not specify wild caught, the majority of our recent salmon portions have been wild caught, unfortunately this can change without notice)
Good Alternatives:
Blue crab. (This covers most canned crab, such as the claw meat we use in the cycle menu crab cakes)
Other seafood including, unit specific items, and fresh fish items.
Best Choices:
Catfish, Clams, Mussels, Pollock, Striped bass, Swordfish, Rainbow Trout
Good Alternatives:
Main lobster, Mahi Mahi, Sea Scallops, Tuna
20) Do you offer specifically labeled vegan entrees on a daily, weekly, or other regularly scheduled basis?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please specify number of options and the frequency with which they are offered: the number varies upon location as well as week; we always have the vegan SmartDog and Boca Burger available at all locations at every lunch and dinner.
21) Please list and give percentages for any other sustainably produced food items you purchase that are not included above: N/A
FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS
22) Do you purchase Fair Trade Certified coffee?
[ ] No
[ x ] Some. Please describe: At our natural/sustainable/organic c-store, SISU, we serve Seattle’s Best Coffee Fair Trade; also at Redifer’s Off the Ground coffee bar we offer some Peet’s Fair Trade and/or organic coffees. Fair trade coffees are also used at Union Street and other various cash ops.
[ ] All
23) Do you purchase other Fair Trade Certified food products?
[ x] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ %] Percentage purchased that is Fair Trade Certified. Type of item:
DISHWARE AND ECO-FRIENDLY INCENTIVES
24) Please indicate which of following your university-operated/contracted dining facilities offers.
[ ] Disposable dishware
[ ] Only reusable dishware
[ x ] Reusable and disposable dishware
25) If you offer disposables, please indicate materials used (check all that apply).
[ x ] Plastic or polystyrene
[ x ] Postconsumer recycled content
[ x ] Biodegradable/compostable
[ ] Other
Description (optional):
26) Do your dining facilities offer discounts or cash incentives to individuals using reusable dishware, bringing a bag, or bringing reusable containers?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe:
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: to-go soup container, limited amt of 5oz, 6oz, and 8oz bowls and black 6x6 clamshell cntr
FOOD COMPOSTING AND WASTE DIVERSION
28) Do your dining facilities compost preconsumer food scraps?
[ ] No
[x] Yes. Please indicate the proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs (e.g. two out of five dining facilities) and, if available, the combined annual tonnage composted. Penn State dining services composts over 681,000 pounds of kitchen scraps yearly through Project Earth Grow as well as over 14,500pounds of paper napkin waste.
[ 100%] Proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs.
[ ] Annual tonnage of preconsumer compost.
29) Do your dining facilities compost postconsumer food scraps?
[ x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate the proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs (e.g. two out of five dining facilities) and, if available, the combined annual tonnage composted.
[ %] Proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs.
[ ] Annual tonnage of postconsumer compost.
30) Do your dining facilities donate excess food to a food bank, soup kitchen, or shelter, etc.?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: perishable food is donated to local Meals on Wheels before each break of a week or more. A student organization called Waste Not has picked up any hot food left at the end of the dinner meal at two of our locations for use at community shelters and organizations.
31) Do your dining facilities have a trayless dining program?
[ x ] No but fall pilot is planned.
[ ] Sometimes--on specific days, on certain occasions, or in specific locations. Please describe:
[ ] Yes--standard practice. Please describe program including date started and, if available, data on reduced food waste or water consumption:
32) Please tell us about any other steps your dining facilities have taken to reduce waste (e.g., food waste auditing, recycling used cooking oil for biodiesel production): marketing package on food waste; food waste auditing with student interaction and displays; recycling used cooking oil from two locations for biodiesel production, once the holding tank is sanctioned and implemented the program will expand to all six locations. Offer commuter mugs for purchase at retail operations. Reusable shopping bags offered.
RECYCLING OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS
33) Please indicate which traditional materials your dining facilities recycle (check all that apply).
[ ] None
[x] Aluminum
[ x ] Cardboard
[x] Glass
[x] Paper
[ ] Plastics (all)
[x] Plastics (some) most, including plastic #4 LDPE
[ ] Other. Please list: mixed office paper; batteries
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe:
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ at least 43.7 %]
AFFILIATIONS
Questions 36-37 are for informational purposes only; responses will NOT be included in the Report Card evaluation process.
36) Indicate if your dining services are:
[ ] Contracted. Please describe:
[ x ] School operated. Please describe: self-supporting department which gives back to the university for administrative overhead and debt service.
[ ] Other. Please describe:
37) Is the dining services director, or another dining services staff person, a member of any campus-wide environmental/sustainability initiatives or committees at your school?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: the governing board of our overall compost initiative as well as the general board; we have recently begun a cross-department meeting for best practices of environmental awareness and resource conservation.
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