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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: Len Sereda
Title: Director, Energy Management and Sustainable Operations
Date survey submitted: July 21, 2009
1) Total annual food budget: [$ 4,200,000]
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?
[x ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
3).From how many local farms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ # 6 ] Number from which you purchase directly. A number of local products are purchased by our Augustana campus’s food services including Milk, Flour, Salami/Smokies/Sausage, Chicken, Cabbage (2/3rd of the year), and Cucumbers.
[ # 3-4 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Sysco is the University’s national supplier and many of the products we purchase from them are local. We purchase most of our meat locally (Alberta beef and pork), use several Edmonton suppliers for products on our menus (such as Canada Bread Company bread and Cheemo pyrogies) and have franchise contracts with local companies (Booster Juice). In partnership with local food companies, we plan to offer theme nights and special events in the future (ex. Pyrogy buffets, ‘local day’ menus, etc.).
In April of 2008 a “slow food” dinner serving organic and local food from local farms and producers to 250 people was held at the Augustana campus. This event was a success and will be repeated in the future.
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[$ 150 000 (estimate)]
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
- Alberta Beef
- Alberta Pork
- Poultry (when available)
- Mushrooms
- Produce (near future, currently working with produce supplier to purchase from two local farms)
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # 4 ] Number from which you purchase directly. Italian Bakery, K&S Bakery, Capital Packers, Canada Bread Company.
[ # 4 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: We purchase items through SYSCO and Noble House.
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[$ 200 000 (estimate)]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese):
- Bread
- Pyrogies
- Cheese
- Muffins
- Danishes
- Cakes
- Cookies
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ X ] No: We do not purchase directly from a local dairy but we do purchase from a company that acquires their dairy products from producers in BC and Alberta.
[ ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location:
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe source and amount: The Environmental Coordination Office of Students runs the Campus Community Garden on the University’s main campus. This 300 m2 organic garden provides fresh and healthy food for student volunteers as well as the Campus Food Bank. A similar garden is located at Campus Saint Jean
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe program:
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: There are two sustainable food policies that govern the food services on University of Alberta campuses.
Our Augustana campus has developed its own food policy which states:
In serving food in its cafeteria, the Augustana Campus of the University of Alberta is guided by the following commitments:
- To provide safe, fresh and nutritious food;
- To contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of our home region and the planet, through balanced and responsible procurement decisions; and,
- To cultivate within our academic community both a critical awareness of food issues and a sense of celebration around food that is inclusive of the many cultural traditions represented among our students.
The full Augustana sustainable food policy is available online here:
http://www.augustana.ualberta.ca/sustainability/food_policy.html
Our North (main) Campus relies on Aramark to provide a large portion of our dining services. Aramark’s sustainable food policy is as follows:
At Aramark, we understand the centrality of food in our daily lives and interactions, and recognize that our food choices can have significant impact on our health and culture, the environment, and on the local and global economy. Throughout our food services operations, we seek to purchase fresh whole foods that are raised, grown, harvested, and produced locally wherever possible; to purchase foods that are produced in an ecologically, environmentally, and socially responsible manner, and to partner with new and existing suppliers to increase the availability of such foods.
For more information, please visit the Aramark Environmental Stewardship website. http://www.aramark.com/SocialResponsibility/EnvironmentalStewardship/
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please list items: We have done this with catering events on a per request basis and also sell some organic items like granola bars and other pre-packaged organic items throughout our campus dining services locations.
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ unknown ]
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).
[ 100 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product: Milk
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product:
19) Do you purchase seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship Council standards?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please indicate.
[ %] Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used:
20) Do you offer specifically labelled 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: A number of our independent franchises offer a variety of vegan entrees daily, and all dietary options are available in the cafeteria (vegan, vegetarian, no pork, etc).
21) Please list and give percentages for any other sustainably produced food items you purchase that are not included above:
FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS
22) Do you purchase Fair Trade Certified coffee?
[ ] No
[ X ] Some. Please describe: ARAMARK and Starbuck’s both offer ethically grown coffee lines, as well as the majority of independent franchises on campus.
[ ] 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
[ ] 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?
[ ] No
[ x] Yes. Please describe: We discount 0.10$ for reusable mugs.
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: One franchise uses it for their cups (Booster Juice).
FOOD COMPOSTING AND WASTE DIVERSION
28) Do your dining facilities compost pre-consumer food scraps?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please indicate the proportion of dining facilities that run pre-consumer compost programs (e.g. two out of five dining facilities) and, if available, the combined annual tonnage composted.
[ 66.7%] Proportion of dining facilities that run pre-consumer compost programs.
[ 10 tonnes ] Annual tonnage of pre-consumer compost.
29) Do your dining facilities compost postconsumer food scraps?
[ ] No
[ x] 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.
[ 50 %] Proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs.
[ N/A ] 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: The University works with the Campus Food Bank to distribute slightly damaged produce.
31) Do your dining facilities have a trayless dining program?
[ ] No
[ x ] Sometimes--on specific days, on certain occasions, or in specific locations. Please describe: We have gone tray-free during the summer months at our main dining hall.
[ ] 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): We recycle used cooking oil and have bulk dispensers for milk, cereal, and other products.
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) Bottles.
[ ] Other. Please list:
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe: We offer recycling for cans and bottles at all locations and are planning to provide a full composting program into all locations starting Sept 1, 2009.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ Unknown %]
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:
[ x] Contracted. Please describe: ARAMARK Canada Ltd.
[ ] School operated. Please describe:
[ ] 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 dining services manager sits on various internal committees and will be further involved in the campus sustainability program in development.
A Director representing AncillaryServices/Dining Services is a member of the Facilities & Operations Sustainability Committee that brings focus to, facilitates, and implements sustainability activities within planning, design, construction, project management, operations, maintenance, utilities, custodial & grounds services, vehicle pool, parking, residence services, food services, and conference services.
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