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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: Elisabeth Farrell and Rick MacDonald
Title: Program Coordinator, University Office of Sustainability and Assistant Director, UNH Dining
Date survey submitted: 7/21/09
1) Total annual food budget: [$ 7.1 M]
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:
Under the Food & Society Initiative, UNH is committed to "increasing the procurement of locally, regionally, and sustainably produced foods by UNH dining areas and within state institutions as appropriate." UNH Local Harvest Initiative increases awareness of the local agricultural landscape and guarantees the purchase of various local foods.
http://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/fas/index.html
Questions 3-5 pertain to locally grown purchases.
Note: These are preliminary numbers. We are continuing to collect data for FY08-09
3) From how many local farms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[13] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ 24] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Costa Fruit and Produce, Inc. and PFG Northcenter
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[~$503,000]
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):
Fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, eggs, honey, cheese, yogurt, pudding (cheese, yogurt, and pudding are grown and processed locally)
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ 33 ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ 18] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Costa Fruit and Produce, Inc and PFG Northcenter
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[~$932,000]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese):
Bread, ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato, sorbet, soy milk, peanut butter, hummus, salsa, meat, pasta, tea, coffee, baked goods and mixes, flour, salad dressing, jams and jellies, chips, crackers, popcorn, candies, granola, French fries, seafood, soups
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location: Hood milk, a New England-based dairy
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please describe source and amount:
As part of the UNH Local Harvest Initiative, UNH dining buys produce grown by the UNH Organic Garden Club, Woodman Research Farm and Kingman Research Farm for use in on-campus dining areas. Exact amount is unknown.
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe program:
The NH Farm to School (NHFTS) Program is a project to connect NH farms and schools by integrating agricultural production, school food procurement and school curriculum. The vision of NHFTS is to develop a healthy, community-based, community-supported school food system. http://www.nhfarmtoschool.org
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:
Under the Food & Society Initiative, UNH is committed to "increasing the procurement of locally, regionally, and sustainably produced foods by UNH dining areas and within state institutions as appropriate." FAS also supports sustainable methods of agriculture, including organic production.
http://www.sustainableunh.unh.edu/fas/index.html
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please list items:
Bread, coffee, yogurt, vegetables
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[$ not available]
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?
[ ] No
[ x ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[100 %] Percentage cage-free eggs (Shell Eggs Only)
[ %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:
[ %] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product:
16) Do you purchase any grass-fed animal products?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[<1 %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: Beef
[ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product:
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[75%] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: chicken
[ %] 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: Fluid Milk
[100 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product: Yogurt and Cottage Cheese
19) Do you purchase seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship Council standards?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please indicate.
[20 %] Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used: MSC
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:
Dining Services offers labeled vegan options at every meal on a daily basis in each of its dining halls. Eight entrees per lunch and dinner are served at each dining. Approximately 1400 per week.
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: Fair trade coffee is served throughout dining areas and sold in all retail locations.
[ ] 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): Only reusable dishware is offered in the dining halls. All retail units use biodegradable, compostable containers (when available) that are collected, pulped, and added to the UNH composting windrows.
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: UNH Dining offers beverage discounts for using reusable mugs; mugs are distributed free to meal plan holders and available for purchase by non-plan holders.
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ X] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe:
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.
[100%] Proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs.
[ unknown; pre- and postconsumer waste are mixed before weighing ] Annual tonnage of preconsumer 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.
[100 %] Proportion of dining facilities that run postconsumer compost programs.
[unknown; pre- and postconsumer waste are mixed] Annual tonnage of postconsumer compost.
92 tons of combined pre- and post-consumer food waste was composted in FY ’09.
30) Do your dining facilities donate excess food to a food bank, soup kitchen, or shelter, etc.?
[ ] No
[X ] Yes. Please describe: Excess packaged and canned goods are donated to the local food bank and excess fresh foods and milk are donated between semesters to various non-profit organizations.
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:
Holloway Commons hosts Trayless Tuesdays. Stillings and Philbrook Halls have gone completely trayless.
[ ] 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):
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)
[ ] Other. Please list:
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: The three dining halls do not create recycling in the front of the house. Back of the house collects all recyclable materials. All retail units are equipped with recycling stations with separate collection of compostable containers, food and other compostable materials.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[90%]
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: UNH Dining operates 12 retail and dining hall locations on campus.
[ ] 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: Rick MacDonald, Assistant Director of UNH Dining, serves on the Organic Garden Club advisory committee, the Advisory Council to the NH Center for a Food Secure Future, and other sustainability committees.
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