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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: Michael Scheffres
Title: Resident District Manager
Date survey submitted: July 9, 2009
1) Total annual food budget: [33.5%]
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.
Sodexo has a local purchasing policy for produce. In our contracts, we require produce companies to source fruits and vegetables from the same state or geographical region.
Additionally, we require all vendors to follow the Sodexo vendor Code of Conduct covering the following areas; child labor, forced labor, wages and benefits, working hours, health and safety guidelines, freedom of association, non-discrimination, disciplinary practices/coercion, environmental guidelines, community involvement, ethical standards, conflicts of interest and communication. http://www.sodexousa.com/usen/citizenship/diversity/suppliercode/suppliercode.asp
3) From how many local forms or growers do you purchase (excluding on-campus farms/gardens)?
[ # ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 22 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Senn Bros. Produce, State Farmers Market, Columbia, SC 29201
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally?
[5% of total food purchases ]
Produce – We purchase 25% of our total produce locally.
Dairy – We purchase 35.4% of our total dairy locally.
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):
Asparagus
Kale
Leaf Lettuce
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Collards
Butter Beans
Corn
Milk
Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase?
[ # ] Number from which you purchase directly.
[ # 2 ] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor:
Vegetables and Fruit - Senn Bros.
Milk – Pet Dairy
Bakery – Nova Bakeries
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally?
[5% of total purchases]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese):
Bread
Cakes
Milk
Produce
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location:
Pet Dairy, Charlotte, NC
Dairy is contracted by Sodexo with Pet Dairies are antibiotic and rBGH/rBST free.
10) Do you source any food from an on-campus farm or garden?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please describe source and amount:
11) Do you participate in a farm-to-school program?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe program: We participate in the SC Dept’s Fresh on the Menu program where 25% of our food is purchased from local farmers through our produce company; Senn Bros.
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:
Sodexo has agreements with regional and broadline distributors that provide organic and sustainably produced foods available to all accounts for purchase. As of July 2009, Sodexo has made the following commitments with an achievement date of 2015.
-100% of the fish and seafood we serve will be sustainably caught and raised.
-100% of the farm and ranch products we serve will be responsibly grown from local and sustainable producers.
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ X ] No
[ ] Yes. Please list items:
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food?
[ ]
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:
Sodexo has agreements with regional and broadline distributors that provide cage free egg and pasture raised meats. It is up to the account/client if they want to pay for the increased costs and purchase the 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: Chicken
[ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product:
Sodexo has agreements with regional and broadline distributors that provide grass fed products. It is up to the account/client if they want to pay for the increased costs and purchase the product.
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ < 1 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: Chicken
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
The USDA specifies and regulates hormone and antibiotic use in the meat industry and Sodexo suppliers are regulated by the USDA. Additionally, Sodexo has agreements with regional and broadline distributors that provide hormone and antibiotic free meats. It is up to the account/client if they want to pay for the increased costs and purchase the product.
18) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product).
[ 35.4 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product: Milk
[ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of dairy product:
Yes. Regionally contracted dairies provide 100% antibiotic and hormone (rBGH/rBST) free fluid milk.
19) Do you purchase seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship Council standards?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please indicate. Flounder
[ < 1 %] Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used:
Sodexo contracts through regional and broadline distributors for seafood that provide seafood certified by the Marine Stewardship Council and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines as well as the Aquaculture Certification Council.
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:
Sodexo offers vegan entrees on a daily scheduled basis.
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: Starbuck’s, Jazzman’s and Einstein have a flavor that is Fair Trade.
[ ] All
Sodexo Commitment:
We will double our purchase of fairly and responsibly traded products every year until 2015.
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
Sodexo Sustainability Commitment:
We will utilize environmentally responsible equipment, products, packaging and cleaning practices at 100% of our offices, productions facilities and client’s sites by 2015.
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
We use napkins campus wide from post consumer recycled content, biodegradable plates
Sodexo Sustainability Commitment:
We will utilize environmentally responsible equipment, products, packaging and cleaning practices at 100% of our offices, productions facilities and client’s sites by 2015.
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:
Currently offer discounts on beverages using recycle mugs
27) Do your dining facilities use any polystyrene products (i.e., Styrofoam)?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe:
We only a drinking cup that will be converted to a plastic reusable cup this fall.
FOOD COMPOSTING AND WASTE DIVERSION
28) Do your dining facilities compost preconsumer food scraps?
[ X ] No
[ ] 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.
[ %] 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.
When a composting program becomes available, we will donate food products for composting.
30) Do your dining facilities donate excess food to a food bank, soup kitchen, or shelter, etc.?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe:
In the past we have participated in Feeding America by taking left-overs to missions based on an event and need. We participate twice per year collecting canned products and donating them to Harvest Hope/Feeding America and collected $3200 in April when went to Feeding America as well.
31) Do your dining facilities have a trayless dining program?
[ ] No
[ ] Sometimes--on specific days, on certain occasions, or in specific locations. Please describe:
[ X ] Yes--standard practice. Please describe program including date started and, if available, data on reduced food waste or water consumption:
We have a cafeteria that has been trayless since 2004. We are sponsoring a number of days in other units going trayless for a limited time period.
Sodexo suggests that accounts choose to remove trays from dining halls. Research conducted by Sodexo accounts demonstrate that removing trays creates a reduction in food waste by one ounce per person saves ¼ gallon of water per tray. There is also saving in natural gas and energy to operate the dish machine to wash trays as well as fewer chemicals that enter the waste water stream.
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):
A food waste audit has been conducted by the university, we give our used cooking oil to a third party, changed our take out containers this last year from foam to biodegradable, sell/offer eco mugs to refill to reduce cup usage, installed additional recycling containers to minimize containers going to the landfills. We also use green cleaning supplies to include dish machine products. We also utilize an electric vehicle to service some of the units vs. gas powered. A pulper is used in our largest retail operation’s dish room to reduce trash to the landfill.
RECYCLING OF TRADITIONAL MATERIALS
33) Please indicate which traditional materials your dining facilities recycle (check all that apply).
[ ] None
[ X ] Aluminum and Tin cans
[ X ] Cardboard
[ X ] Glass
[ X ] Paper
[ ] Plastics (all)
[ X ] Plastics (some)
[ ] Other. Please list:
We recycle all the plastic there is a market for here in SC.
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[ X ] Yes. Please describe:
The larger units have collection devices in or outside operations for newspaper, plastic, aluminum and office paper.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)?
[ 16 %]
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: Dining Services are contracted to Sodexo on campus.
[ ] 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 Resident District Manager is a member of the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC). In addition he works with the campus Sustainability Coordinator to initiate educational information to the students and complete projects dedicated to improving local purchasing and resource conservation.
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