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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: Mr. Robert P. Coffey
Title: Senior Associate Director, Housing and Dining Services, Department of Student Programs, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061.
Date survey submitted: July 20, 2009.
Virginia Tech has a national award winning dining program. Please see: http://www.studentprograms.vt.edu/dining/
1) Total annual food budget: [$ 12.8 Million ]
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.
This definition of local does not fit very well in rural Southwestern Virginia. While there are several local farmers and producers within a 150 mile radius, there is not enough variety or quantity to meet our needs for serving over 30,000 meals each day. We are currently developing a policy on purchasing locally grown and produced foods and within that policy we will be looking at purchasing opportunities that are "as close as possible" rather than putting a mileage cap on a definition of "local".
2) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to local purchases?
[X] No. Policies are in the process of being developed.
[ ] 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)? [
1] Number from which you purchase directly. (Grayson) [
5] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: Produce Source Partners (Roanoke, Va).
4) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was grown or raised locally? [$ 31,459.90 ] (T&E Meats; Grayson; Black Eagle Eggs)
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): Meat, eggs. Produce Questions 6-8 pertain to locally produced and/or processed items.
6) From how many local processors do you purchase? [1] Number from which you purchase directly. (Grayson) [2] Number from which you purchase through a distributor. Please specify name and location of distributor: US Foodservice (Salem, Va); Produce Source Partners, (Roanoke, Va) (T&E Meats; Black Eagle Eggs)
7) How much do you spend annually on purchasing food that was processed locally? [$ 31,459.90]
8) Please list items you purchase that are processed locally (e.g., bread, granola, ice cream, baked goods, yogurt, cheese): Meat, eggs, Produce.
9) Do you purchase milk from a local dairy? [X] No [ ] Yes. Please provide name of dairy and location:
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: Program is still in the developmental stage.
ORGANIC AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD
12) Do you have any formal policies pertaining to the purchase of organic and/or sustainably produced food? [X] No Policy is under development. [ ] Yes. Please describe and provide URL, if available:
13) Do you purchase organically grown or produced food?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please list items: Fruits, Vegetables, Dry goods (pasta, flour, canned items, salad dressings, etc.), Dairy products, coffee, teas, eggs and herbs.
14) How much do you spend annually on organically grown or produced food? [$50,609.34]
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). (Cage Free eggs and confinement-free meat)
[ 24%] Percentage cage-free eggs ($65K in other eggs, 20K in cage free)
[ 0.7%] Percentage confinement-free. Type of meat product: Beef and Pork ($1.3M in other vs. $11K)
16) Do you purchase any grass-fed animal products?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product). [0.7%] Grass-fed. Type of animal product: Beef and Pork. (Same as above) [ %] Grass-fed. Type of animal product:
17) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free meat?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please indicate (repeat for each product). [.001 %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat: (Chicken $1.3M vs. $1.6K) [ %] Percentage hormone- and antibiotic-free. Type of meat:
18) Do you purchase hormone- and antibiotic-free dairy products?
[X] No
[ ] 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:
19) Do you purchase seafood that meets Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines or Marine Stewardship Council standards?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please indicate. Alaska Salmon; Pacific Cod; US Sourced: Mahi-mahi, Yellow fin Tuna, Wahoo, Tilapia, Lobster, Wahoo and Swordfish.
[100%] Percentage purchased that meets guidelines. Please list guidelines used: Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch for Southeastern US.
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: Offered at every meal; 20 to 30 entrees along with numerous side dishes.
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: We purchase some types in our coffee shop, but not all coffee used is Fair Trade. Where possible we use "Direct Relationship" as our purchasing standard. This allows us to establish a "relationship" with the actual grower ensuring the best market price for their product. In November, 2008 some of our staff visited a coffee estate in Selva Negra, Nicaraugua to establish a partnership.
[ ] 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
[ ] Biodegradable/compostable We are researching compostable products to replace the plastic and polystyrene and when we can find a source which manufacturers their product in the United States rather than China, we will begin to use it.
[ ] 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" containers. See answer to # 25, above.
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. Composting is currently only being done in our main vegetable processing and bakery facility. The program began in January; when a composting facility became available. [ %] Proportion of dining facilities that run preconsumer compost programs. We have only one processing facility, so it would be 100% at this time. However, no preconsumer composting is being done in any of our dining centers. [38.38] Annual tonnage of preconsumer compost. Since program has only been in place since January, this figure represents only January, 2009 through June 2009.
29) Do your dining facilities compost postconsumer food scraps?
[X] No Since there are no Sustainable compostable "disposables" currently available for purchase. (See Question # 25 above)
[ ] 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: Currently donating "Grab-n-go" items such as salads, bakery items, sandwiches to two local soup kitchens.
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: The two all you can eat facilities are trayless 100% of the time. Trays are available for disabled/handicap guests. Trays are available in the "ala Carte" facilities, but are rarely used.
[ ] 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 have undertaken 3 food waste auditing studies in the last year in our largest all you can eat facility. As a result of these audits, we have recognized an 88% decrease in food waste.
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) Facilities do not yet exist in our area for recycling plastics 3 through 7.
[ ] Other. Please list:
34) Are recycling receptacles located throughout dining locations?
[ ] No
[X] Yes. Please describe: They are located in customer service areas as well as in production areas.
35) What is the dining services' current waste-diversion rate (the percentage of recyclable waste diverted from traditional disposal)? [ 30 %] (including composting)
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: We are self-operated.
[ ] 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 Director of Housing and Dining is a member of the university Energy and Sustainability Committee.
The Dining Services Sustainability Coordinator is a member of student Environmental Coalition and Team Echo (Sustainability Committee for the Department of Student Programs.)
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