Food & Dining
Introduction
Modern industrial food production often has deleterious environmental and social impacts. Institutions can use their food purchases to support their local economies; encourage safe, environmentally friendly and humane farming methods; and help eliminate unsafe working conditions and alleviate poverty for farmers. These actions help reduce environmental impacts, preserve regional farmland, improve local food security, and support fair and resilient food systems. Dining services can also support sustainable food systems by preventing food waste and diverting food materials from the waste stream, by making low impact dining options available, and by educating its customers about more sustainable options and practices.
Featured Resources
New Resources
Tackling the Supply Chain-Proven Strategies to Source More Sustainable Food
- University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
- Sodexo USA (MD)
- Farm Forward (OR)
Colleges and universities play an important role supporting the development of sustainable food systems. Historically, sustainable dining programs have focused on sourcing local and organic produce. Increasingly universities are playing ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Sustaining Food and Housing Insecure Students on College Campuses
- Portland Community College (OR)
Food insecurity or the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food is common at colleges and universities across the country, undermining the educational success of thousands ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Student-led community food access initiative
- Johnson C. Smith University (NC)
A student-led garden was started on the campus grounds at Johnson C. Smith University in the fall of 2012. This initiative was put into place to address food security issues ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Food Waste Interventions
- Georgia Southern University (GA)
- Portland State University (OR)
- Sodexo USA (MD)
Information will be shared about Portland State's No Scraps Left Behind (NSLB) program at the PSU Dining Hall, the residential compost program, donations to PSU's food pantry, & ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Thinking Beyond the Fork: Utilizing the Campus Food Truck as a Vehicle for Teaching Sustainability
- University of North Carolina, Wilmington (NC)
- Aramark (PA)
What do you get when you combine a university food truck, a chef, a farmer, and a FoodCorps service member? The University of North Carolina Wilmington's Campus Dining program ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Black Hills Food Hub: Rural Food Hubs Serving a Wider Demographic
- Black Hills State University (SD)
Black Hills State University and Spearfish community partners are creating a culture that supports and values local food in order to expand the reach and depth of our regional local ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Meatless Monday on Campus: How to VEG (or BEEF) up Your Campus Sustainability Efforts by Connecting to Students Through Food
- Johns Hopkins University (MD)
- Bon Appétit Management Company
- The Monday Campaigns (NY)
- Changing Tastes (MA)
At the AASHE conference, Meatless Monday is how we connect sustainability through our food choices. In this session, we'll explore how to use the same approach to leverage Meatless ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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A Guide to Using the new Campus Carbon and Nitrogen Footprint Tool
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- University of Virginia (VA)
A new version of the web-based Campus Carbon Calculator will be launched in fall 2017: SIMAP (Sustainability Indicator Management and Analysis Platform). Join us for this session to learn about ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Best Practices for Supporting Campus Food Security
- Arizona State University (AZ)
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale (IL)
- University of Utah (UT)
Hunger is present on college campuses across the United States. As literature increases, awareness surrounding challenges in supporting severely food insecure college students has become more apparent, as well. This ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Fishing for Solutions: How Sourcing Sustainable and Affordable Seafood Fits into Your Campus Foodservice and Sustainability Programs
- University of Colorado Boulder (CO)
- Monterey Bay Aquarium (CA)
- Sea to Table (NY)
- Changing Tastes (MA)
What's for dinner? Fish! And a chance to promote ocean conservation, increase seafood consumption on campus, and engage students in sustainability. Chefs, nutritionists and food activists have advised an ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Less & Better Meat in University Dining Services
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
- Real Food Challenge (MA)
- Farm Forward (OR)
- Friends of the Earth (DC)
Reducing the quantity and improving the quality of the meat we eat can help mitigate climate change, improve our health, set a higher standard for the treatment of animals and ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Food Service Companies and Campuses Innovating to Source More Local Food
- Grand Valley State University (MI)
- University of Vermont (VT)
- Aramark (PA)
- Sodexo USA (MD)
This session will focus on increasing local food purchasing through stakeholder engagement at universities in Arizona, Maine, Michigan and Vermont. GVSU continues to expand its sustainable agriculture educational opportunities and ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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A Journey to Real Food: Growing an Intersectional Food Movement through Student Involvement and Empowerment
- Fort Lewis College (CO)
- Gonzaga University (WA)
Empowered communities yield brilliant minds. Empowered, well fed communities allow for meaningful growth in all areas. The intersectional nature of sustainable food, thought, and community driven enterprises brought the Real ...
- Posted Dec. 1, 2017
- Conference Presentations
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Black Hills State University recognized for sustainability projects
- Black Hills State University (SD)
- AASHE (MA)
Black Hills State University is one of three winners for the international AASHE Sustainability Awards. BHSU is being honored by AASHE for the Black Hills Food Hub, a program launched ...
- Posted Nov. 30, 2017
- Publications
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Oregon State U Reusable Food To Go Containers
- Oregon State University (OR)
Oregon State University has fully transitioned to reusable to go containers, saving over 400,000 disposable containers per year from the landfill.
- Posted Oct. 18, 2017
- Photographs
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Oregon State U Provides SNAP Benefit on Campus
- Oregon State University (OR)
To help combat the issue of food insecurity among college students, Oregon State University was the first campus to participate in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at its ...
- Posted Oct. 18, 2017
- Photographs
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Oregon State U Reusable Food To Go Containers
- Oregon State University (OR)
Oregon State University has fully transitioned to reusable to go containers, saving over 400,000 disposable containers per year from the landfill.
- Posted Oct. 14, 2017
- Photographs
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Portlandia Farmstandia
- Portland Community College (OR)
Student volunteers and learning garden staff host the first farm stand of the season, affectionately known as Portlandia Farmstandia, at Portland Community College Rock Creek campus.
- Posted Oct. 14, 2017
- Photographs
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UVM Eco-Reps educate peers about composting
- University of Vermont (VT)
All University of Vermont undergraduates now take at least one sustainability course, and 20 Eco-Reps extend that educational experience by teaching their peers sustainable behaviors as part of daily life ...
- Posted Oct. 14, 2017
- Photographs
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Macalester College highlighted in AASHE's 2017 Sustainable Campus Index!
- Macalester College (MN)
Caption: Kira Liu '17, left, and Emily Sylvestre '16, right, winterizing the bee hives with Pollinate Minnesota staff at Macalester College's Katharine Ordway Natural History Study Area. The photo ...
- Posted Oct. 14, 2017
- Photographs
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Closed Loop Composting at Central Michigan University
- Central Michigan University (MI)
Through its commitment to utilizing organic waste as a valuable resource, Central Michigan University engages in a full-circle, closed system composting program that also promotes economic prosperity. Material from compost ...
- Posted Oct. 12, 2017
- Photographs
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Careers in organic food production
This article describes the workers who are involved in producing organic food, certifying it, and bringing it to consumers. Although the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not ...
- Posted Sept. 21, 2017
- Publications
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Effects of a College Course About Food and Society on Students' Eating Behaviors
- Stanford University (CA)
This paper aims to examine whether an innovative educational course focused on societal-level issues related to food and food production (Food and Society) would promote healthful eating among college students.
- Posted Aug. 18, 2017
- Publications
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Impact on Plate Waste of Switching from a Tray to a Trayless Delivery System in a University Dining Hall and Employee Response to the Switch
- Indiana University Bloomington (IN)
A potential strategy for decreasing food waste in foodservice operations is trayless dining. The objective of this 2010 study was to compare the impact of using a tray vs a ...
- Posted Aug. 18, 2017
- Publications
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Positive Attitudes toward Organic, Local, and Sustainable Foods Are Associated with Higher Dietary Quality among Young Adults
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (MN)
Scant evidence is available on the relationship between preferences for organic, local, sustainable, and nonprocessed foods (ie, alternative food production practices) and dietary quality. This cross-sectional study examined the characteristics ...
- Posted Aug. 18, 2017
- Publications
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Marine Debris & Plastic Source Reduction Toolkit for Colleges & Universities
- University of California, San Francisco (CA)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (CA)
- University of California, San Diego (CA)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
EPA, the Product Stewardship Institute, and the University of California collaborated on this toolkit to help college campuses and other institutions cut their plastic waste and reduce marine debris and ...
- Posted Aug. 17, 2017
- Publications
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Natural Herbicides Project
- Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
- Engineers for a Sustainable World (CO)
First experiment (for Google Science Fair 2012). Weedy check (control plot in which no natural herbicides were applied) shown to left; treated areas shown to right.
- Posted Aug. 14, 2017
- Photographs
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Development and Validation of Green Eating Behaviors, Stage of Change, Decisional Balance, and Self-Efficacy Scales in College Students
- University of Rhode Island (RI)
Objective: To develop and validate an instrument to assess environmentally conscious eating (Green Eating [GE]) behavior (BEH) and GE Transtheoretical Model constructs including Stage of Change (SOC), Decisional Balance (DB ...
- Posted Aug. 4, 2017
- Publications
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University Student Perceptions of Seasonal and Local Foods
This study examined how university students conceptualize “seasonal” and “local” in relation to food. Because starting college often represents the first time many people assume primary responsibility for their meals ...
- Posted Aug. 4, 2017
- Publications
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How Federal Programs and Partnerships can Help Reduce Wasted Food on Campuses
- Central Michigan University (MI)
- AASHE (MA)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
Food is the single largest waste stream sent to landfills and incinerators each year in the United States –over 70 billion pounds, which accounts for 21 percent of Americans’ everyday ...
- Posted July 25, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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The Campus Kitchens Project
- The Campus Kitchens Project (DC)
Images from the Campus Kitchens Project (CKP), a national leader in community service for students and the future of hunger relief. CKP is empowering the next generation of leaders to ...
- Posted July 13, 2017
- Photographs
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The University and the Moral Imperative of Fair Trade Coffee
This paper examines the relationship between the university and fair trade coffee campaigns in North America. In recent years, fair trade coffee sales internationally have increased substantially but have still ...
- Posted June 20, 2017
- Publications
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4 Simple Ways to Reduce Food Waste at Colleges
- University of Houston (TX)
- AASHE (MA)
- The Campus Kitchens Project (DC)
The average U.S. college student produces 142 pounds of food waste per year, adding up to hundreds of thousands of pounds wasted at each school. According to Julian Dautremont-Smith ...
- Posted June 2, 2017
- Publications
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Earthday at Universidad de Monterrey
- Universidad de Monterrey
- Posted May 26, 2017
- Photographs
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Full Service Organics
- St. John's University, New York (NY)
In the Full Service Organics documentary video, St. john's University, New York (SJU) has documented its efforts of student engagement in fighting hunger and waste, and making compost from ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point Designated as the 40th Fair Trade University in the U.S.
- University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (WI)
The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, part of a national initiative by Fair Trade Campaigns to engage college/university students in issues of global poverty, officially received designation as ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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McGill University’s Fairtrade Campus Commitment: Roddick Roast Coffee
- McGill University (QC)
- Fairtrade Canada (ON)
- The Canadian Fair Trade Network (BC)
In June 2013, McGill University was given the designation of Fair Trade Campus by the Canadian Fair Trade Network (CFTN). This means that 100% of coffee sold on campus is ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Black Hills Food Hub: rural food hubs serving a wider demographic
- Black Hills State University (SD)
Black Hills State University (BHSU) and Spearfish community partners are seeking to create a culture that supports and values local food in order to expand the reach and depth of ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
- View more
Making Local, Healthy, Sustainable Delicious: The How-To Guide for Foodservice Operators
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (MA)
The How-To Guide for Foodservice Operators is a manual for restoring real food and regional food systems to the right place in our society. The guide documents UMass Dining’s ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Revisiting Service Learning Through Food Equity, One Outcome from the Chemeketa - Marion Polk Food Share Youth Partnership
- Chemeketa Community College (OR)
Chemeketa Student Retention and College Life (SRCL) periodically offers free leadership courses to students. Chemeketa’s dreams of a student farm for the Agricultural Sciences program are still a few ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Reducing the Nitrogen Footprint of a Small Residential College
- Dickinson College (PA)
The release of reactive nitrogen contributes to its accumulation in the environment, causing a variety of harmful effects. To measure Dickinson College’s contribution to nitrogen pollution, and quantify the ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Publications
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Adding a Nitrogen Footprint to Colorado State University’s Sustainability Plan
- Colorado State University (CO)
As a large land grant university with more than 32,000 students, Colorado State University (CSU) has both on-campus non-agricultural and agricultural sources of nitrogen (N) released to the environment ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Publications
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Comparing Institution Nitrogen Footprints: Metrics for Assessing and Tracking Environmental Impact
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- University of Virginia (VA)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (DC)
When multiple institutions with strong sustainability initiatives use a new environmental impact assessment tool, there is an impulse to compare. The first seven institutions to calculate nitrogen footprints using the ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Publications
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Transforming Campus Food Service with Anytime Dining
- University of Maryland, College Park (MD)
The Department of Dining Services at University of Maryland (UMD) set a goal to change the student culture and experience on campus through the Anytime Dining residential dining program. The ...
- Posted May 22, 2017
- Case Studies
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Assessing the Social and Environmental Costs of Institution Nitrogen Footprints
- University of New Hampshire (NH)
- University of Virginia (VA)
This article estimates the damage costs associated with the institutional nitrogen (N) footprint and explores how this information could be used to create more sustainable institutions. Potential damages associated with ...
- Posted May 19, 2017
- Publications
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Zero Waste Guide and the Good Food Festival Case Study
- University of Illinois Chicago (IL)
Throughout the semester, Joe Iosbaker, UIC's Recycling Coordinator and Office of Sustainability (OS) staff member, and Ula Renetskis, Office of Sustainability Intern and author, have been working with Bright ...
- Posted May 15, 2017
- Case Studies
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Oregon State U Fully Transitions to Reusable Food To Go Containers
- Oregon State University (OR)
The "Eco2Go" food container program at Oregon State University (OSU) Housing & Dining Services (UHDS) has eliminated all but a few specialized uses of disposable take-out containers within dining services ...
- Posted May 15, 2017
- Case Studies
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University of California, Climate Lab, Video Series Episode Four: Food waste is the world's dumbest problem
- University of California, Office of the President (CA)
This is the fourth episode of Climate Lab, a six-part series produced by the University of California in partnership with Vox. Hosted by Emmy-nominated conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan, the ...
- Posted May 15, 2017
- Videos & Webinars
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The Drivers Behind Edible Food Recovery Programs at Institutions of Higher Education
- Messiah University (PA)
Food waste is a multi-faceted issue that affects societies on a social, economic, and environmental level. In 2014, more than 38 million tons of food were thrown away in the ...
- Posted May 11, 2017
- Publications
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This tab provides access to data collected through AASHE’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS enables meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
All responses reference content from reports under the latest version of STARS, version 2.2. AASHE membership and log-in is required.
OP 7: Food and Beverage Purchasing
- Percent of sustainably or ethically produced food and beverage expenditures
- Percent of plant-based food expenditures
- Sustainable food and beverage purchasing inventory
- Description of the sustainable food and beverage purchasing program
- Website URL - Sustainable food and beverage purchasing
OP 8: Sustainable Dining
- Description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project
- Description of the sustainability-themed food outlet
- Description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs
- Description of low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options
- Description of the vegan dining program
- Description of sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls
- Description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system
- Description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program
- Description of the food donation program
- Description of the food materials diversion program
- Description of the pre-consumer composting program
- Description of the post-consumer composting program
- Description of the reusable serviceware program
- Description of the compostable materials and serviceware program
- Description of the reusable container discount or incentives program
- Website URL - Sustainable dining programs
Additional analysis on scores and quantitative fields can be conducted using the STARS Benchmarking Tool.