Tracking where food comes from (STARS)
To search this forum for keywords, type your keywords in the "Forums Search" box on the right. To search specific forum topics, click the "Advanced Search" link on the right.
This post is related to STARS, AASHE's Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System.
Our University has a contract with Sodexo and they do a great job of obtaining as much locally produced and organic food possible. However, they do often go through large distributors like Cisco to obtain food and Cisco apparently does not have a good tracking system to figure out where the food comes from. For example, lettuce in one shipment could come from 25 different farms all over the Country. Has anyone else run into this situation and if so, are you just assuming that the food coming from these large distributors does not meet the STARS requirements or are you actually tracking everything down to the source? Any advice or help with regard to this problem would be greatly appreciated.
I'm glad to hear that Sodexo at your college is really doing something about local food and not just talking about it -- that's first time I have ever heard anyone say that Sodexo does a great job of obtaining as much locally-produced and organic food as possible. Students at the 7 local colleges with Sodexo contracts consistently tell me that Sodexo talks a lot about local food, but sources only a tiny fraction from within this region [primarily produce, milk, bread]. Other food-service providers in this area seem to do much better, and work actively to get local farmers involved.
In this area, Sodexo does not obtain most of its fresh produce from Sysco, but through regional produce suppliers that offer local produce as an option. But even when it is available, they usually seem to choose price over proximity every time. [They do buy a higher percentage of local produce during the season, of course -- primarily because it is then cheaper than the commodities from out of state. Unfortunately, much of the harvest does not line up with the school year.]
So be thankful that your Sodexo unit is really working on more local food -- and suggest that they use a local or regional produce supplier to avoid the problems you mentioned in your post.
Peter
Peter Crownfield
Campus Sustainability Initiative
Alliance for Sustainable Communities-Lehigh Valley
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Forums Supporters
AASHE would like to thank the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment for support in developing the Forums, and recognize and thank the organizations below as official Campus Sustainability Discussion Forums Supporters:
Hello Jennifer,
My apologies that you are having trouble getting information from your food provider. My suggestion to you when approaching the STARS credits would be to provide as much information as you are able and document your process in the "Public Notes" section of the credit. All STARS can do is ask you for as much information as you are able to acquire. Estimating a little is OK, but please be clear about your process so your approach is clear.
Please feel free to send further questions about STARS to the STARS team by emailing stars@aashe.org.
Best,
Jillian