Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 45.39
Liaison Holli Fajack
Submission Date July 6, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California State University, Long Beach
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.75 / 2.00 Clint Campbell
Facilities Director
Forty Niner Shops
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1: Sustainable Dining Initiatives 

Sustainable Dining Policy

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a published sustainable dining policy?:
No

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
N/A

On-Campus Sourcing 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor source food from a campus garden or farm?:
Yes

A brief description of the program to source food from a campus garden or farm:
49er Shops has received produce from the campus garden, Grow Beach, for use in a Hospitality Management course.

Local Community Engagement 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, and/or urban agriculture project, or support such a program in the local community?:
Yes

A brief description of the farmers market, CSA or urban agriculture project:
A Farmers' Market takes place bi-weekly during the academic year.

Vegan Dining Program 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a vegan dining program that makes diverse, complete-protein vegan options available to every member of the campus community at every meal?:
Yes

A brief description of the vegan dining program:
Vegan options are offered daily in all residential dining areas and many of the retail dining facilities. Residential dining areas are also enjoying Meatless Mondays where nutritional information is shared around the benefits of vegan dining 49er Shops run the majority of on-campus restaurants as well as the residential dining halls. At 49er Shops Restaurants, Vegetarian items are indicated by a green leaf on most menus. The three Dining Halls each have a dedicated vegetarian and vegan section which provides a diverse rotating menu of delicious, nutritious dishes (vegetarian and vegan options are indicated via signage). In 2015, the 49er Shops was recognized by PETA for going above and beyond to provide students with vegan options and remains committed to increasing the number of vegetarian and vegan menu items at all dining locations. Sample menus: Beachside: http://web.csulb.edu/aux/49ershops/wp/dining/area_3/wp-content/themes/ut-dining/downloads/menuCycles/2015-2016/Beachside-MenuCycle.pdf Hillside: http://web.csulb.edu/aux/49ershops/wp/dining/area_3/wp-content/themes/ut-dining/downloads/menuCycles/2015-2016/Hillside-MenuCycle.pdf Parkside: http://web.csulb.edu/aux/49ershops/wp/dining/area_3/wp-content/themes/ut-dining/downloads/menuCycles/2015-2016/Parkside-MenuCycle.pdf

Low-Impact Dining Events 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events (e.g. Meatless Mondays)?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events:
Mindful Monday meals are served in the residential dining halls to raise awareness about low-impact food options.

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
N/A

Sustainability-Themed Outlet 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a sustainability-themed food outlet on-site, either independently or in partnership with a contractor or retailer?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
N/A

Labeling and Signage 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labeling and signage in dining halls?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
The vegetarian and vegan food stations are clearly labeled. Signage at the dish drop area informs students that the food they scrape into the bin will be diverted from the waste stream via composting. At the Chart Room salad bar, signage indicates the items which have been sourced from local farmers and/or the campus garden.

Outreach and Education 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems?:
No

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
N/A

Other Initiatives 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have other sustainability-related initiatives (e.g. health and wellness initiatives, making culturally diverse options available)?:
Yes

A brief description of the other sustainability-related dining initiatives:
"Residential Dining Allergen Project The Residential Dining Halls are the residents' “home away from home," being that many of them are on their own for the first time. Without Mom and Dad by their side, the sense of security of knowing what is in the food they are consuming is gone. In order to decrease the fear, especially for our residents with food allergies, our project is the identification and symbolization of the top eight allergens that can be found in the meals at Parkside, Hillside and Beachside dining halls. The “Big Eight” are eight foods that account for ninety percent of allergens in the United States (FDA, 2017). According to the FALCPA, The Big Eight, and any proteins derivatives from these foods include milk, eggs, fish, crustacean/shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybean. All students and guests of the residential dining halls will now have an easy and informative representation of the different food allergens in the meals being served. On both, the residential dining guides and the menu boards will be graphic of what allergens will be in that certain food."

Part 2: Food and Dining Waste 

Food Recovery Program

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor participate in a competition or commitment program and/or use a food waste prevention system to track and improve its food management practices?:
Yes

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
The 49er Shops participates in the Lean Path Program, a program designed to help commercial kitchens track and monitor food operations in order to prevent waste and save money. http://www.leanpath.com/

Trayless Dining and Portion Modifications 

Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented trayless dining (in which trays are removed from or not available in dining halls) and/or modified menus/portions to reduce post-consumer food waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
Trayless dining is the standard in all dining halls. Trays are provided only for those students requiring them due to special needs.

Food Donation 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
Yes

A brief description of the food donation program:
Food Finders is a program that links donated food to pantries and shelters in order to bridge the hunger gap in communities. The 49er Shops donates food to Food Finders Long Beach three times per week. http://www.foodfinders.org/

Food Materials Diversion 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor divert food materials from the landfill, incinerator or sewer for animal feed or industrial uses (e.g. converting cooking oil to fuel, on-site anaerobic digestion)?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
The 49er Shops contracts with a local vendor, Baker Commodities, to collect used cooking oil from campus restaurants. Baker Commodities processes the cooking oil and converts it into biofuel.

Composting 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a pre-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the pre-consumer composting program:
Currently in the process of securing vendor and establishing procedures for implementation. The 49er Shops contracts with a waste hauling company (Athens Services) to divert pre- and post-consumer food waste to a facility that composts these materials using windrows.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor have a post-consumer composting program?:
Yes

A brief description of the post-consumer composting program:
currently in the process of securing a vendor and establishing procedures for implementing. The 49er Shops contracts with a waste hauling company (Athens Services) to divert pre- and post-consumer food waste to a facility that composts these materials using windrows.

Dine-In Service Ware 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor utilize reusable service ware for “dine in” meals?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable service ware program:
Campus residents are provided washable china and flatware with all food items served directly onto china plates.

Take-Away Materials 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor provide reusable and/or third party certified compostable containers and service ware for “to-go” meals (in conjunction with an on-site composting program)?:
Yes

A brief description of the compostable containers and service ware:
All takeaway containers provided at 49er Shops dining operations are made from compostable paper/cardboard, with the exception of plastic Starbucks beverage containers, small condiment containers, and utensils. In addition, all students are provided with reusable to-go containers at the residential dining halls. These containers must be returned to the dining halls for repeated use.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers (e.g. mugs) instead of disposable or compostable containers in “to-go” food service operations?:
Yes

A brief description of the reusable container discount or incentives program:
All convenience stores and Starbucks locations provided small discounts to customers who bring their own reusable mug.

Other Materials Management Initiatives 

Has the institution or its primary dining services contractor implemented other materials management initiatives to minimize waste not covered above (e.g. working with vendors and other entities to reduce waste from food packaging)?:
No

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
N/A

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://web.csulb.edu/aux/49ershops/corporate/sustainability/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
Additional information about the programs or initiatives is available: http://www.csulb.edu/sustainability/program-initiatives/food-dining

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.