George Mason University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Institution and/or its primary dining services contractor conducts an inventory to identify food and beverage purchases that have the following attributes:

1. Third Party Verified. The product is sustainably and/or ethically produced as determined by one or more recognized food and beverage sustainability standards (see G. Standards and Terms).

2. Local & Community Based. The product does not qualify as Third Party Verified, but meets the criteria outlined in the table below. This category provides a path for campus farms and gardens and small and mid-sized producers to be recognized in the absence of third party certification.

Consistent with the Real Food Standards, a product must meet the following criteria to qualify as Local & Community Based:

Products from intensive livestock operations (e.g., CAFO-permitted facilities in the U.S.) are excluded. Due to the prevalence of industrial livestock production, meat, poultry, egg, and dairy producers should be assumed to be intensive operations unless the institution can verify otherwise through third party certification, transparent information from the supplier, and/or an appropriate regulatory body.

For additional guidance in identifying products that are Local & Community Based, see the Real Food Calculator.

The institution may also choose to identify purchases that have Other Sustainability Attributes (see E. Reporting Fields), i.e., that are environmentally or socially preferable in ways that are not recognized above. Examples include expenditures on products with credible sustainability claims and labels not formally recognized in the Third Party Verified category and products from local companies and regional farms that do not fully meet the Local & Community Based criteria. Although products reported in this category are considered to be conventionally produced and do not count toward scoring, identifying them can provide a more comprehensive picture of the institution’s sustainable purchasing efforts.

Products that meet more than one of the criteria outlined above (e.g., products from small and mid-sized local producers that are Certified Organic) should not be double-counted.

While products with sustainability attributes may be sourced through distributors or other third parties, the attributes of distributors do not count. For example, a product purchased from a local distributor may only be considered local if the product itself meets the criteria outlined above.

Transparency in the supply chain is a fundamental component of a sustainable food system. Products without verifiable sustainability attributes do not count in any of the categories outlined above. For each product that has one or more verifiable sustainability attributes, the inventory provides (at minimum):

• Product description/type.

• Label, brand or producer.

• The category in which the product is being counted (e.g., Third Party Verified, Local & Community-Based), and/or a brief description of the specific sustainability attribute(s) for which it is being counted (i.e., information about the producer and any sustainability certifications or claims justifying its inclusion, e.g., “Certified Organic”, “local farm-to-institution program“).

Institutions in the U.S. and Canada with students running the Real Food Calculator may upload Calculator results to fulfill the inventory requirement. Likewise, products that have been formally verified through the use of the Real Food Calculator to be ”Real Food A” or “Real Food B” may be counted as “third party verified… or Local & Community-Based” (see E. Reporting Fields).

For transparency and to help ensure comparability across institutions, it is strongly recommended that institutions not reporting Real Food Calculator results use the STARS Food and Beverage Purchasing Inventory template to record their purchases, and upload the results as documentation.

This credit includes food and beverage purchases for on-campus dining halls and catering services operated by the institution or the institution’s primary dining services contractor (e.g., Aramark, Bon Appétit Management Company, Chartwells, Sodexo). Outlets that are unique to the institution or its primary contractor (e.g., retail concepts developed and managed by the institution or contractor) are included. On-site franchises (e.g., national or global brands), convenience stores, vending services, and concessions may be excluded; they are covered in the Sustainable Procurement credit in Purchasing

Part 1

Institution’s dining services purchase food and beverage products that are third party verified under one or more recognized food and beverage sustainability standards or Local & Community-Based.

Part 2

Institution’s dining services minimize the purchase of conventional animal products, as measured by the percentage of total dining services food and beverage expenditures on such products.

Conventional animal products include all meat, fish/seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products that do NOT qualify in either the Third Party Verified category or the Local & Community-Based category (as outlined above). Please note that products reported in the “other sustainability attributes” category are considered to be conventionally produced.

This credit applies to all institutions that have on-campus dining services operated by the institution or the institution’s primary on-site contractor.

Each part is scored independently.

Part 1

Institutions earn the maximum of 4 points available for Part 1 of this credit when 75 percent of total food and beverage expenditures are on products that qualify as Third Party Verified or Local & Community- Based. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of total food and beverage expenditures dedicated to products that meet the criteria. For example, an institution with expenditures on third party verified and local community-based products totaling 18.75 percent of total food and beverage expenditures would earn 1 point (¼ of the points available).

Points for Part 1 of this credit are calculated automatically in the STARS Reporting Tool as follows:

Part 2                                                         

Institutions earn the maximum of 2 points available for Part 2 of this credit by purchasing no conventional animal products. Incremental points are available for institutions for which conventional animal products comprise less than 30 percent of total dining services food and beverage expenditures comprised of conventional animal products. For example, an institution for which conventional animal products comprise 15 percent of its total food purchases would earn 1 point (half of the points available for Part 2).

Points earned for Part 2 of this credit are calculated according to the formula below. STARS awards only positive points; points will not be deducted if purchases of conventional animal products exceed 30 percent of the institution’s total food and beverage expenditures.

Points Earned = 2 × { [(100 – A) – 70] / 30 }

A = Percentage of total dining services food and beverage expenditures comprised of conventional animal products (0-100)

Timeframe

Report the most recent data available from within the three years prior to the anticipated date of submission.

Sampling and Data Standards

Institutions may choose to track food and beverage purchases for a 12-month consecutive period or use a representative sample that includes data from at least two full months during a 12-month consecutive period (e.g. fiscal or academic year). When using samples, institutions must accommodate seasonal and other variations in sustainable food and beverage availability and purchasing. For example, an institution could select one month in the autumn when seasonal produce is still available (e.g. September or October) and one month in the winter or early spring that falls outside the normal growing season (e.g. February or March).

This credit is based on total food and beverage expenditures in the following categories:

• Dairy - fluid milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream
• Meat - beef, lamb, pork, game; including frozen or canned meat products
• Poultry - chicken, turkey, other fowl
• Eggs - shelled eggs, liquid egg product, powdered egg
• Fish/Seafood - all fish or seafood products, including frozen or canned products
• Produce - fresh, cut, or frozen fruits and vegetables
• Grocery/Staple - grains; staples; vegetarian/vegan meat alternatives; most boxed, bottled, jarred, and canned products
• Tea/Coffee - hot and cold coffee and tea products including bottled beverages, coffee beans, loose and bagged tea
• Other Beverages (non-dairy) - soft drinks, sports drinks, milk alternatives
• Baked Goods - baked products (pastries, breads, sweets)

To the extent feasible, all of the product categories and types outlined above should be included in the total food and beverage expenditures figure. If data tracking limitations make it necessary to exclude a product type or category, all products of that type or category must be excluded from both the numerator (expenditures on products that meet credit criteria) and the denominator (total food and beverage expenditures). Exclusions must be documented in the public “Data sources(s) and notes about the submission” field.