Loyola Marymount University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Since the creation of Sodexo, our mission has been to improve the Quality of Life of our employees and those we serve and to contribute to the economic, social and environmental development of the communities, regions and countries in which we operate. We make sure that our approach to enhancing people’s quality of life embodies principles of diversity, sustainability, environmental awareness, local prosperity and respect for every kind of resource we work with. As a company that promises to improve the Quality of Life of people, corporate responsibility lies at the core of everything we do. Better Tomorrow 2025 is designed to keep us on track in relation to our aspirations as a responsible business. It aligns with our corporate strategy and supports our business development. Better Tomorrow 2025 was developed in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs, launched in 2015, set global goals on 17 key areas that governments, businesses and society at large need to act on to achieve a more sustainable, fair and equal world by 2030. We have aligned our commitments to all of these goals. As an Employer: We are working to improve the quality of life of our employees, ensure a diverse and inclusive workforce and foster a culture of environmental responsibility. As a Service Provider: As a service provider, we want to promote local development, source responsibly and reduce carbon emissions and we want to encourage our customers to make healthy lifestyle choices. As a Corporate Citizen: In our role as a corporate citizen, we want to be known for fighting hunger and malnutrition, driving diversity and inclusion, and championing sustainable resource usage We have nine commitments to guide our journey to 2025. Each commitment is tied to a measurable objective. Reporting transparently helps us see the things that have gone well. And by sharing the areas where we’ve encountered challenges, we can find solutions collectively. Annual reporting helps us build trust with all of our stakeholders by providing clear evidence of the ways we are enhancing quality of life in the communities in which we work.

We partner with the campus sustainability department to feature products from their garden during our Community Table program every Thursday evening. They primarily grow herbs that can be used in sauces and entrees.

LMU is Marine Stewardship Council certified. We serve several MSC Certified seafood options daily at the Crimson Lion and Ignite Grills. https://www.msc.org/

Harmony is a dedicated vegan station in our main dining location, that features 10 different options. The station is open daily for lunch and dinner includes a wide variety of unique and tasty options such as: vegan shepherd's pie, vegan, gluten-free cheese enchiladas, stuffed cabbage roll bake, roasted vegetable-stuffed chayote squash, fresh white bean salad and Asian faux chicken wings. In addition, at all of our dining platforms we feature vegan options daily. For example: Natural - Smoothie and tossed to order salad station features a choice of kale or baby spinach, protein (including tofu) as well as a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. Stir Fry- Asian-inspired, made to order station which allows guests to choose from eight vegetables and a protein (including tofu) and the sauce of their choice. Their customized entree is cooked to order before their eyes. Salad Bar: Customize your own salad with a large variety of fresh vegetables such as kale, romaine lettuce, mixed greens, garbanzo beans, scratch made hummus, bell pepper and whole grains such as tabbouleh and quinoa. La Vincita is an Italian station that features whole grain pasta, a choice of vegetables with marinara and tofu for vegan diners. Ignite Grill features a house made vegan black bean burger with a vegan bun option. Caliente - All menu items can be created to the guest's liking with vegan choices including beans, soy crumbles and vegan cheese. Food on Demand (FoD) menu includes a variety of vegan selections including: vegetable Risotto, Tofu Stir Fry, Portobello & Butternut Squash and Rice Paper Wrapped Salad Rolls. Roski Uber Wrap Station- vegan diners can create a customized wrap such as roasted vegetables with garden patty crumbles. Crimson Lion - roasted Portobello mushroom sandwich, arugula and sun-dried tomato pasta and a variety of salads.

Periodically throughout the semester (typically 3-4 times) we feature a Meatless Monday event. During these events, we showcase Meatless Options as well as educational materials that highlight the impact our dining choices have on the environment. We partner with ASLMU and other groups to help advertise the event and the low impact choices guests have at the dining venues.

As a Fair Trade College and University, we feature a Fair Trade Gathering in which we showcase the Fair Trade items including Fair Trade Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf blends and other fair trade coffee selections, Honest Tea, a selection of snacks and chocolates. This event also helps to educate students about the impact of purchasing Fairly-Traded goods. Daily we serve MSC Certified seafood on campus including Hake sandwiches at the Ignite Grill and MSC Certified Fish and Chips at the Crimson Lion. Several times during the semester we also feature Meatless Monday events that encourage guests to eat plant-based dining options.

Harmony is a dedicated-vegan dining platform. To raise awareness with our guests, we communicated the positive environmental impacts of eating a plant-based diet which has increased participation at this location. We also partner with the sustainability department to “take over” our concession stands once a month where we eliminate fountain drinks and napkins, serve food on re-useable plates or bowls and offer a wide variety of information to show the impact of disposable items on the environment. In addition, we also have a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf coffee shop that features a fair trade University blend that was developed exclusively for the campus but is now available to others locally which has increased the availability of Fairly Traded coffee in the area.

We label all of our choices that are local, vegan, vegetarian, Fairly Traded and MSC-certified. In addition, we feature promotions routinely that educate guests about the impact of their dining choices (water and energy resources needed for animal-based choices vs plant based) or the power of plant proteins as well as the impact of food waste.

Sodexo is a member of the Better Buying Lab, a new initiative of the World Resources Institute (WRI) that brings together the food industry and some of the brightest minds from consumer research, behavioral economics and marketing strategy to test and scale new ways to help consumers buy products that have a lower environmental impact. The first phase of work will identify key consumer and business barriers that prevent people from adopting more plant-based diets. These insights will then be shared with a range of stakeholders in order to scale successful strategies worldwide. Sodexo will support the Lab throughout this process and use the insights gained to enable more customers to choose sustainable-food options by working seamlessly in line with how people actually shop for their food. In addition, our leadership is on the Menus of Change Sustainable Business Leadership Council. The Sustainable Business Leadership Council is a group of leading chefs, food and foodservice executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and social innovators working to inform, support, and confront issues that are surrounding the food industry today. We also work directly with World Wildlife Fund, Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council to develop our sustainable seafood program. In the case of Marine Stewardship Council, we have been certified for 6 consecutive years, which requires a rigorous annual audit to maintain. Sodexo is also a member of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council. SPLC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and recognize purchasing leadership that accelerates the transition to a prosperous and sustainable future. Founded in 2013, SPLC convenes buyers, suppliers, and public interest advocates to develop programs that simplify and standardize sustainable purchasing efforts by large organizations

Mindful by Sodexo is all about providing choice – to consumers, clients and our own Sodexo staff. We believe that when people are presented with delicious healthy options and choose those foods on their own terms, they are more likely to enjoy them and realize the benefits that come along with a healthier lifestyle – and consequently more likely to repeat those good choices everywhere they go. https://www.mindful.sodexo.com/ Some examples of Mindful options include: Chicken Spring Herb Salad, Grilled Asian Chicken Salad, Thai Red Curry Wrap, Chicken and Butternut Squash Salad, Basil Lemon Chicken Breast, Greens and Ancient Grains Salad, Mediterranean Spinach and Barley Salad, Portobello Cobb Salad, Monterey Black Bean Burger and Asian Noodle Salad. In addition, our Chef hosted a healthy cooking demonstration that educated students about how to create and cook their own healthy options at home including a quinoa vegan salad. Food is a meaningful and significant part of culture. We celebrate different cultural events through food including Black History Months, Asian-Pacific Heritage Month and Latino Heritage. Finally, in partnership with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) Parent School Partnership (PSP) Health and Wellness Initiative, Sodexo chefs and dietitians promote healthy nutrition, cooking and good eating habits to over 1,500 families annually across urban U.S. cities. Locally, LMU Dining's Executive Chef, Mario Presa, and Sodexo's Retail Manager, Stephen Forbes, support MALDEF by hosting a healthy eating cooking demonstration.

Sodexo's Food Management System allows the culinary team to input the quantities needed as well as surplus portions remaining. This tracks the surplus and informs future production to reduce waste. We have also used the LeanPath Kitchen waste tracking system to track the quantity and cause of kitchen waste in an effort to reduce our impact. We participate annually in Recycle-mania, annually placing first in 4 out of 5 categories.

Sodexo does not provide trays in any dining facility on campus. We offer samples of any item to our guests and every menu offers a half-portion alternative to minimize waste. Periodically, we conduct Weigh the Waste events with our guests which raises awareness about the amount and type of food that is being wasted on campus. We also have educational materials that highlight "Where the Waste Goes" to keep it top of mind.

Established in November 2013, a robust student-run Food Recovery Network at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is working to eliminate hunger and help the environment. Each week, students pick up surplus sandwiches, salads, baked goods, proteins and produce and deliver it to Upward Bound and Venice Bible Church. The campus garden donates food to local food banks. By connecting with LMU Campus Ministry and developing programs to feed hungry people, the LIONS Garden strives to promote social and environmental justice through community service and education. In addition, we host an annual event with Campus Ministry in which students and the community build the longest deli sandwich that is donated to Proyecto Pastoral Guadalupe Homeless Project by the Dolores Mission. We work with Feeding our Future during summer months to provide lunches to kids in summer programs and the homeless who might otherwise not have access to healthy food. To-date, we have provided over 300,000 meals to under-privileged youth in the surrounding areas.

Our used fryer oil is collected for bio-diesel weekly. All pre-and post-consumer waste is centrally sorted in this facility where in the pulping process its volume is reduce by 80%. This pulped waste is then dehydrated, a process which reduces its volume by another 80%. Once dehydrated this material is set aside, never entering landfills, and is picked up by a local company and used to make biofuel and animal feed.

LMU first uses a Somat Pulper and then a Somat food waste dehydrator to compost pre-consumer food waste. Some of the dehydrated food waste is composted at the LMU campus garden. The rest of the dehydrated waste is diverted from the landfill to make bio products.

LMU Dining Services has experimented with processing post-consumer food waste in multiple ways. Currently, LMU owns and operates a food waste dehydrator, the Somat eCorect, that converts both pre-consumer and post-consumer food waste into a dehydrated food waste material. Then, some of this material is used for experimental composting via worm composting at the LMU campus garden. The rest of the material that is not used for experimental composting is taken by a company to make bio-products.

In our main dining facilities, we offer reusable plates, cups and silverware as the default option.

Upon request, guests are given compostable to-go cold beverage cups, hot cups, soup cups, paper plates, cutlery and bowls. Compostable wares and food waste are pulped and dehydrated on site utilizing Somat Systems. The dehydrated product is picked up by a third party and utilized in various ways such as compost.

More than 500 students were provided with a reusable Validfill cup. This cup can be filled for free at any of our dining locations. If guests bring a reusable bag, they receive a discount on their beverage. When students bring their own coffee cup or mug to any Sodexo dining location, they are only charged the refill price, which is $1.29 regardless of the size. All Sodexo employees must use reusable dishware and cups for meals during their shifts.

We utilize on line ordering for catering which minimizes paper use. In addition, our standard practice is to offer towers of water, lemonade, iced tea and other beverages instead of bottled beverages at catered functions. Our APEX dishwashing system uses 95% less packaging material than prior cleaning methods. Bulk condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and BBQ sauce in our retail operations eliminate single use packaging waste. We print double-sided in our offices when printing is necessary. Our paper is made from 100% recycled content. Our pens are made from recycled content. Our dairy products are delivered in reusable crates.

Other resources: Green Restaurant Association - The Lair and Roski Dining Locations earned 4 Star Ratings - the highest of any campus in the United States. http://www.dinegreen.com/ Sodexo Corporate Responsibility - https://www.sodexo.com/home/corporate-responsibility.html