Texas A&M University
OP-6: Food and Beverage Purchasing

See above

We believe that the health of our eco-system is directly connected to the health of our communities and people who live in them. Acting responsibly is part of our company DNA and we are committed to offering foods that are earth, body and community friendly. In support of that position, we are committed to the following initiatives 1. Buy Local: Supporting the preservation of the American family farm, reducing the carbon foot print of our supply chain and giving back to the local communities are central to our core values. In collaboration with our partners at the Institute for Agricultural Trade policy, we are seeking to reduce our dependence on factory farming and to partner with qualified local and regional growers to encourage our units to develop relationships with local farms whenever possible. Our goal is to develop partnerships with 2013 American family farms by 2013. 2. Sustainable Oceans: Compass Group is committed to protecting the threatened global fish supply. In collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program we established a landmark purchasing policy in 2006 that removes unsustainable wild and farmed seafood from our menus. We are working diligently to engage the salmon, shrimp and tilapia aquaculture industry to implement sustainable methods of production using open and frequent dialog paired with specific goals and timelines. Our goal is to remove 500,000 lbs of unsustainable farmed seafood over a 3 year period ending 2013. 3. Certified Humane/Cage Free Eggs: Because of our commitment to the humane care of farm animals, we offer only HFAC certified Cage Free shell eggs* nationwide. 4. Poultry produced without the routine use of human antibiotics: The non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in animal production is a growing public health concern because it decreases the effectiveness of antibiotics to treat diseases in humans. Therefore, we only serve chicken* and turkey* that has been produced with restricted use of these drugs, especially as a growth additive in feed. Our contracted suppliers are required to provide products which adhere to specific criteria developed in partnership with The Environmental Defense Fund. 5. rBGH Free Yogurt and Milk: Science and experience has clearly demonstrated that the use of artificial bovine growth hormones in dairy cows is detrimental to the well-being of the animal. The medical community has expressed apprehension that the use of these hormones may also be harmful to human health. Due to these concerns, we serve only fresh fluid milk* and fresh yogurt from cows that have been certified to be free of the artificial growth hormones rBGH/rBST. 8. Social and ecological certified coffee: Coffee production can have a tremendous impact on the social or environmental well being of the countries where it is produced. Responsible production methods are certified in a variety of ways including Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Shade Grown and Organic. We encourage our units to offer a responsible choice based on client and guest preference and availability from the coffee partner.

The method of tracking local, sustainable and 3rd party verified food and beverage purchases is done through the organization's purchasing department’s database. All manufacturers and distributors used for food and beverage purchases for the Chartwells account at the Texas A&M University (non-branded) are contracted and specified to unit operators and distributors to ensure purchasing compliance. All purchases are then tracked and filtered through the purchasing database that allows for accurate accounting of said purchases.

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Information for this section was supplied by Chartwells, a third-party contractor for Texas A&M University Dining.