Texas A&M University
OP-7: Food and Beverage Purchasing

Our current inventory represents purchasing data for the last academic school year for Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. Due to the extreme differences in our overall annual purchasing due to COVID-19, we pulled data from a sample taking into account seasonal availability. This included both October 2019 and February 2020. Since we cut 90% of our operations in mid-March, analyzing these two specific months will provide a much more accurate representation of our purchasing for a normal academic year.

We obtained the raw purchasing data from our FoodBuy partners. We pulled reports for October 2019 and February 2020 each. We filtered the Item Category columns to only include Food & Beverage purchases (i.e. excluding uniforms, equipment, etc.) We then inserted additional columns of Sustainable Attributes, Third Party Verified, & Plant-Based Foods. We categorized each remaining item and researched a) if it had a specific sustainable attribute and b) it is was plant-based. After this system was completed, we calculated the Total Spend column in each spreadsheet to gather the total purchasing that is now attached to this submission.

For the Fall 2019 - Spring 2020 academic year, our dining program achieved the goal of having at least 30% of our paper purchases contain post-consumer recycled content.

Texas A&M University Dining’s approach to social responsibility and sustainability is tied to our overall Balanced U and FYUL (Fueling Your Unique Lifestyle) wellness programming across campus. Through a variety of innovative programs and policies, we work closely with the communities we serve to reduce the impact our operations have on the world around us. Our focus on recycling, resource conservation, and waste reduction not only helps us operate more efficiently, but it also lets us ensure that the resources we use today will be available for future generations. Our Balanced U Sustainability approach addresses four basic tenets of sustainable and socially responsible business practices. In detail, Chartwells only offers Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) certified cage-free shell eggs nationwide. In December 2007, Chartwells implemented a cage-free shell egg policy. All units are required to only offer shell eggs that are certified by the HFAC program in partnership with the Humane Society of America. We only serve chicken and turkey that has been produced with the restricted use of these drugs, especially as a growth additive in the feed. Our contracted suppliers are required to provide products that adhere to specific criteria developed in partnership with the Environmental Defense Fund. Chartwells serves only fresh, fluid milk and fresh yogurt from cows that have been certified to be free of the artificial growth hormones rBGH/rBST. Chartwells 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 train our managers and chefs to build relationships with local farmers and produce distributors. To ensure food safety and traceability of local produce, purchasing is done through an approved produce distributor. Chartwells supports global sustainability through local action. We support these communities by partnering with local produce suppliers and encouraging good agricultural practices to provide quality produce, economic growth, and local community development. Responsible coffee production methods are certified in a variety of ways, including Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Shade Grown, Bird Friendly, Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, UTZ and organic. We encourage our units to offer a responsible choice based on client and guest preference, and availability.