Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 84.99
Liaison Pierre Lemay
Submission Date Dec. 12, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Université Laval
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Pierre Lemay
Development Advisor
Office of the Vice Rector, External and International Affairs and Health
"---" 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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainable dining policy:
Since May 2014, Laval University requires various sustainability measures to dining services on campus. The required sustainability measures are recognized directly in dining services operating standards. https://www2.ulaval.ca/developpement-durable/axes-dintervention/consommation-responsable.html

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:
AgroCité, a student association, produces salads for few dining services on campus (L’Intégrale and Saveurs Campus) and Via-Agro, produces various herbs and vegetables for Saveurs Campus, a dining service on campus, and for Le Cercle universitaire, a restaurant on campus specialized in local food menus. https://www2.ulaval.ca/developpement-durable/axes-dintervention/culture-milieu-de-vie-et-ouverture-sur-le-monde/agriculture-urbaine.html

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:
The Jardin des comestibles (kitchen garden), located between the Charles-de-Koninck and Jean-Charles-Bonenfant Buildings, produces a variety of herbs, edible flowers, and vegetables that can be picked by all members of the university community. A shining example of urban farming. https://www2.ulaval.ca/developpement-durable/axes-dintervention/culture-milieu-de-vie-et-ouverture-sur-le-monde/agriculture-urbaine.html

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:
Everyday Saveurs Campus offers at least one vegetarian option of 3. http://cadeul.com/saveurscampus/sante.php

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:
The Université Laval's Vegan Association is open to anyone interested in vegetarianism or veganism, whether that person is vegetarian, vegan or wants to become vegetarian. L'AVEGE's main objective is to promote and promote this way of living, of being and of thinking. The AVEGE is organizing some events related to low-impact, such as vegan potluck, vegetarian challenges, meatless mondays and others. https://avegeulaval.wordpress.com/sur-le-campus/ Also, the Université Laval’s Placement Office organizes a weekly meat-free Monday event. Employees are invited to bring a vegetarian dish and share the recipe with their coworkers.

Sustainability-Themed Meals 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host sustainability-themed meals (e.g. local harvest dinners)?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed meals:
Cercle universitaire, one of the campus restaurants, offers local cuisine every day with a variety of dishes featuring fresh local produce, some of which is grown right on campus. http://lecercleuniversitaire.com/

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability-themed food outlet:
Numerous student associations produce and sell food at the university: - Agrocité sells lettuce grown on the roof of the Vachon Building. - La BoULangerie du Comtois makes and sells bread, cakes, pastries, bagels, and more in the laboratories at the Comtois Building. - Microbrewery BRASSTA brews craft beer, which is sold at the Université Laval Pub, Fou AÉLIES Café, and various events. - Fromagerie du Campus makes and sells a variety of cheeses, including Camembert, Emmental, and Gouda. What’s more, Coopérative La Mauve, a Québec City non-profit organization, delivers weekly organic boxes on campus during the summer.

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?:
No

A brief description of the sustainability labeling and signage in dining halls:
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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?:
Yes

A brief description of the outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems:
The Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences provides assistance to a large number of student associations that produce food on campus by providing the necessary facilities and academic coaching. In addition, numerous university research chairs examine the issues of short supply chains, food safety, and local food.

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:
As part of efforts to promote and sustain healthy lifestyle habits among the university community, Université Laval has a healthy eating food policy that promotes both a balanced, flavorful, varied, and affordable diet and the sustainable development standards in place on campus. Food policy also specifies the exclusions of certain foods from the daily menu because of their low nutritional value. It also required identifying and promoting healthy food. All food service outlets on campus, except standalone student cafés, must observe the policy. https://www2.ulaval.ca/mon-equilibre-ul/manger-sur-le-campus/bien-manger-sur-le-campus.html

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?:
No

A brief description of the food recovery competition or commitment program or food waste prevention system:
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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?:
No

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
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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 left over from university-sponsored events is, whenever possible, given to Table du pain, an organization that distributes food to students in need.

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:
Food services send their used cooking oil to an outside firm that reuses it in high-demand products such as tallow and protein.

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:
The university has a pre-consumer food waste composting program applied to the primary dining services contractor and other food services corporations on the campus. Specific containers are added in the kitchens and promotion of good practices is done by a specialized professional employee. Considering that Quebec City does not have a city wide composting program, the university ships its food and other organic waste to a site, thirty kilometers away, operated a professional private contractor. The program is in place since 2007 and is working very well in a majority of kitchens. Information can be found at: https://www.si.ulaval.ca/developpement-durable/matieres-residuelles/

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:
The post-consumer food waste composting program has been in place since 2007, as for the pre-consumer food waste composting program. All dining halls across the campus have waste containers divided in four categories: - Waste - Plastics, glass, aluminum and milk and juice packages - Compostable waste - Paper, newspaper and paperboard Information can be found at: https://www2.ulaval.ca/developpement-durable/axes-dintervention/infrastructures-durables/matieres-residuelles.html

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:
The contract clauses on responsible food that campus food services must follow specify that plates, bowls, glasses, cups, and utensils (spoons, forks, etc.) must be reusable (washable).

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:
The contract clauses on responsible food that campus food services and accredited caterers must follow specify that disposable tableware and utensils must be made of recyclable or biodegradable materials.

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:
The university has added certain new measures to its food concession (dining services) agreements. One such measure is that each concession must provide a drinking water fountain and glasses. Contractors are also required to make available (sell) reusable jugs and containers and to offer a discount to customers who use them.

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)?:
Yes

A brief description of other dining services materials management initiatives:
In its contract clauses on responsible food, Université Laval requires all campus food services to participate in the university’s new program for donating unused food to charities.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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