Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 69.86
Liaison Nicole Arsenault
Submission Date April 3, 2024

STARS v2.2

York University
OP-8: Sustainable Dining

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.88 / 2.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Sustainable dining initiatives

Local community engagement

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host a farmers market, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, 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:
1. Located at the south end of the Keele campus, the Maloca Community Garden was established in 1999 by students from the Faculty of Environmental Studies, and features approximately 2,000 sq. ft. of space for growing vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. The garden provides York and surrounding communities with the opportunity to grow and harvest food in a welcoming, non-judgmental environment, and offers workshops and volunteer opportunities to those interested in community-based organic agriculture.
2. The York University Regensis chapter hosts a 'Good Food Market' and 'YUM! Market', where they sell fresh and affordable produce at Vari Hall.

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:
Through our partnership with Chartwell, sustainable dining options such as vegan and vegetarian meals are embedded within all food outlets on-site.

In addition, Lunik Cafe is a student-run co-op located at Glendon College that focuses on ethics, health, and sustainability. Lunik offers sustainably sourced foods, vegan treats and snacks. As a part of their mandate, the Lunik ensures that that the food they serve is good for the planet (environmentally sustainable), ethically produced (socially sustainable), and affordable for students (economically sustainable)."

Inclusive and local sourcing

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor support disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its food and beverage purchasing?:
Yes

A brief description of the support for disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
Through the YU Eats program, the university offers a new diverse and sustainable menu. This includes our coffee supplier, Birch Bark Coffee.Co, a First Nations owned business that offers organic, Fair Trade and SPP-certified coffees. This coffee is available at all locations that accept Meal Plan.

Estimated percentage of total food and beverage expenditures on products from disadvantaged businesses, social enterprises, and/or local SMEs:
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Low-impact dining

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor host low impact dining events or promote plant-forward options?:
Yes

A brief description of the low impact dining events and/or plant-forward options:
Food Services launched classes in January called 'Teaching Kitchen' for York community members, focused on teaching nutrition and sustainability tips to encourage quality, affordable, plant-based food options and low-waste cooking tips. The series is hosted on the Glendon and Keele campuses in respective dining halls.

https://www.yorku.ca/foodservices/tag/teaching-kitchen/
https://twitter.com/YorkUniversity/status/1650580308620615718?cxt=HHwWzICxifWChegtAAAA"

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:
The YU Eats program focuses on providing a healthy menu, with rotations that provide greater variety and a wider range of global fare that reflects the diversity of the York community. There has been a significant increase in the availability of nutritious plant-based meals.

Labelling and signage 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices through labelling and signage in dining halls?:
Yes

A brief description of the sustainability labelling and signage in dining halls:
At our food outlets, all vegan and vegetarian food options are clearly labelled to inform customers about various food options.

Part 2. Food waste minimization and recovery

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the trayless dining or modified menu/portion program:
York University dines trayless, creating a positive impact on the the waste stream. This minimizes food waste, conserves energy and water, and reduces the amount of cleaning chemicals entering the waste stream.

Food donation 

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people?:
No

A brief description of the food donation program:
---

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the food materials diversion program:
York University has a contract with for organic waste disposal services, including food waste and cooking oil. The contractor puts our organic waste to work as electrical power or natural gas through programs such as Toronto ZooShare, which turns food waste into renewable power for the Ontario grid.

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:
All food vendors on campus are required to collect organic waste kitchen scraps for composting at an off-site industrial facility.

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:
Small organic waste bins are deployed throughout the University in kitchenettes, serveries and other areas where the community prepares and eats food. In certain buildings, such as in the Student Centre, there are composting bins, including indoor bins, on site.

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:
Timbers Lodge Social Grill and at York Lanes and the Schulich Executive Learning Centre utilize reusable dish ware for dine in meals. In addition, Food Services began to replace single-use paper food containers in out Residence Dining Halls with reusable friendlier containers. The pilot project is currently available at Stong, Winters and Glendon Dining Halls. Customers first have to pay a $0.50 deposit with their meal purchase and can then return your container to a Friendlier bin, scan the QR code on the container through the Friendlier app and receive their deposit back in 2 weeks!

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:
Food Services offers Friendlier containers at Stong, Winters and Glendon Dining Halls which help create less waste, produce fewer emissions, and reduce plastic.

Does the institution or its primary dining services contractor offer discounts or other incentives to customers who use reusable containers 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 Lug-a-Mug Program at York aims to reduce waste by providing discounts to those who use their own containers to purchase beverages. Reusable mugs are accepted at all campus food vendors, and select vendors offer a discount ranging from $.10 to $.25! Although the program was not offered during the pandemic for health and sanitation reasons, the initiative has now resumed.

Optional Fields

A brief description of other sustainability-related initiatives not covered above:
---

Website URL where information about the sustainable dining programs is available:
https://www.yorku.ca/foodservices/

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.