Dining Services
Sustainability Initiatives
In 2010, the UM Sustainability Committee formed the Local Foods Subcommittee, a group of concerned members of the university community who came together to strategize how campus dining could operate in a more “sustainable” fashion, including sourcing local food.
On November 8, 2010, the UM Sustainability Committee passed the University of Montevallo Food Service Proposal, asking that campus dining adopt 9 specific practices by Fall 2012:
- A minimum of 20% local food (within 300 miles) for campus consumption
- Elimination of Styrofoam containers, shift to biodegradable/recyclable
- Ethical use of uneaten food, to include donations to the needy
- A “seasonal menu” to promote bioregional choices
- Hormone and antibiotic-free meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs
- Publication of nutrition information/food education at campus dining venues
- Competitive vegan and vegetarian options on a daily basis
- Enact responsible disposal of biodegradable waste (composting, etc.)
- Incorporate organic produce and fair trade foods into menu
Where are we now?
Below is a report of the efforts Dining Services is making in their partnership with the UM Sustainability Committee.
- 1.
A minimum of 20% local food (within 300
miles) for campus consumption
During spring semester 2012, campus dining purchased 22.36% of their produce from Adam’s, a regional produce distributor. This produce was sourced within 300 miles of campus. Our milk is also sourced locally by Barber’s, based in Birmingham. We plan to work with other local produce distributors in order to get weekly shipments of Alabama produce to serve on campus. - Elimination of Styrofoam containers, shift
to biodegradable/recyclable
The cafeteria dining pledged to order no more Styrofoam as of December 2011. Styrofoam to-go boxes at the cafeteria were completely replaced with reusable to-go containers in December 2011. “Bare” Brand to-go cups are available from the cafeteria in both paper and plastic. They feature post-consumer recycled content and are recyclable. - Ethical use of uneaten food, to include
donations to the needy
As of April 2012, Sodexo has made 7 donations of food and clothing to Shelby Emergency Assistance. SEA, located at 620 Valley Street, is a local organization that helps people in need in our community. - A “seasonal menu” to promote bioregional choices
The cafeteria uses a program called FMS (Food Management System) to create our menus. We have the capability to create “seasonal menus,” and plan to do so once we have consistent shipments of Alabama produce. - Hormone and antibiotic-free meat, poultry, dairy, and eggs
This issue has not yet been actively addressed. - Publication of nutrition information/food education at campus dining venues
Nutrition information for menu items at the cafeteria is available on the dining services page on the UM website and on signage in the cafeteria. Nutrition information for menu items at WOW and Starbucks is available online on each company’s website. Nutrition information for menu items at Ollie’s (“Simply to Go”) is available online, as well as on the labels of most of the menu items themselves. - Competitive vegan and vegetarian options on a daily basis
We are actively working to provide more vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and lactose-free items. Soy milk and made-to-order items for patrons with special dietary needs are available upon request.
We hosted a Dining Forum on February 16, 2012, and a Special Diet Dining Forum on April 11. Students with special dietary needs have been invited to submit recipes to us for dishes they’d like to see and to directly contact General Manager Martin Diaz with suggestions and feedback. - Enact responsible disposal of biodegradable waste (composting, etc.)
Filta picks up our used fryer grease from the cafeteria and WOW 2 times a week. Filta transports the grease to their facility and converts it into biodiesel for vehicles to use.
The cafeteria made its first drop of compost into UM Organic Community Garden on April 27, 2012. Sodexo cooks put uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps from their food preparation into a rolling container, and store it in the prep cooler until it is ready to be emptied into the compost bin. - Incorporate organic produce and fair trade foods into menu
Sodexo’s “Aspretto” coffee is a “fair trade-based hot beverage that is 100% sustainable from grower to grounds.” Learn more about Aspretto.
Starbucks partnered with Conservation International to develop guidelines, called Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, to ensure that they source their coffee responsibly. Learn more about Starbucks’ ethical sourcing policy.
We can incorporate more organic produce and fair trade foods into the menu as we see demand for specific items.
- Through a partnership with the university, Dining Services was able to replace their old dishwashing machine with a Hobart FT900 Flight-Type Dishwasher, which uses 30% less water than the previous dishwasher.
- WOW/We Proudly Serve Starbucks uses only Energy Star Equipment. The UM Physical Plant picks up Dining Services’ cardboard daily and recycles it.
- Dining Services replaced conventional, bleached napkins with recycled napkins in October 2011.
- UM is a test pilot site for the new Coca Cola PlantBottle, which is up to 30% made from plants and is 100% recyclable.
- Through EcoLab, Dining Services uses more eco-friendly cleaning chemicals.
- Dining Services replaced traditional mops with microfiber mops, which are longer-lasting, and create less waste than one-time use or conventional mop heads.
Learn more about the UM Sustainability Initiatives Department here.