There\u2019s no clear definition of \u201csustainable\u201d or \u201cclean.\u201d When diners are asked what it means, the answers vary widely. But education foodservice directors can\u2019t ignore the topic, as more and more consumers consider the better-for-you impact of what and where they eat.<\/p>\n
For most people, sustainable and clean<\/a> center around two areas: environment and wellness. Those two areas, however, open up a wide range of possibilities: Local sourcing. Land use. Sustainable fishing. No artificial flavors, colors or genetically modified organisms. Animal welfare. Fair trade. The list goes on. <\/p>\n At the University of Notre Dame<\/a>, Associate Director of Sourcing and Sustainability Cheryl Bauer calls it \u201ca moving target, one we\u2019re always learning about.\u201d Echoing those thoughts is Steve Mangan, University of Michigan<\/a>\u2019s Senior Director of Dining. <\/p>\n Both admit there\u2019s no menu that can satisfy all needs for all diners. When there are thousands of people to feed, a general view comes first. \u201cIn the broadest sense, sustainability falls in the center of planet, people and money,\u201d Mangan says. \u201cHow do we protect the planet? How do we protect the people who produce, transport, serve and consume the food? How do we maintain our financial viability.\u201d<\/p>\n Satisfying those areas takes an education\u2014for both the operation and the students. <\/p>\n First, Mangan notes, it helps to understand what motivates diners. Some are seeking better health or better academic or athletic performance. Others are experimenting with lifestyle choices, such as vegan or local eating. Still others focus on ethics, like animal welfare.<\/p>\n Second, it\u2019s vital to explain your position. Bauer tells of two students doing a study of land and water use in cattle farming who questioned how much beef Notre Dame bought and served. \u201cThey were shocked at the total poundage, but we had to educate them about how it\u2019s used for campus dining, catering, conferences and special events\u2014people ask for it, so we need to have it.\u201d<\/p>\n Large-scale service\u201410,500 campus dining meals a day at Notre Dame and 25,000 at Michigan\u2014makes it hard to satisfy every issue that matters to diners. It\u2019s equally hard to measure up to sustainability yardsticks the schools set for themselves. <\/p>\n For example, Mangan says U-M\u2019s dairy comes from a farmer-owned cooperative, is hormone-free and locally produced, but still fails the sustainability test. \u201cThe cows are fed in large feeding operations and they would need to be grass-fed and organic to count toward our measurements,\u201d he points out. \u201cIt checks a lot of boxes, but not all.\u201d<\/p>\n Both schools are serious about sustainability, and their websites communicate their missions:<\/p>\n At Notre Dame, the university launched a five-year action plan in 2016 that focuses on six areas: 1] energy and emissions; 2] water; 3] building and construction; 4] waste; 5] procurement, licensing and food sourcing (sustainable and local); 6] education, research and community outreach.<\/p>\n At U-M, the foodservice team works with the school\u2019s Planet Blue program, which has set 2025 campus sustainability goals in the areas of climate, waste prevention, healthy environments and community engagement. They have a goal of 20 percent of their food purchases to be from local and sustainable resources.<\/p>\n For Notre Dame, the move toward sustainability began quickly when the school\u2019s Executive Chef Don Miller was the first to make Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) practices part of its foodservice program. MSC promotes sustainability by assuring fish is responsibly caught and can be traced to its source. Since then, the school\u2019s Modern Market, a franchise of the foodservice operation, focuses on selling clean label, non-GMO, preservative-free food products. And recently the North Dining Hall on campus was Green Restaurant Certified after a remodeling project that included adding energy- and water-saving equipment, low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and a menu analysis.<\/p>\n U-M is working toward sustainability by using the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) program called STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System). At the same time, it\u2019s shaping its local footprint\u2014buying products where possible anywhere in Michigan or in a 250-mile radius around Ann Arbor. This encompasses parts of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Canada. <\/p>\n \u201cBut that\u2019s not necessarily sustainability, that\u2019s building local and economic relationships,\u201d Mangan says. \u201cThings like Fair Trade, organic, sustainable land and water stewardship will trump the local definition, and right now we\u2019re at about 18 percent sustainability using the strict AASHE definition.\u201d<\/p>\n Making a local connection<\/strong><\/p>\n Sustainability and local buying also have a place in K-12 foodservice. The Ohio Days program used by schools around Columbus is changing the way students think about their food. One day each month, Bexley City Schools, Upper Arlington Schools and Columbus City Schools serve products either made or grown in Ohio.<\/p>\n This challenges the schools to find a fruit, vegetable, milk, grain and meat\/meat alternate from within Ohio\u2019s borders. Finding milk locally is easy. Fruits and vegetables present seasonal challenges. The rest is all about creativity.<\/p>\nLearning at every level<\/h3>\n
Making their missions known<\/h3>\n