Sustainable Food

Across the globe there is a growing awareness of what it means to eat sustainably, and an understanding that food matters - to our own health, as well as the health of our communities, our environment and our planet. 

Throughout our dining services, we are committed to provide foods that are produced and procured in an ecologically, environmentally and socially responsible manner, and are partnering with many different growers, producers, suppliers and distributors to increase the availability of such foods.

Initiatives -  4 key Areas:

Purchasing and providing:

• Locally Grown Food

• Sustainably Grown and Raised Food

• Sustainable Fish and Seafood

• Socially Responsible Products 

Initiatives – Examples

“I eat local”

• Local Produce Purchasing Programs (by province / region)

  • Partnering with growers and distributors Canada wide

  • Promoting local with “Locally Grown” identifiers and seasonal menu features
     

• Local dairy products and shell eggs served provincially
   

• Canadian Raised

  • Purchase / Promotion of Canadian raised protein items

“I eat sustainable”

• Sustainable Seafood Purchasing Program under development

  • Partnering with SeaChoice Canada

  • Converting key seafood purchases to ocean friendly ecologically sustainable alternatives as per Canada’s Seafood Guide
     

• Sustainably Grown / Raised

  • Expanding purchasing programs and availability of organic, naturally raised, pasture raised / grass fed, and cage free items.

“I woke up”

•  Organic Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance Certified

  • Organic Fair Trade and Rain Forest Alliance Certified coffee selections offered and promoted throughout our coffee concepts
     

•  Annual donation and support of Coffee Kids program -  www.coffeekids.org  

Responsible Procurement

Each and everyday, we consider the environmental impacts of our purchasing practices and how we operate our business.   We partner with suppliers, customers and environmental experts to understand the impacts of available products on the environment and our communities and to identify better alternatives.

Initiatives -  4 key Areas:

Greening of:

• Disposable packaging

• Paper products

• Cleaning products

• Source packaging (food / non food)

Initiatives – Examples

Disposable Packaging, “I handle with care”

• Developed Green packaging programs, guide and decision making tools
• Goal to transition disposable packaging to items that are biodegradable, recyclable, and/or made from recycled content, and that minimize our dependence on non-renewable resources
• Options vary based on waste management programs and facilities within different locations and municipalities
• Encourage use of reusable products such as travel mugs

Paper Products, “I recycle, I renew”

• Provision of napkins / paper towels made from 100% recycled content, non-chlorinated, EcoLogo certified
• Utilize dispensers designed to limit usage/waste

• Recycled paper used for print collateral

Cleaning Products, “I came clean”

• Conversion of ware washing, all purpose, glass and floor cleaners, and hand soap to Green Seal Certified products where available and/or to greener alternatives

• Products are non-toxic, non-caustic, biodegradable and water based and provide packaging efficiency

Source Packaging, “I reduce”

• Purchase of products with minimal packaging and in bulk to reduce waste

Waste Management

Throughout our dining services we are committed to minimizing our environmental footprint by promoting and practicing waste reduction, reuse and recycling, with an emphasis on reduction.

Comprehensive Waste Management Strategies include:

• Partnering with suppliers who share our vision

• Reducing and reusing source packaging

• Enabling recovery and reuse of discarded materials, and recycling waste

• Recycling 100% of our cooking oil

• Exploring onsite and offsite composting initiatives and implementing where feasible – includes back of house kitchen food waste composting programs as well as post consumer composting programs

• Conducting waste evaluations

• Utilizing and building on Waste Management Directory

• Comprehensive staff training on waste management and reduction initiatives

Energy & Water Conservation

We are committed to partnering with our clients and customers to bring a wide range of energy and water conservation programs to our dining services.

Examples of Initiatives include:

Training

• Development of Comprehensive Staff Training and Recognition Programs to encourage energy and water conservation

Tray-less Dining

• Reducing and/or eliminating the use of trays helps to: conserve energy by eliminating the need to heat water for washing trays, conserve water and reduce chemical usage (detergents, rinse and drying agents) used for washing trays. 

Education & Engagement

Raising Awareness & Making it Fun!

Food is a great vehicle for education, and a fantastic medium for generating excitement and awareness  around health and sustainability issues. As we strive to provide more responsible food services, we hope that everyone can feel great about eating with us, and gain a better understanding of how our food choices impact our own health, as well as the health of our environment, our communities and our planet. 

Initiatives include:

• Increasing availability of foods that are produced in a sustainable manner

• Regular themed meals and events including Locally Grown, Vegetarian and ‘Cool Planet’ menu options, and Dim the Lights dining days.

• Information provided on menu options and ingredients, including on their source and the benefits of eating seasonally, locally, sustainably and perhaps lower on the food chain even just a few times a week!