Sustainability
3 Star Green Restaurant Association Certified
The Green Restaurant Association has developed a thorough set of standards that reflect the current most sustainable practices within the food service industry. To obtain a GRA certification, a facility must meet a range of criteria concerning energy and water efficiency, food quality, chemical usage, education and transparency, and more. Spangler has obtained a 3-star GRA rating. Chao has obtained a 4-star GRA rating. We are committed to making continuous adjustments and improvements to ensure our facilities are constantly meeting the GRA’s requirements so we can maintain our high ratings
Food Waste Reduction
Waste Not 2.0 Program:
HBS Dining Facilities are a part of the Waste Not 2.0 Program. The Waste Not 2.0 program brings awareness to the large food waste issue and strives to change behaviors to reduce food waste. The program has implemented a tablet in each kitchen to track waste for customizable profiles, or specific areas of a kitchen, to track where food waste is coming from. The tablet tracks what waste is avoidable, such as burnt or expired food, and what is unavoidable, such as shells and bones. In engaging in this program, we are hoping to greatly reduce the amount the avoidable waste we are producing in our kitchens.
Menu Planning:
Menus for all of our dining facilities are planned strategically in advance. We carefully construct menus based on student demand, student schedules and how many people we expect to be on campus on a given day. In doing this, we are able to adjust food production accordingly and avoid over ordering and producing.
Plastic Reduction:
We are committed to reducing the amount of single-use plastic on our campus. We have replaced plastic water bottles with Ever & Ever aluminum bottles. These bottles are 100% recyclable and are BPA, BPS and BPF free. We have also swapped plastic juice and soda bottles with glass bottles and cans. We acknowledge that every type of commercial packaging available has positive and negative attributes; for this reason, we are actively working with partners and suppliers to offer the most sustainable packaging solutions.
Compost:
We are encouraging students and faculty to dine in-house so that they can use our reusable dining ware. However, we understand that busy schedules do not always permit this. For this reason, we have replaced all single-use plastic to go containers and utensils with their compostable counterparts. We now provide PFAS free containers made out of unbleached plant fiber. These containers completely biodegrade, turning into nutrient rich soil in just a few months. These containers also require less energy to produce than petroleum-based products, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Food Donation:
Restaurant Associates donates all leftover pre-packaged foods to a non-profit organization called Food for Free. Food for Free supplies this food to local meal programs and providers. Food for Free rescues over 2 million pounds of food each year, reducing food waste and helping to feed over 150,000 Boston residents.
Carbon Reduction
Greener by Default Program:
We consult with a company called Greener by Default. Greener by Default help us how to best apply behavioral science to food policy and encourage diners to make sustainable food choices while also respecting their freedom to choose. They have helped us implement more vegan options in our retail and catering menus.
Carbon Foodprint:
To keep track of, and ultimately lower our carbon footprint, we utilize Carbon Foodprint. Carbon Foodprint gathers information about our emissions, offsets and reductions, including our food supplier’s emissions. Carbon Foodprint then analyzes the data and makes suggestions on where we can lower our footprint.
Coolfood Pledge:
Harvard University has been a member of the Coolfood Pledge since 2019. As members of the Coolfood Pledge, we are committed to reducing our GHG emissions associated with the food we serve by 25% by 2030 relative to our emissions in 2015. This is in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. We report all food purchases, by weight, each year and determine the climate impact of our food production using the Coolfood Calculator.
Plant-Based Eating:
All HBS’ dining facilities offer food options that are suitable for those following any plant-based or plant-forward diet. Our menus are labeled with distinctive icons relaying vegan and vegetarian options.
Animal Welfare
Vital Farms:
All dining facilities throughout HBS use pasture-raised eggs from Vital Farms. Vital Farms is a company dedicated to the ethical production of food. They treat their chicken with care and respect to retrieve eggs ethically. Furthermore, they do not use pesticides or herbicides on their pasture.
Honest Food, Ethically Produced – Vital Farms
No Antibiotic Meats:
We do not serve meat in any of our facilities that are treated with antibiotics. Consuming meat from animals treated with antibiotics encourage our bodies to develop a resistance to the antibiotics. This is a huge public health concern as it contributes to widespread antibiotic resistance. For this reason, we are committing to only serving no antibiotic meats.
Sustainable Seafood:
In terms of the seafood we serve, we follow all of the guidelines set by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.
They evaluate the following criteria for every type of fish:
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- Impacts on the Species Under Assessment: the condition of the fish population and if overfishing is occurring.
- Impacts on Other Capture Species: The fishery’s impacts on other fish and animals that are caught or used for bait.
- Impacts on the Habitat and Ecosystem: The fishery’s impact on the seafloor and food web.
- Management Effectiveness: The efforts to understand and minimize the fishery’s impact on marine life.
Farm Forward’s Leadership Circle:
We have been a member of the Leadership Circle since 2019. Leadership Circle is run by a non-profit organization called Farm Forward that promotes making ethical food choices, supporting the humane treatment of animals. As members of Leadership Circle, we are devoted to buying animal products from ethical sources that align with Leadership Circle’s sourcing requirements. We also look for ways to support and endorse farms and ranches that raise their animals to the highest level of welfare.
Leadership Circle | Farm Forward
Wellbeing of Workers and Community Through the Food Chain
Minority & Women Owned Business:
We offer the “Retail Incubator program” on campus. The Retail Incubator is a program we feature supported by our parent company, Compass Group, which finds pre-packaged and bottled food and beverage companies that fall under at least one of three tiers: local, women or minority owned, and socially responsible. We are then able to make it available for purchase in several dining locations on campus. In doing this, we are fighting inequalities and generational wealth gaps, providing local and responsible products, and in some cases helping small businesses by showcasing their product to a larger audience. Do you know of a great product we could review for Retail Incubator? Please let us know by emailing [email protected].
Atlantic Sea Farms Partnership:
We have partnered with Atlantic Sea Farms, the first commercially viable seaweed farm in the United States. Atlantic Sea Farms is committed to provide domestic, fresh and healthy alternatives to imported, artificial seaweed products. They also partnered with local fisherman, whom by growing seaweed in their off season from fishing, are actively improving the health of the oceans and mitigating effects of climate change. We are passionate about the work Atlantic Sea Farms is doing and we serve their seaweed and products in our dining facilities.
Eco-Certified Coffee:
All coffee served in our dining facilities is Eco-certified coffee. Large scale coffee production has a colossal impact on the environment in which it is produced and oftentimes farmers do not earn sufficient wages from their coffee production. Eco-certified coffee is produced in the most responsible manner and has obtained various certifications to ensure coffee growers receive fair compensation and their environments are protected. Eco-certified coffee is certified in Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Shade Grow, Bird Friendly, Utz Kapeh, C.A.F.E and it is organic.
Thompson Hospitality Partnership:
We have partnered with Thompson Hospitality, the largest minority owned food and facilities management facilities. Their mission is to provide a positive experience to all guests, clients and team members. They focus on bringing authentic cuisines from around the world to educate our students on cultural food.
Allergen Warning
Be aware that we handle and prepare egg, milk, wheat, gluten, shellfish, fish, soy, sesame, peanut and tree nut products, and other potential allergens in the food production areas of our facility. Risk of cross contamination may occur without our knowledge due to the proximity of other ingredients containing allergens. Guests with food allergies or specific dietary concerns should speak with our ingredient allergen expert for individualized assistance.
