Sustainability

CONNect to Local is Sodexo’s commitment to make a positive economic impact in the state of Connecticut through the purchase of local products, produce, services and responsibly harvested seasonal seafood. Through CONNect to Local, Sodexo is committed to fostering a strong economy in Connecticut and creating inclusive market opportunities for local producers, aggregators, and fisheries.

Agricultural products are local if it is:

• Exclusively grown or trapped in Connecticut.

• Derived from an animal that was raised for at least one-third of its life in Connecticut (except milk)

• For milk, the majority was produced from Connecticut animals.

• Honey produced by Connecticut colonies located exclusively in Connecticut when all nectar was collected.

Processed foods are local if:

• 50% or more of all product ingredients by volume (excluding water) are raw agricultural products that are local to Connecticut and

• Either processed or the food manufacturer is headquartered in Connecticut

Unique food products are local if two or more of the following are true:

• 50% or more of all ingredients by volume (excluding water) are raw agricultural products that are local to Connecticut.
• Substantial transformation of the ingredients in the product occurred in Connecticut.
• The headquarters of the company that manufactures the product is in Connecticut.

Food grown, raised, or harvested within the six New England states (+50-mile radius)

Agricultural products are regional if:

• The vendor of the product is a regional food business and 100% of the ingredients were grown, raised, or harvested on farms within the six New England states plus 50 miles.

Processed and Unique foods are regional if:

• Vendor of the product is a regional food business and at least 50% of the ingredients were grown, raised, or harvested on farms within the six New England states plus 50 miles (for example: broccoli soup, in which the broccoli and dairy were sourced regionally and equal 50% or more of the ingredients)

Sodexo is proud to sign on as a Northeast Organic Family Farm partner to support organic dairy farms in the Northeast and to help secure the future of organic dairy. We’re committed to purchasing organic dairy products from brands that source their milk from our region.

To learn about our commitment and the partnership, please visit www.saveorganicfamilyfarms.org

Choose to Reuse is a reusable to-go container program availible in FOD and The Marketplace. This innovative reusable container program is designed to reduce packaging waste. By participating in the Choose to Reuse program, you can dine at your convenience while also taking steps to protect the environment.

Learn more about the Reusable To-Go container program here

Food waste in landfills creates methane, a greenhouse gas which is 21x more potent than CO2. (www.epa.gov) Our first priority is to reduce food waste. We compost food waste that is unavoidable, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions and can also be used to amend soil thereby increasing drought tolerance, improving soil structure and health, and reducing need for water and fertilizers.

In the Fall of 2019, composting began at the Marketplace and Food on Demand. Composting has since expanded to Moe’s and WoW Café. In 2020, the Marketplace composted 65,445 pounds of food waste. This is equal to 36,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, 1,870 gallons of gasoline burnt, and 2.02 million smart phones charged! Each semester we donate surplus food to Haven’s Harvest, a local organization we partner with to help feed community members in need.

Single Stream Recycling is active in Dining Services and on the University Campus.

• Recycling reduces waste sent to landfills and incinerators.
• Recycling prevents pollution.
• Recycling conserves natural resources.
• Recycling conserves energy.
• Recycling creates jobs, producing economic benefits.

Our kitchens use WasteWatch powered by Leanpath systems. This allows our culinary teams to monitor and track our food waste while we prepare your meals. By using Leanpath, we are able to easily identify causes of food waste in real-time and make necessary adjustments to our procedures to help combat food waste.

• 100% sustainable seafood
• Fair Trade
• Harvest of the month
• Cage Free

Read more:

• Commitment to a responsible supply chain

• 100% recycled paper napkins in Xprss Nap Dispensers to encourage guests to take few napkins
• Reusable dishware in resident dining
• Green certified cleaning supplies
• Bulk condiments
• On/Off protocols for our equipment
• Trayless dining. Customers without trays typically waste less food and beverages. Trayless dining reduces the amount of water and detergents needed to wash trays which also saves energy.