An Appetite for Sustainability

26 Pages·2015·1.03 MB·English

by  Amelia Brinkerhoff

An Appetite for Sustainability
McGill Student Housing & Hospitality
Services: Strategic Plan 2014-2017
Table of Contents
1: Executive Summary ....................................................................... 3
1.1: Strategic use of this Plan: ........................................................ 5
2. Student Housing & Hospitality Services: Food Services
Sustainability History 2009-2013 ....................................................... 6
2.1: History: .................................................................................... 6
2.2: Note on the Consultation of original plan: ............................... 7
3: Strategic Action ............................................................................. 8
3.1: Timeframe: .............................................................................. 8
3.2: MFDS: Mission & Values .......................................................... 8
3.3: Commitment to Sustainability ................................................. 9
3.4: A Definition of Sustainable Food Purchasing ......................... 11
3.5: North American Context: ....................................................... 11
3.4: Partnering for: ....................................................................... 12
4: Goals and Objectives for 2013-2017 ............................................ 13
Strategic Goal #1: FULL CYCLE SUSTAINABILITY ............................ 14
Strategic Goal #2: SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL ..........................
Strategic Goal #3: STUDENT APPLIED RESEARCH ..............................
Strategic Goal #4: LEADERSHIP ..................................................... 17
Strategic Goal #5: UNIT TEAMWORK & TRUST ............................. 18
5. Challenges: Internal & External ................................................... 19
6. Conclusion ................................................................................... 22
7. Appendix ..................................................................................... 23
7.1 Current Food Segment Commitments ..................................... 23
7.2 The Business Model Canvas .................................................... 26

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1: Executive Summary

Sustainable development is about more than building innovative infrastructure,
preserving the environment, or increasing food production. It’s about putting people at
the heart of planning and development – from start to finish. Food and farming issues
represent ways and means of bringing people together. Food Services under Student
Housing & Hospitality Services (SHHS) aims to connect customers to the food that
they’re eating and to the local community and environment in which it was grown and
produced. As part of the McGill community, McGill Food Services has a duty to
challenge itself in the area of sustainability, and this Strategic Plan outlines the
background of SHHS’s sustainable food commitments, as well as the evolution and the
future of these commitments.
McGill Food Services is part of SHHS, a reporting unit of the Office of the Deputy
Provost (Student Life and Learning), and manages food services at McGill University.
They manage a mixed model, comprised of self-operated locations, locations serviced by
Aramark, and contracted food providers across campus.
Leading Universities around the globe are adopting more sustainable food
purchasing practices and connecting with real farmers in order to adapt to a changing
political and physical climate. Food Services has been working with its partners - the
Office of Student Life and Learning, Macdonald Horticultural Centre, main Food
Providers, the Office of Sustainability, and the McGill Food Systems Project to creatively
and meaningfully change how business is typically done, and integrate sustainability into
all areas within SHHS.
Environmental stewardship & activism are increasingly becoming a vital part of a
young person’s educational development and young adulthood. Additionally, for many
students, University is an opportunity to develop a new independence in making their
own food choices. At this critical time, McGill Food Services strives to promote the
development of healthy relationships with food and farming, with a focus on nutrition.
SHHS recognizes that sustainable practices and connections with food and farmers are
important to our clients and also essential to safeguard our ecological, financial and
social developments. Uniquely among sustainable approaches to institutional food,
SHHS simultaneously seeks to nurture in students an appetite for learning about and
connecting with the food they eat. Additionally, SHHS has supported and will continue
to support Student Applied Research that focuses on various aspects of their sustainable
impacts.

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To attain success, Food Services established three guiding themes for its
sustainable institutional purchasing to guide its strategic goals, related objectives and
actions. McGill Food Services has adhered to these themes over the past three years,
and will continue to follow them for the next three.

As a valued unit reporting to the Office of Student Life and Learning at McGill University,
 We nurture an appetite for learning both inside and outside the
classroom at McGill, through student engagement & applied student
research.
 We support an engaged and vibrant culture of sustainability at McGill and
in Montreal.
 We balance financial sustainability in a step-wise approach to shifting our
institutional food purchasing.

Food Services has now researched and modified sustainable alternatives and
innovations across many aspects of their practices. Some of the most impressive
changes are listed below, as well as a complete and detailed list on the last pages of this
document.

 As of Fall 2013, McGill’s local Macdonald Farm Produce & other local
farms account for about 40% of all produce purchases.
 The Marine Stewardship Certification is an initiative propelled by
student-applied research that resulted in influencing powerful food
suppliers in the area, and committing to prioritizing sustainable seafood
purchasing. Food Services became MSC certified in early 2013.
 In 2011, Food Services modified poultry purchasing, to include 10%
organic chicken, and 20% from independent, and local producers.
 Local Food Days began in 2009, and occur monthly at all dining halls to
emphasize local food production and education along with creative use
of local products.
 Since 2010, the use of an on-campus composter has digested the
majority of pre-consumer organic kitchen waste, and uses the by-
products on McGill’s downtown campus. Plans are underway to begin
composting all pre & post consumer waste, using the local “Compost
Montreal”.
 SHHS completed the Fair-trade Canada certification process in the fall of
2013, meaning that nearly all food providers on campus would offer Fair-
trade coffee, tea and chocolate.

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1.1: Strategic use of this Plan:

This plan represents SHHS’s decision to continue to prioritize sustainability as a core
value within Food Services, to continue pursuing researched and audacious solutions,
and to continue to act as a “learning lab” at McGill, thus contributing to students’
academic experiences at the University. This plan has been and will be used in
consultation with student groups and SHHS’ partners, and may also be used to seek
funding support from academic channels, private foundations, government and non-
profit organizations.

Since the first version of this strategic planning document was published in 2010, a high
volume of student research projects have occurred within Food Services, with the vast
majority of the research results being applied to modify purchasing and kitchen
practices.

In addition, SHHS has recently completed a Green House Gas Audit of all aspects of their
practices and properties, in hopes that that the results will provide a basis upon which
they can continue expanding sustainable pursuits.

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2. Student Housing & Hospitality Services:
Food Services Sustainability History: 2009-2013
2.1: History:

In Fall 2013, Student Housing and Hospitality Services merged together from
both McGill Food & Dining Services, and Residences & Residence Life. McGill Food and
Dining Services had been formally created in 2009. Prior to 2009, a few different
departments managed Food Services at McGill, and there was little to no emphasis on
sustainability. Within this new department and business model, the topic of
sustainability and sustainable food systems was introduced. With motivated student
leaders, staff members searching for dynamic changes, and a new department that had
the capacity to prioritize sustainability, all of the pieces were in the right place for major
institutional changes. MFDS was created with a vision and mission for high quality eating
on campus, and this vision will persist & grow within SHHS.
Thus, three years ago, McGill Food Services stakeholders decided to shift
institutional food purchasing towards sustainability and take advantage of the aligned
student support, organizational readiness and applied research opportunities within a
valuable profile-building initiative for the university.
McGill University has a unique opportunity in McGill’s Agricultural and
Nutritional Science Campus - the Macdonald Campus, located about 30 minutes from
downtown. The farm there has been used for research and education for years, and
now grows a substantial amount of Food Service’s fresh produce. Since 2009, the
number of pounds of produce purchased at Macdonald Farm number has grown
exponentially, and the purchasing list now regularly includes other products such as
beef and eggs. Food Services and student groups also formed “Local Food Days” which
occur every month in each location, to educate about the importance of local
agriculture and economies, and promote the vast variety of products available to
Montreal throughout the year. These are only a few of the initial changes enacted, for
specific changes made and the exact figures, one can turn to the last section of this
document.

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2.2: Note on the Consultation of original plan:

The original Sustainability Strategic Plan, used for the past 3 years, from 2010-2013, can
be found on the McGill Food & Dining Website, and includes all of the original changes
and goals. This new plan, derived from the original will be offered out to the following
groups for consultation, once in use.
The following parties endorsed the original plan:

 Presidents of SSMU, MCSS and PGSS
 Director of the Office of Sustainability
 McGill Food Systems Project
 FADAC Board
 McGill Community & Student Body
 Key Suppliers and distributors (i.e. Gordon Food Services)
In the Fall of 2013, MFDS will seek an endorsement from the FADAC committee, as well
as other potential stakeholders and involved parties.

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3: Strategic Action

3.1: Timeframe:
This plan addresses four academic years, from January 2014 to April of 2017.

3.2: MFDS: Mission & Values

McGill Food Services, a reporting unit of Student Housing & Hospitality Services,
and of the Office of Student Life and Learning, manages food services at McGill
University. They manage a mixed model, comprised of self-operated locations; locations
served by Aramark, and contracted food providers.
In its self-operated locations, McGill Food Services spends approximately $2.6
million annually* on food, and serves approximately 10,000 meals a day during the
school year. The self-operated locations, together with those serviced by Aramark,
represent 70%* of food sales on campus at McGill University.
Food Services’ mission is to provide pleasant and memorable dining experiences
for the McGill community. They values culinary diversity, customer service, leadership,
operational efficiency, social responsibility, wellness and nutritional health.
McGill Food Services plays a significant role in McGill’s Food System, which is the
full cycle by which food is produced, transported, consumed and returned to the
environment. McGill has control over its food systems both directly through food
preparation and consumption patterns, including waste disposal and byproduct
recovery, and indirectly through it’s purchasing policies.

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3.3: Commitment to Sustainability

As sustainability and social responsibility gain greater prominence in society at
large, sustainability related concerns and initiatives have been heightened at McGill
University. McGill is continually enhancing and expanding its sustainable actions, both
academically through the School of Environment, and through it’s institutional actions
through the Office of Sustainability.
The Sustainability Projects Fund was created in 2009 under the Office of
Sustainability, and is funded by student fees and administrative contributions. The SPF is
an indication that McGill’s student community, teaching staff and administration are
committed to creating a sustainable learning environment, and providing avenues for
students to research and explore sustainable solutions. This Fund has also provided
funding for SHHS to pursue sustainable research and improvements. It follows that
SHHS & it’s Food Services, which are strongly connected to sustainability, are also an
imperative area of sustainable commitment.

Why has SHHS made a strong commitment to sustainability in Food Services? Why does
SHHS feel the need to be proactive about their sustainable actions?

 Many motivated McGill students have worked with McGill Food Services
to enable more sustainable food choices.
 Creates possibilities for fresher, tastier and more nutrient rich food
choices on campus.
 Support’s Quebec’s Sustainable Development principles, as well as
provincial economy, food security, farming and agricultural land.
 Creates healthier farms, food supply chains, ecosystems and planet.
 Local sourcing has led to cost savings.
 Creates additional energy, pride and purpose for SHHS Staff teams.
 Serves as an example of sustainable improvement for other sectors at
McGill.

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As an institution, McGill has the buying power, research capacity and flexibility
to test new procurement models and create demand for sourcing sustainable produce,
and thereby develop the capacity of our regions local farming and distribution systems.
The past three years have proved the points listed above, and have offered many
benefits:

 Increased goodwill of diners, and increased interest in food issues.
 Healthier, fresher, more nutrient-rich food for students, faculty and staff.
 Expanded internal learning opportunities for applied student research.
 Large decrease in the amount of food wasted, as the Big Hanna is now in
use.
 Strengthening of the McGill community, and of the Montreal Educational
communities, with students making connections beyond the “McGill
Bubble”.
 Full-spectrum information enabling better overall decision-making.
 Decreasing vulnerability to increasing gas prices.
 Giving back to the local and global community.
 Giving back financially to other departments at McGill.

Our strategic approach recognizes the challenges inherent in balancing increased
commitment to sustainability with ever-increasing financial restraints, without altering
the price-value proposition for clients. As imperatives to reduce both food and labor
costs merge with increasing occupancy rates for SHHS, creative, long-term and
partnership-based solutions will be needed to satisfy all requirements of the business
while also advancing sustainable efforts. Such solutions may demand increased time
commitments to ensure long-term feasibility.

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