Food data

Boundary

All campuses, excluding Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo.

Methodology

Limitations and Exclusions: Does not include student-run coffee and donut shops, International News, or franchise locations.

Food categories: Local food purchases is based on the percentage of total food purchases that have the Foodland Ontario designation. Percentage is based on dollar value of the purchases between Food Services and the vendor. Note that this is different than the STARS definition of being within 250 miles, although there is a strong overlap since the majority of agricultural land in Ontario is within this limit.

Waterloo evaluates sustainably certified food as any food item that bears a credible 3^rd party certification for environmental, social, and/or economic sustainability:

• Fairtrade certified coffee, tea, and cocoa products, which help support farmers with sustainable livelihoods, promote community development, and protect ecosystems

• Marine Stewardship Council certified seafood, which ensures fishing practices protect marine environments and avoid overfishing

Waterloo will monitor across its food going forward for other certification options, a comprehensive list of which are provided by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System.

Boundary

All campuses, excluding Affiliated and Federated Institutions of Waterloo.

Methodology

Limitations and Exclusions: Fair trade designation does not include franchise locations.

Methodology: Receipt of the Fair Trade Campus designation is established by Fairtrade Canada, and requires all University-run food locations to meet the following criteria, including any student-run coffee shops:

• 100% of coffee sold must be Fairtrade Certified
• 3 Fairtrade Certified teas must be available wherever teas are sold
• 1 Fairtrade Certified chocolate bar must be available wherever chocolate bars are sold
• Signage must be displayed indicating the availability of fair trade products

In addition, the University must also:

• Have a campus-wide steering committee to oversee maintenance of the designation
• Have a web page stating that the University is a Fair Trade Campus and provide information on fair trade
• Campus administration must participate at least annually in a public celebration of its Fair Trade Campus Status

More information on the standard can be found at the Fairtrade Canada website.

Actions from various departments and teams at Waterloo to advance this objective have included, but are not limited to:

2023/2024

• Launched a Food Garden pilot project to support students and employees in growing food on campus
•  Hosted a workshop on growing plants from seed at the annual Staff Conference

2022/2023

• Explored options for including environmental impacts on food labelling
• Hosted a plant-focused chef cook off for the annual Fired Up at REV competition
• UW Farm Market started again

2019/2020

• Hosted four major workshops collaboratively to connect healthy and sustainable food, including sessions on Healthy and Sustainable Food Choices, Growing Microgreens, and Reducing Food Waste, as well as providing a student-led virtual sustainable cooking show in residences
• Began tracking plant-based purchases in their ordering system to enable better reporting and to analyze opportunities for supporting plant-based meals

2018/2019

• Continued to expand local food purchases
• Began requiring MSC certification for all seafood purchases
• Continued to increase Fair Trade certified coffee, tea, and chocolate options
• Received official Fairtrade Campus
• Expanded awareness around local food with the “Farm to Campus Fresh” branding effort
• Hosted a zero-waste cooking show to educate students on how to minimize food waste
• Hosted a plant-based cookoff event, pitting chefs against each other to prepare vegan and vegetarian meals that students were able to sample

2017/2018

• Held a vegan cooking show to educate participants on how to utilize seasonal produce to make flavourful, healthy, and low-impact meals
• Hired a registered dietician to help develop, implement, and maintain nutritional programming
• Relaunched FRSH, a fully vegan/vegetarian food outlet, in the BMH expansion
• Launched a new vegan/vegetarian menu as part of the catering offerings for major events and meetings across campus
• Facilitated a session on Healthy and Sustainable Food at the staff conference and Keeping Well at Work Day
• Strengthened labeling and placement for vegan, vegetarian, and Fairtrade products to encourage sustainable choices

• The Sustainability Office and Health Services facilitated a session on Healthy and Sustainable Food at the staff conference and Keeping Well at Work Day
• Food Services began strengthening their labeling and placement for vegan, vegetarian, and Fairtrade products to encourage sustainable choices