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Purchasing Guidelines

 

Purchasing Guidelines for Institutional Purchasing

In 2007, the Sustainable Food Project received a SARE grant to write an expanded set of definitions for dining halls to use across the northeast.  They were published in the summer of 2008, and are a great tool for institutions considering making the transition to sustainable purchasing.  Read a pdf here.

 

From 2003 to 2008, the Yale Sustainable Food Project worked closely with Yale Dining to create a sustainable dining program at Yale. We piloted a test kitchen in Berkeley College that attracted national attention and left students clamoring for more; in 2007, the Sustainable Food Project oversaw the expansion of sustainable food into all twelve of Yale's dining halls, and, later that year, aided in the transition of Yale Dining to a self-operated organization. The YSFP no longer oversees purchasing, menu planning or recipe writing for Yale Dining; any questions about the current operation should be sent directly to the Dining staff.

 

Basic Guidelines:

Vegetables

First Tier (ranked in order of preference)

  • Connecticut organic
  • Connecticut ecologically-grown
  • Regional organic
  • Regional ecologically-grown
  • Connecticut conventional (small-scale operation)
  • Regional conventional (small-scale operation)

Second Tier (ranked in order of preference)

  • Connecticut conventional (medium-scale operation)
  • Regional conventional (medium-scale operation)
  • U.S. organic (small-scale operation)
  • Connecticut conventional (large-scale operation)
  • Regional conventional (large-scale operation)
  • U.S. ecologically-grown (small-scale operation)

Third Tier (ranked in order of preference)

  • U.S. organic (medium/large-scale operation)
  • North America organic
  • U.S. ecologically-grown (medium/large-scale operation)
  • International organic
  • U.S. conventional (small-scale operation)

Fruit

First Tier (ranked in order of preference)

  • Connecticut organic
  • Connecticut IPM
  • Regional Organic
  • Regional IPM
  • Connecticut conventional (small-scale operation)
  • Regional conventional (small scale operation)
  • Connecticut conventional (medium scale operation

Second Tier (ranked in order of preference)

  • Regional conventional (medium scale operation)
  • U.S. organic (small/medium scale operation)
  • U.S. IMP (small/medium scale operation)
  • Connecticut conventional (large-scale operation)
  • U.S. organic (large-scale operation)
  • U.S. IPM (large-scale operation)
  • International organic
  • U.S. Conventional

Meat and Poultry

First Tier (ranked in order of preference)

  • Connecticut free-range/pasture-fed
  • Connecticut organic
  • Regional free-range/pasture-fed
  • Regional organic
  • Regional conventional (small-scale operation)

Second Tier (ranked in order of preference)

  • U.S. free-range/pasture fed
  • U.S. organic (small/medium scale operation)
  • Conventional (small/medium-scale operation)
  • U.S. organic (large-scale operation)
  • U.S. conventional (large-scale operation)
   
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