The University of Utah Dining Services has uncovered a recipe for a greener campus by launching a comprehensive sustainability initiative focused on reducing food waste, enhancing composting and recycling efforts, and sourcing ingredients from local and environmentally conscious suppliers.
Dining Services kicks off its sustainability efforts by actively collaborating with companies that prioritize sustainable farming, ethical labor practices, and eco-friendly packaging. These values are reflected across the 10 dining locations and catering operations throughout the campus.
“We work closely with our robust procurement teams to source our ingredients from reliable partners that align with our overall campus goals of sustainability efforts,” stated Ken Ohlinger, campus executive chef for Dining Services.
The sustainability purchasing policy is rigorous, featuring the sourcing of fresh yogurt and milk that is free of artificial growth hormones, certified humane cage-free eggs, seafood that adheres to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines, and poultry raised without the routine use of human antibiotics, among others.
To further cut emissions and support the local economy, Dining Services is increasingly sourcing ingredients from within Utah. Charlie’s Produce assists Dining Services in procuring products from a variety of local farms, while the dining team collaborates with local partners like Cherry Hill Farms, Bangerter Farms, Central Milling Co., and Slide Ridge Honey for flour and specialty items.
“We continuously rotate local farms based on seasonal items,” Ohlinger added.
Wasatch Meats supplies halal chicken, specialty fish, and pork products, whereas Stone Ground Bakery and The Bagel Project provide freshly baked goods to the campus kitchens.
Once ingredients arrive, the culinary team maximizes their use through innovative repurposing. Cheese trimmings are utilized in mac and cheese sauces, raw produce is fashioned into ready-made salads, and leftover bread is transformed into croutons or breadcrumbs.
“Some of the other examples of how we reuse products include using pineapple rinds to create tepache as an aqua fresca in dining halls and repurposing vegetable trimmings and chicken bones for stocks used in many of our soup bases,” Ohlinger explained.
Despite these efficiencies, operating large-scale food services inevitably generates waste. To tackle this issue, Dining Services adopted WasteNot 2.0, a tracking program that allows kitchen managers to monitor and minimize daily food waste.
“This helps us track our waste daily and allows us to set targets to minimize the amount of waste we generate each day,” Ohlinger clarified.
On average, during a typical month of dining service across various dining locations including Urban Bytes at Kahlert Village and United Table at Heritage Center, Dining Services generates around 225 pounds of organic green waste daily. This includes fruit and vegetable trimmings, as well as items that cannot be repurposed, such as bones, meat fats, onion peels, and eggshells.
Over the past eight years, Dining Services has partnered with Momentum Recycling to divert compostable material from the dining halls for composting in Park City and at Wasatch Resource Recovery, which feeds energy back into the power grid. Most of this energy is used by the University of Utah, while some goes to North Salt Lake.
In collaboration with the U of U Facilities Team, campus dining also recycles cardboard and is exploring expanding recycling programs to include glass and plastics.
To further decrease red waste, which refers to avoidable overproduction and production waste, Dining Services offers made-to-order dishes that can be ordered through a QR system called Tavlo. The application displays wait times for items, both on the app and on screens in dining areas, aiding diners in making decisions about their meals in real time.
“Students not only enjoy a fresh and customized made-to-order plate, but it also reduces our food waste by minimizing ingredients used at a time,” Ohlinger commented. “Rather than batch-cooking massive quantities of food and serving them on a buffet line, the QR code option allows for dishes to be created on the spot, using only what is necessary while delivering high-quality meals. We are continuously seeking to minimize production waste and responsibly manage our resources.”
For students needing meals on the go, Dining Services provides a reusable ‘To-Go Box’ program. By using one meal swipe, they can fill a green to-go container, enjoy their meal elsewhere, and return the box for a sanitized replacement or receive a virtual token for future use.
“They have 20 minutes to fill their container, and the box must be able to close fully,” Ohlinger noted. “When students are ready for their next to-go meal, they can bring back their used container for a new sanitized one or collect a virtual token through the app for later use.”
At the end of the day, Dining Services ensures that excess food is utilized to assist those in need across the city. Some of this food is distributed to the U’s campus food pantry located in the Union, as well as through the student-run Food Recovery Network, which connects with local food banks for food donations, along with Waste Less Solutions, a local nonprofit that focuses on repurposing food.
With every meal served, every scrap reused, and each box recycled, U Dining Services is demonstrating that sustainability can become an integral part of everyday life on campus, benefiting both students and the planet.
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