Sustainability

Our Initiatives

Sodexo, at the University of Southern Maine, prioritizes sustainable practices as part of our Better Tomorrow Plan. It is our goal to improve quality of life for those we serve and create positive change for individuals, communities and the environment. When you dine with us, you'll experience trayless service to reduce waste, compostable napkins, menu icons identifying local products and a variety of posted information about our initiatives.

The Maine Course is Sodexo’s commitment to make a positive economic impact in the state of Maine through the purchase of local products, produce, services and responsibly harvested underutilized seafood from the Gulf of Maine. We promote this through our daily menus, educational handouts, and by inviting local farmers, fishermen and business owners to campus for vendor fair events. Visit our Maine Course website to learn more!

Also, check out this case study, including both a brief history and a peek into the future of the Maine Course: Collaboration for Sustainability and Economic Impact

Maine Course Commitments

Through our Maine Course program, our partnership with the Maine Grains Alliance and Maine Grains, from Skowhegan, has grown significantly. USM Dining uses local Maine flour in our cookies - which are all baked from scratch daily! We are also incorporating more Maine Grains products such as oats and farrow in our menus. Our commitment over the next few years is to double the number of menu items that include grains, using local grains in those dishes and increase local grain purchasing by 50 percent. We're focusing on offering plant-forward options and continuing to source additional local ingredients. We are committed to making a positive impact on the environment and economy of Maine!

Sodexo has achieved serving 100% Gulf of Maine Responsibly Harvested® white fish at all of their locations in Maine after a five year process of shifting purchasing to this ecolabel in partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI). By committing to source responsibly harvested seafood from the Gulf of Maine, Sodexo actively contributes to sustaining both a diverse marine ecosystem and a diverse fishing economy here in the Gulf of Maine region. Look for a variety of delicious menu items featuring the "under-loved" species; Atlantic Pollock, Cape Shark/Dogfish, Whiting, Acadian Redfish and Mackerel.

Henry P. Kendall Foundation Food Vision Prize

Institutions such as those within the University of Maine system–and partner Sodexo–look for local options when purchasing food, but the limited growing season and the lack of a local freezing facility restricts what is available to them. This means during the winter and spring months, when fresh, local produce is not available, they must rely on produce from further away, produce that retains fewer nutrients and come from larger commercial farms that use higher levels of pesticides and herbicides to support their volume. As Maine’s farmers are able to provide more local product, more healthy, locally-grown food will then be available year round.

This project will be transformational for enabling local food consumption by institutions and all consumers year-round. In addition, the project will create significant market opportunity for farmers who are currently restricted in growing product primarily for only the fresh market. By having local product available year-round, the project team hopes that institutional buyers and consumers will begin to view local food consumption as a year-round focus.

The second phase of the project includes creating a mission-branded, retail line that leverages the selling power of local products and the social impact component of the product reducing hunger in the region. Partners have begun conversations with a major, regional supermarket chain who is interested in carrying the product line. This would make affordable, locally, processed vegetables available to all consumers, year-round. With the Food Bank as a partner, the project also connects local food with low-income consumers and the institutions that serve them, thereby improving access to healthy food for the most marginalized communities.

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Campus Dining Sustainability Initiatives

The following initiatives are part of Sodexo's Better Tomorrow plan and are incorporated on campuses within Maine and the New England region. Each campus works with their client partners to work together towards achieving mutual sustainability goals. (*some programs may not be fully implemented on all campuses due to resource constraints but are goals to strive towards).

• Trayless Dining:
  • Customers without trays typically waste less food and beverages. Trayless dining also reduces the amount of water and detergents needed to wash each tray, which also saves energy.
• Xprss Nap Dispensers
  • Not only are these napkins made of 100% recycled paper, but the station dispensers also encourage guests to take fewer napkins than if there were dispensers on each table.
• Reusable China and Utensils
• Reusable To-Go Containers
  • This innovative program is designed to reduce disposable packaging waste. By opting in and participating, guests can conveniently take their meal to-go, while taking steps to protect the environment.
• Green Certified Cleaning Supplies (Click HERE to find out more about EcoLab)
• Bulk Condiments
• On/Off Protocols for our Equipment
• Food Recovery Programs
• Responsible Sourcing:
  • 100% Sustainable Seafood
  • Fair Trade
  • Harvest of the Month
  • Cage Free Eggs
  • Animal Welfare Commitments
  • Responsible Supply Chain
• Waste Watch / Lean Path Systems:
  • Our campus kitchens/culinarians use these systems to monitor and track food waste while preparing 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.
• Recycling:
  • Recycling reduces waste sent to landfills and incinerators, prevents pollution, conserves natural resources, conserves energy, creates jobs and produces economic benefits.
• Composting:
  • Food waste in landfills creates methane, a greenhouse gas which is 21 times more potent than CO2. (www.epa.gov) Our first priority is to reduce food waste. When possible and with the help of campus partners, dining composts unavoidable food waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It can also be used to amend soil thereby increasing drought tolerance, improving soil structure and health and reducing the need for water and fertilizers.