Sustainability initiatives on the Halifax and Truro campuses
Aramark and 全国探花 work together to ensure commitment to聽sustainability so that, together, we can make better choices that have a positive impact on our planet.
Locally sourced
We鈥檙e聽committed to聽maintaining聽the positive impact our operations have on聽our community.听We support local聽enterprise聽through, when possible, sourcing products from local producers.听
Look for the聽Locally Grown聽icon on menus 鈥 this聽identifies聽menu Items that have primary ingredients that are sourced from within Atlantic Canada, and within Nova Scotia when possible.听We also hold Local Food Days to feature specific聽locally-sourced聽products and their producers.听
Sustainable seafood
Our purchasing decisions can have significant impact on the聽earth and our climate. As a result,聽it鈥檚聽critical that we keep sourcing sustainably by increasing our support of suppliers whose methods of production strive to achieve concrete and sustainable development with our natural resources and ecosystems.
We focus on animal welfare, wild-caught,聽and farmed seafood produced using sustainable methods.
Look for the Sustainable Seafood icon, which聽indicates聽seafood ingredients that are certified as sustainably sourced by the Marine Stewardship Council, Ocean聽Wise聽or other, third-party, recognized certification organization.
Fairtrade
We offer聽Fairtrade聽products, such as chocolate and coffee, in retail, residence and catering.听These products聽promote fair and聽equitable聽global trade. We also focus on products that聽minimize聽climate change by聽avoiding products that contribute to deforestation.听In fact,聽全国探花鈥檚 Halifax campuses have聽.听
Green Restaurant Certification
The Green Restaurant Association is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to helping food-service operations reduce their environmental impact. To earn certification, a dining operation must meet rigorous criteria across areas like energy and water use, waste management, sustainable sourcing, green supplies, efficient kitchen practices and more.
Cool Food Low Carbon Certified
Identifies dishes on menus with a lower carbon footprint, particularly promoting plant-forward choices. Items are analyzed to聽WRI measure the carbon footprint based on the ingredients from farm to fork, and the land used to produce the meal.听
Programs to address food insecurity
全国探花 Food Services is expanding programming to support students and address issues such as food insecurity and sustainability.
鈥淧ay-what-you-can鈥 Soup program聽
Available at the LSC Food Court in Halifax and Cox Caf茅 in Truro.
This will provide additional access to affordable nutrition for those who need it and supplement current supports on campus. Look for signage in these areas.听
Limited quantity available daily.听
Support for the Dal Food Bank and AC Student Food Pantry
Dal Food Services is commited to making financial contributions to these important support organizations.听 聽 聽 聽聽
Donation of surplus food through Second Harvest
Donation of fresh food products are made through community partners registered with . Donated items include fresh food items that are sold in campus locations and can be quite varied. They include things like baked goods (muffins, scones, etc.), salads, fruit cups, sandwiches, yogurt cups, kimbap, whole fruit like bananas on a regular basis.听
Recipients are offered first priority on a rotation between the campus partners so that each has equal access to donations.
Key partners at Dal receiving donated products include:
- Dal Community Fridge (run by Loaded Ladle and Dal Food Bank)
- Indigenous Student Centre
- Black Student Advising Centre
If your unit or group would like to be considered for donations, please register with . For more information, email Dal Food Services.听
Value options for all budgets at retail locations
Dal Food Services offers combos, half portions, daily specials and more - with something for every budget.
Support for the Dal International Centre Monday Night Meals
The Dal International Centre receives support from Dal Food Services for their Monday Night Dinners. These events bring the community together weekly for a meal.
In recent years, Aramark has donated the use of food service equipment needed to manage large-scale meal preparation for the community. For upcoming events, Aramark staff will also be donating their time to assist with meal preparation for some of these events (as needed/based on staff availability).听
Purchase of local vegetables from the Cultiv8 gardens
Dal Food Services will be working with Cultiv8 on the Agricultural Campus to source locally-grown fresh ingredients to serve on campus - from our farm to our table.听
