Sustainability Assignment Summary Form

Intern Name: Taylor Palm

Facility where this research was conducted: Bristol-Myers Squib, New Brunswick
Managers name: Chef Stephanie Pikowski
Date you completed the SMART Questionnaire: 6/9/17

Summary:

SMART questionnaire explanation to criteria answered No.

1. How many of the bakery goods sold at your site are purchased locally? Less than half
The baked goods sold here are purchased from Rockland Bakery. Perhaps we could
purchase one item from a local bakery each week to feature in a dish such as fresh, local
bread for a sandwich at the deli.
2. Does your team manage or coordinate an on-site garden? No
I am not sure of the feasibility of a garden for this site based on the location and availability
of staff. If this were to be initiated it would need to be interdepartmental as it would
require additional staffing. While a garden may not be available, local, seasonal produce is
featured daily on the menu and is very much a priority.
3. Does your team manage an on-site farmers' market? No
This would be a great idea to implement. As local produce is incorporated into specials,
there could be a small farmers market once a week just outside the courtyard to connect
the employees of BMS to the farmer who grew their dish and allow them to purchase some
of their seasonal produce to use at home.
4. Do you and your team monitor indoor air quality? No
Air quality is not monitored by the kitchen staff and is likely not something that would not
work for this team though it should be monitored by another department.
5. When you buy building materials, do you consider greener options?/Does your site have a
policy that any debris from construction, demolition and remodeling will be recycled? No
This is outside the scope of food service at BMS as they are not building anything.
6. (If yes) Does your team manage the fitness center? No
This is managed by another department; however, the RD has done education at the
facility.
7. Has your site implemented Meatless Mondays? No
The cafeteria always has a vegetarian option; however, it is not always promoted as a
healthy choice for individuals and the environment. In order to highlight meatless options
on Mondays, there could be some signage to say that the vegetarian dishes were Meatless
Monday Approved.
8. Does your chef have formal training in the preparation of vegetarian and vegan foods? No
While they are not formally trained, the chef and staff are very well versed in
vegetarian/vegan cooking. In order to improve their skills, they could have an in-service day
to receive more formal training. They could also bring in a chef who specializes in this
cuisine as well as an RD to provide demos and education.
9. How often do you review your site's vending offerings and update the selections to add more
healthy products? Never

Sustainability Assignment Summary Form

 There are no vending machines, however, more than half of the snacks offered near the
cash register are healthy.
10. Do you and your team donate excess food that is eligible to local charities or food bank? No
This kitchen is actually very efficient and savvy with their use of recycling leftovers into
items for the salad bar in order to reduce food waste. The Chef also likes to keep a very
tight inventory and has a strict policy against over ordering or ordering unnecessary items.
For those reasons, there is rarely excess food that would be eligible for donation.
11. In the past quarter, has your team spent time outside of work to support local community
projects (including Stop Hunger)? No
Though the team has not done this yet, this would be easy to implement. This could be
arranged quarterly for staff to go after work or meet for a few hours on a weekend day to
support the local community projects.
12. Do you and your team participate in your division promotions that support Stop Hunger? No
The chef did not appear to know much about this initiative so the first thing that should be
addressed is an overall education of Stop Hunger for the staff. From there, efforts to
create and support promotions could be initiated.
13. SUBQ: Do you and your team promote the use of these green cleaners and their benefits to
your consumers and your client/ Is your site's pest management company "Green Shield" or
similar certified for its application of products/ Does your site's pest management company use
low toxicity products? No/I dont know
The Chef does not have part in ordering the cleaning products and pest management is
controlled by an outside company, therefore, these questions were not as relevant for this
facility.
14. Do you ever host guest speakers at your site to talk to the client, customers, community
members and employees about issues around sustainability? No
The staff members here are making a valuable contribution to sustainability, it would
certainly be effective to educate the employees of BMS who frequent the cafeteria and
give them an opportunity to learn more about these efforts and find out how they could
even contribute. An annual Sustainability Day could be a fun event that brought together
an education component from a guest speaker as well as a menu that was 100% focused on
sustainability.

Describe how you conducted the research.

I conducted the research for this assignment by informal observation while working the different areas
of the food service operation. In addition to this, I interviewed Chef Pikowski in order to determine the
rest of the answers to the SMART questionnaire.

Identify three (3) conclusions drawn from the data.

1. Sodexo at BMS is dedicated to sourcing and promoting local and seasonal produce.
2. BMS has a strong program that promotes a healthy lifestyle by providing nutrition education
materials and identifiable healthy mindful food items, offering incentives for choosing
healthy foods via the Be Well, Eat Well program, and an on-site fitness center.
3. BMS could make a stronger contribution to fighting hunger and malnutrition in the community.

Is there another assignment you will complete, based on the information you gathered from the
checklist? Identify: No

What went well?

Sustainability Assignment Summary Form
Working all aspects of the food service operation allowed me to complete a good portion of the
research on my own. Seeing the varied healthy options in each station, noting the local produce during
receiving and seeing the marketing of seasonal items displayed at the entrance made it clear that I am
in a place that cares about sustainability and the health of its employees.

What challenges did you encounter in doing this assignment?

Answering the questions related to food was very easy, however, some of the questions were unable to
be answered by the team which was a challenge. For example, the chef told me their pest management
is handled by other people and therefore, she was unsure of the answers to the questions.

Briefly discuss your impression of the effectiveness of this assignment.

Doing research and having a productive conversation with the Chef made me aware of how devoted
Sodexo is to sustainability. Without this task, I would not have realized the extent of the effort and
dedication this company as a whole has to promoting healthy lifestyles and environments. I can
honestly say, after completing this sustainability assignment, I am even more proud to be associated
with such an amazing and progressive company like Sodexo.

Sustainability Assignment Summary Form