Yale Hospitality uses its knowledge in partnership with leading food industry companies to create products with widespread appeal that are in-line with emerging trends and with our core values. By supporting and participating in many facets of Yale University’s mission, Yale Hospitality shapes the Yale Food System, cultivating a unique voice that has impact, local to global. Ours is a mission-driven and values-based organization, aligned with the goals of Yale University. To achieve our objectives, we are guided by a set of principles to create food that is memorable, that is good for people and for the planet. Our sourcing methodology is fair for farmers, producers, and workers.
We rely on the input of faculty about global issues and path-breaking ideas. Where possible, we support their research and teaching in our applied environment. We also engage with undergraduate students to support the exploration of their ideas and to help them understand their application in the world beyond academia. In return, students shape our understanding of future generations, their choices and the issues that they care about deeply.
Better for You, Better for the Planet
Hospitality’s sourcing is based on strict guidelines with a better for you, better for the planet approach to dining. Our sourcing considerations fuse health and wellness with operational logistics and sustainability. We seek out regionally-based products whenever possible, with partners who possess high standards and embrace our initiatives — including support of fair labor practices and community engagement with a positive and lasting impact.
Eggs are cage-free, seafood is designated Best Choice or Good Alternatives by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. All beef is grass-fed and grass-finished. We purchase Purdue Harvestland chicken and Applegate pork, both naturally-raised and hormone-free. All beef, lamb, and chicken served in the 14 residential colleges are Halal. Most importantly, all of our meat is humanely-raised. Coffee is Fair-Trade Certified from Sun Coffee Roasters and milk is local, from Mountain Farm Dairy in Storrs, Connecticut, and is free of antibiotics and artificial growth hormones such as BGH and rBST.
Yale Hospitality has consistently sought to reduce our environmental impact, beginning with supply chain and procurement practices and reducing the number of deliveries made to campus.
Several plans that reduce waste and minimize our carbon impact are currently in practice, including:
- A Food Organic Waste Reduction Initiative begun in 2019 that resulted in a carbon footprint reduction of 242 tons.
- Reducing the number of vehicles making deliveries to campus
- Purchase of all new kitchen equipment that is Energy Star approved
- Implementation of new cloud-based technologies, including Jamix (menu management software designed to control food costs and waste), and Zenput (software that facilitates productivity and ensures food safety).
- Rollout of propane delivery vehicles
- Low-flow pre-rinse dishwashers
- Variable hood speed control
- Elimination of garbage disposals to composting