Northwestern’s Food Service Switch: 5 Things You Need to Know
This April, the Northwestern University administration announced that the University-wide food provider will shift from Sodexo to Compass Group beginning in Summer 2018. This transition will affect not only dining hall meals, but also “student affairs retail outlets” and “campus-wide catering,” according to Northwestern Now. Students living off-campus next year, who likely pop into Norris for meals and attend University-catered events, must also consider this change.
1) Some background information on Compass:
Compass Group North America was founded in 1994, with headquarters located in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2017, they reported $17 billion in revenues. Its parent company, Compass Group PLC, operates in 50 countries and employs more than 500,000 people globally.
2) Compass will source our food through two of its interior brands: Chartwells and Bon Appétit:
Bon Appétit is considered their luxury brand, touted as “the premier onsite restaurant company.” Both Chartwells and Bon Appétit promote local sourcing and sustainable practices, according to their respective websites. While both companies use humanely raised eggs, only Bon Appétit explicitly mentions the use of “humane” meat.
3) As we transition to a new food provider, the future of our service workers remains unclear:
Student activists have expressed concern over the fate of current hourly-wage employees, whom we interact with every day at some capacity. Students collaborated on a petition in March, before the Compass announcement, compelling the University to retain job security and general benefits for current food service workers. Shortly after the administration officially selected Compass, food service workers marched to ensure a comfortable job transition. The University’s announcement stated that administrators will ask “100 percent of the incumbent hourly associates” to return with continued “pay, benefits, and seniority.”
4) Waste reduction initiatives:
In the past, Sodexo has supported NU initiatives like Meatless Mondays and Real Food Days in dining halls, as well as the work of SustainNU and Campus Kitchens. Fortunately, Compass has also made steps toward reducing food waste. In March 2017, Compass Group North America committed to reduce food waste by 25 percent by the year 2020. As of April 2018, Compass reported an 11 percent decrease in food waste and is on-track to meet the three-year goal.
5) Compass serves other successful Real Food chapters:
Johns Hopkins University aims to reach 35 percent real food by 2020, while Oberlin College strives for 40 percent over the same period. (As a reminder, the term real food denotes a healthy, fair and green food system.) These universities do benefit from more optimal geographic locations, which make sourcing fresh and local food easier. Can Compass carry out local sourcing here? NURF’s current 20 percent by 2020 plan may advance more quickly with Compass’ food options, but the project’s status is currently unclear.
With so many unresolved questions, how can students get involved? Next year, NURF aims to pick up where we left off. We have already met with administrators from SustainNU, and the office will help us liaison with Compass and NU Dining throughout the transition. It’s up to all of us to hold Northwestern and Compass accountable to sustainable and ethical procurement practices and the fair treatment of service workers.
