Food Sourcing

At University Housing & Dining Services, we're committed to sustainable food sourcing. At our dining centers, cafes and campus markets, you'll find organic choices and food from growers around Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, as well as ingredients produced right here on campus. Learn more.

Menus of Change

University Housing & Dining Services is part of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, a working group of scholars and experts in invited colleges and universities that was launched by the Culinary Institute of America, the Harvard School of Public Health, and Stanford University.

The vision of Menus of Change is to collaborate on research and education in support of culinary-centric, evidence-based food systems innovation within and beyond universities. The colleges and universities that make up the research collaborative are working toward healthier, more sustainable, plant-forward diets.

Food Sourcing Definitions

UHDS dining services is committed to sustainable food sourcing and offers a growing number of locally produced food and organic options.

Local: UHDS has four distinctions for local:

  • Campus-Made: Grown, developed or processed at Oregon State University.
  • Regional: Grown, made or processed within 100 miles
  • Oregon-grown: Grown, made or processed within the state of Oregon
  • Northwest-grown: Grown, made or processed within Oregon and Washington

Organic: UHDS follows USDA standards when labeling or identifying foods as organic. Organic foods are produced without the use of irradiation, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms. Producers meet animal health and welfare standards, did not use antibiotics or growth hormones, used 100% organic feed, and animals are provided with access to the outdoors. For multi-ingredient foods, 95% or more of the ingredients must be certified organic.

Natural: Since the FDA has not developed a standard for natural, UHDS defines natural foods as not containing added color, artificial flavors, preservatives, synthetic substances (high fructose corn syrup), and no added growth hormones or antibiotics ever.

Natural Beverages: At Five Four One restaurant, UHDS only serves natural beverages.  In addition to the standards above, these standards are also followed: 

  • no added sugar or artificial sweeteners (this includes all types of added sugar including white sugar, corn syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, etc.); artificial sweeteners including aspartame, sugar alcohols, stevia)
  • no plain bottled water to encourage tap water consumption from hydration station

Natural Beverage Offerings Include:

  • tap/filtered water: naturally fruit/vegetable herb enhanced water
  • unsweetened teas or coffee
  • unsweetened low-fat milk non-dairy beverages
  • fruit juice enhanced water or teas
  • 100% fruit juice

Sustainable Seafood: UHDS is committed to purchasing sustainable seafood based on recommendations from Monterey Bay Seafood Watch and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Fish Watch standards.  Sustainable seafood is defined as seafood that has been farmed or fished in ways that promote the sustainability of the oceanic ecosystem and the long-term vitality of several marine species.

Fair Trade Certified: Fair trade certified products are socially and environmentally sustainable.

Our Growers

*Some local items, such as fresh produce, are available only when in season.

 

Item Where to find it Source
Beaver Classic Cheese (OSU Campus) Tomassito's, Five Four One
Bob's Red Mill quinoa and oats (Milwaukie) all dining centers, Cascadia Market
Callahan Food Forest produce (OSU Campus) Five Four One
Camas Country Mills flour (Junction City) all dining centers
Don Froylan cheese (Albany) La Calle
Kenagy Farms asparagus (Hubbard) all dining centers
Monster Cookie Co. cookies (Eugene) EBGBs, Cascadia, Bing's, Mainsqueeze
Nearly Normal's vegan sunburgers (Corvallis) Calabaloo's, Southside Station @ Arnold grill
Norpac vegetables (Oregon & Washington) all dining centers
Oregon Natural Meats beef (Eugene) Calabaloo's, Southside Station @ Arnold grill
Pacific Foods soup & soy milk (Tualitin) all dining centers
Red Hat Melons (Corvallis) all dining centers
Riverwood Orchard apples & pears (Monmouth) all dining centers
Spring Valley dairy products & eggs (Eugene) all dining centers
So Delicious coconut milk yogurt (Springfield) Cascadia Market
Truitt Family Foods beans (Oregon & Washington) all dining centers
Willamette Valley Cheese Co. cheese (Salem) Cascadia Market
Willamette Valley Fruit Co. blueberries (Salem) all dining centers

A Farm to Table story: Willamette Valley Pie Co. berries

Berries grown in the heart of Oregon

 

Watch how local Willamette Valley berries make their way to diners across campus.

 

Grown on Campus

"Here in the Willamette Valley, we're blessed to have a plethora of local, beautiful ingredients that we can add to our dishes."

 

Watch and see how Oregon State University chefs turn campus-grown veggies and ingredients from around the Willamette Valley into meals for Beaver Nation.

 

Beaver Cheese: A Farm to Table Story

Beaver Cheese is so local, it's never even left this campus.

 

Watch how this student-made product is used in Oregon State University dining centers.

 

Spring Hill Peppers: A Farm to Table Story

Bell peppers grown by a fellow Beav are part of the rainbow of local veggies at Five Four One.

 

Watch how local, organic vegetables make their way from one Albany farm to dining center tables in Corvallis.