UBC Social, Ecological Economic Development Studies (SEEDS) Student Report Home Grown: Buy BC Campaign Lauren Aikins, Sally Kwong, Sean Park, Ida Wong, Packy Wong University of British Columbia AGSC 450 Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.” 1.0 Executive Summary Over the last years, UBC Campus Sustainability Office and UBC Food Services have participated in the UBC Food System Project, aiming to identify barriers and create opportunities to enhance the sustainability of the UBC food system. Brenda Sawada, the Manager of UBC SEEDS, believes that there is a necessity to promote local food consumption on the UBC campus, and approached the marketing department to design a marketing campaign to support the project. In order to better understand current UBC students’ attitude on locally-produced food, an exploratory interview was conducted in October 2004. 31 students, including graduate students, residence students, and non-residence students, completed this interview. This exploratory interview revealed the need to educate UBC students on the positive relationship between consuming locally-grown products and campus sustainability. UBC students are generally aware of the economic benefits of consuming local produce, yet they do not have an understanding of how buy local will benefit UBC in the ecological and social aspects. Thus an educational campaign will be needed to increase students’ awareness on the relationship between consuming local produce and sustainability. Implementing an educational campaign should change residence students’ consumption patterns so that they will include more BC produce in their diet. Some elements of the educational campaign will include modification of the UBC Food Services website, point of sales promotion, information table, and a paragraph writing competition. Residence students’ feedback and evaluation on the campaign will be gathered after a short period of time to measure its effectiveness. The result will also be used to determine if UBCFS should expand the educational campaign to other student sectors of the university. 1.1 Objectives UBC’s sustainability initiative A sustainable system, as defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development, meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability 1 of future generations to meet their own needs from an environmental, social and economic standpoint1. As a microcosm for society at large and more importantly a place where leadership and progression are fostered, university campuses throughout the world are initiating sustainable projects in their own back yards. UBC’s Campus Sustainability Office (UBCCSO) is focused on making UBC a part of this movement and has initiated a number of projects with the goal of creating a sustainable community. Project Parameters We have been approached by UBCSO to aid them in an effort to create a sustainable food source for the campus. In order to make this project viable for our group and thereby valuable to the campus dining services, we had to narrow the focus somewhat from a complete overhaul of the UBC food system. We will be working with UBCCSO and UBC Food Services (UBCFS), one of the two major providers of food on campus, the other being AMS Food and Beverage (AMSFB). Our plan will provide a framework that introduces local produce to the student body. We see this project as a stepping stone in the path toward creating a sustainable campus. Achieving sustainability is a long term goal that will require the efforts of many, and continuous improvements over past performance. It will not be reached overnight but through incremental gains. Already this project builds on the work of others. We hope that it will be useful to all providers of food on campus and that these entities can work in conjunction toward the goal of sustainability in the food supply and on campus in general. 1.2 Benefits of Locally Grown Foods 1 World Commission on Environment and Development. ‘Our Common Future: From One Earth to One World’. WCED 1987. 2 For this initiative to have credibility and thus be a worthwhile undertaking, clear benefits of consuming local produce as well as a linkage between consuming locally grown produce and sustainability had to first be established. From an environmental standpoint, Purchasing locally grown foods contributes to this by reducing food miles. Food miles are the distance food travels before it is finally consumed. The closer food comes from, the fresher it is as it is picked when just ripe as opposed to being allowed to ripen in transit. Less pesticides and preservatives are used in production as it does not have as far to travel, and less fossil fuels are burnt in transport. From an economic standpoint, it supports local growers who are a vital part of the economy. From a social standpoint, it contributes to food security which is the concept of a nation being self sustaining in order to be able to function autonomously if need be. These benefits are a strong case for the importance of supporting locally grown food source initiatives. 1.3 Keys to Success The success of this project hinges on several key factors which stem from the particularities of the project. The first is that since we were approached by a third party to undertake this task, we must sell the final project to UBCFS as a viable alternative to their current system. This entails ensuring that there are no significant increases in their prices or decreases in their supply from any proposed changes. These are the two major road blocks where local food supply is concerned as expressed to us by their management. Second, since we are selling relatively intangible benefits, we must embark on an educational campaign to create awareness of the value of eating local produce and its role in sustainability. Finally, due to the two preceding factors and the substantial change that must be made, this project should be undertaken as a pilot to be further 3 studied before campus-wide initiation. As noted, sustainability is a long term goal and will be achieved incrementally through the initiatives and cooperation of a number of groups. 2.0 Company Analysis UBC Food Services, a self-funded operation, has over four hundred staff members and student workers. It is one of the main food providers at UBC. Outlets include Cafeterias, Snack Bars, Residence Dining Rooms, Sage Bistro, Mini Marts, Bread Garden, SUBWAY Sandwiches, Starbucks Coffee Kiosks and a complete Special Events Catering Service. It also has Gift Baskets and Gift Certificates available for gift giving anytime of the year. 2.1 Company Mission “UBC Food Services will promote and support the University and the greater community by providing good food, friendly service and value, while maintaining financial integrity through dedicated and skilled employees. Throughout the campus at the University of British Columbia, our food service outlets are strategically located so you can access good food, quality service in a pleasant environment whenever you want!” - UBCFS Mission Statement 2.2 Company Location and Services UBC Food Services consists of four major segments of business: 1. Coffee and Snack Bars: Snack and coffee bars such as Edibles Snack Bar, The Barn Coffee Shop, Subway, and Expresso On The Go are strategically located throughout the campus. Students can easily buy food and coffee at S.U.B. and some faculty buildings. 4 2. Cafeterias and Restaurants: Many in-house cafeterias and restaurants are located on campus. In-house cafeterias have a variety of branded food outlets including Subway, Koya Japan, and Manchu Wok. Restaurants such as 99 Chairs and Sage Bistro offer an upbeat atmosphere serving a variety of foods, beer, wine, specialty coffees, fresh baked goods and deli items. 3. Residence Dining: This category includes Totem Park and Place Vanier residences and provides three meals per day seven days a week to 2,200 residence students from September to April. These restaurants can tailor their menu to a group’s need and design a specific menu to suit athletic groups or individuals requiring special diet or menu items. This sector accounts for the largest individual contribution to profit at 37%. 4. Special Events Catering: UBC Food Services offers catering services to faculty, staff, and the Vancouver community. Corporate and private functions such as conferences, conventions, trade events, meetings, receptions, theme parties, weddings, etc. can be held via UBC Catering in Sage Bistro. 2.3 Business Cycle Operations are characterized by two distinct demand cycles. During fall and winter terms, they serve a student and faculty population of up to 51 000 people. During summer and winter holidays, sales tend to decrease because much of the population moves off campus and course offerings are limited. During these periods of low demand, operations are scaled back, hours are shortened and some providers shut down entirely 3.0 Products and Services 5 UBCFS provides residence dining services to students who live in the Place Vanier and Totem Residences in the UBC campus area. Generally speaking, UBCFS provides three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) for seven days a week throughout the semester. To facilitate the transaction process for students, UBCFS adopted a Smart Card system in which a student’s meal plan balance is stored on his/her meal plan card. For every transaction, the amount of the purchase is deducted from the card and the balance directly. Moreover, students of the two residences can take advantage of their meal plan at all UBC Food Services retail locations, the Sage Bistro, Starbucks, SUBWAY, Bread Garden and the Mini Marts. In addition to food services, UBCFS has a Personal Wellness Program to promote and educate a balanced diet to all the residents of Place Vanier and Totem. The Personal Wellness Plan is comprised of the following 5 activities: 1. Presentation in the Dining Room – Dissemination of information on specific nutrition questions by a dietitian and general discussion with students at an assigned time and place. 2. Bulletin boards – Monthly updates regarding dining services posted on boards in the dining halls. 3. Point of sale nutritional information – Specific nutritional information placed throughout the dining room to highlight benefits of certain items. 4. Individual counseling – A nutritionist conducts one on one counseling sessions with students who have dietary problems. 5. Recipe analysis – Nutritional value of various menu items is compiled and noted in the menu. 6 3.1 Product Description A great variety of choices are given to students to select from, and different meals are served according to a cycle. In Totem residences, there are four weeks in one cycle. The following are some details of the meal plan: Breakfast: Traditional breakfast served daily and continental breakfast served on weekends. Also, choices like pancakes, sandwiches, crepes, eggs benedict, waffles, toast, pita pockets, and fresh fruit bar are available at breakfast hours depending on the cycle. Lunch: pizza (e.g. Salami& red peppers, vegetarian, bacon& tomato, greek, pepperioni, Italian sausage, and totem pizza), deli sandwich bar, short order grill, hot entrees, salad bar, soups, pasta bar, and “grab and go” salads are provided to fulfill the needs of both vegetarians and non vegetarians. Dinner: traditional dinner (e.g. roast turkey, baked meatballs, vegetable, beef & veg stew, and carved roast beef), international bar (e.g. sweet & sour pork, Moroccan chicken, beef donburi, chicken stirfry, and oven fried sole fillets), salad bar, soups, and short order grill are available. Brunch is offered on weekends to fit students’ needs. 3.2 Competitive Comparison: UBCFS faces two direct sources of competition for residence dining services. These are the AMSFB and independent or franchise restaurants in the UBC village. Indirectly it competes with alternative food systems such as off campus restaurants and self prepared meals. The chart on the following page provides further details. 7 Type of service / Company UBCFS UBCAMS UBC Village Full services cafeteria and restaurants: HIGH END: - 99 Chairs - Sage Bistro - Place Vanier Dinning Room - Totem Park Dinning Room FAST FOOD: - The Trek Express - Bread Garden - Pacific Spirit Place ( Starbucks Coffee, Seattle’s Best, Summer Conference, Subway, Pizza Pizza, Koya, Manchu WOK, The Pasta Bar, Hot Entrée) - Yum Yum’s HIGH END: - AMS Conferences - The Gallery Lounge - The Pit Burger Bar - The Pendulum FAST FOOD: - The Honour Roll - AMS Outdoor BBQ - Pie R Squared - the moon - The Pit Pub HIGH END: - Omio Japanese - One More Sushi - University Pizza - University Village Restaurant - One More Sushi Two FAST FOOD: - A-1 Vietnamese Food - Combo Express - Curry Express - Hong Kong Chinese Food - Italian Gourmet Pizza - Mamacita’s Mexican Grill - Osaka Sushi - Pita PockeT - McDonald’s Snacks Bars: - Edibles Snack Bar - Arts 200 - The Barn Coffee Shop - IRC / SUBWAY Snack Attack Mini-Marts: - Gage Mini Mart & Gift Shop - Hubbard's Mini Mart - Magda's Mini Mart - University Grocery - Lucky Market Coffee bars: - Espresso On The Go Bernoulli's Bagels Blue Chip Cookies - Juice Town - Benny’s Bagels 8 - Steamies - The Pond Cafe - Pita Pit - Second Cup - Starbucks Coffee - Country Style Donuts 4.0 Customer Analysis The primary customers of UBC Food Services are UBC students, faculty, and neighborhood residents. There were approximately 50,000 students and faculty in 2003, and students constitute approximately 87% of the total UBC population. The market size of UBCFS is expected to be increasing in the near future due to the increase in number of residents in the surrounding areas. Many new houses and apartments are built in the UBC area, and the campus offers a convenient and affordable meal option. The following table shows the UBC community population in each category: UBC Community Number of members in each group* Full time faculty member 1,883 Full time staff 4,695 Undergraduate students 32,376 Graduate students 7,045 International undergraduate students 2,027 International graduate students 1,315 *Source from UBC Facts & Figure 2002/2003 9 Student Population The student population is about 43,000 at UBC, and this is about 87% of the total UBC population. Residence students UBC Food Services is responsible for providing food services to residence students in Totem Park and Place Vanier. A meal plan is mandatory for Totem Park and Place Vanier residents, and UBC Food Services provides three meals per day seven days a week to 2,600 residence students from September to April, making this population to a large extent a captive audience. Faculty and Staff This group consists of 6,578 members, which accounts for 13% of the UBC population. Results from our exploratory research shows that this group is highly aware of the various benefits of consuming local products, and is willing to pay a premium to purchase BC products. The majority of Faculty and Staff purchase their food from UBCFS, and they are the major customers for UBC catering services and Sage Bistro. They also have relatively higher purchasing power compared to the UBC students. Others UBC visitors, such as tourists and guest speakers, are also UBCFS’ potential customers. UBC as a conference center for academic meetings had 29,210 visitors who stayed in residences in 2002, primarily during the summer months. They are a group of potential customers UBCFS. 10 4.1 Market Needs and Trends UBC Food Services (UBCFS) are in the campus dining services industry, providing cafeteria and casual dining opportunities primarily to students and staff at the university, but including anyone who happens to be eating on campus. Although campus dining is not analogous to the restaurant industry as a whole, we can extrapolate certain more general characteristics and trends that are important to our discussion. The restaurant industry concerns itself with providing mainly prepared foods for consumption on and off the premises. In recent years, concurrent with overall trends toward healthier lifestyles and sustainable living, particularly on the west coast of North America, the industry has seen a surge in demand for healthier fare. The National Restaurant Association in its 2004 Restaurant Industry Forecast sites health and nutrition in its top 10 trends2. Traditionally, however, prepared casual and fast foods have tended to be comprised mainly of processed content and are low in fresh produce. The industry has thus had to struggle to reconcile consumer appetites for healthy food with their conventional desires for fast and tasty meals. Until recently the nature of the market and certain stigmas attached to it had precluded the inclusion of substantial amounts of local produce in prepared foods. Locally produced goods, however, provide a natural solution to the market dilemma. They are a sustainable food choice high in nutritional content without the exclusive price tag associated with organic produce. The Union for Concerned Scientists has asserted that: “Food grown for local markets, even when not organic, is generally produced with fewer chemicals (pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, 2 www.restaurant.org 11 fertilizers and preservatives), which threaten the environment and your health.”3 As consumers and producers alike have become aware of their benefits, and local growers have become more efficient, it has become increasingly viable to include their produce in menu items even on such a large scale as a university campus. If we turn to the campus dining industry more specifically, we see the emergence of a trend over the past 5 years to search out local producers as suppliers. Although UBC is the first Canadian university to undertake such an initiative, a number of large universities south of the border can serve as examples of this trend and the success that may be achieved. They might also serve as models for the tack that UBC will take. There are several distribution models which these schools have pursued. • A farmer’s cooperative or local distributor acts as the broker and distributor between growers and the institution. • A non-profit society acts as a liaison between farmers and the university. • The state government purchases and distributes the produce. • Schools deal directly with farmers markets. • Food services holding a contract with a university buys local instead of from institutional brokers. This last would be the model likely pursued by UBCFS. Schools who have successfully initiated such a strategy include Middlebury College in Vermont, Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin, and Evergreen State in Washington. 3 www.ucsusa.org 12 4.2.1 Study of Population 31 students were interviewed in an exploratory interview conducted in October 2004. (Refer to Appendix A for the sample exploratory survey) Some of our findings are as follows: • When asked if they know the benefits of consuming locally-produced food, 29% of students4 mentioned that it will improve sustainability or food quality. 42% of students mentioned only the economic benefits to local producers, and another 29% of students did not know the benefits of consuming locally produced food. (Refer to Appendix A) z Undergraduate students are very price-sensitive when it comes to purchasing food. They are unlikely to pay more for locally-produced food. (Refer to Appendix B / Graph 3) z 68% of students said that they buy food on UBC campus, compared to 32% of students who will not buy food on UBC campus because it is too expensive. All residence students choose to eat on campus. z The majority of students (71%) support the idea of UBCFS offering more locally- produced food on campus. (Refer to Appendix C / Graph 5) Results from this exploratory survey reveal that the opportunity exists for introduction of more locally-produced food on the UBC campus. Although support exists however, UBCFS must be cautious not to alienate its customer base by charging higher prices. In an earlier initiative to introduce more organic fare into their menu, they found that 4 Students here include Residents Students, Non-Residents Students, and Graduate Students in UBC. 13 interest, and willingness to purchase expressed in surveys did not correspond with actual buying behavior. Generally students know that there are benefits to consuming local produce, but they remain unsure of what exactly they are. This implies the need for education in order to promote the desired behavior. 5.0 Distribution UBCFS is part of a vertically integrated distribution channel represented in the following diagram: As such, UBCFS is responsible for m levels. The first level is that throug (partially prepared) foods from whole distribution channels through which U foods) to its community (see section 2.2 Dairy/meat/produce farmers Food wholesalers (Central Food Co., Allied Food Services) Producers of processed foods 5.1 Sourcing As is the case in many la primarily contractual. A number of UBCFS UBC communityanagement of the supply chain on two different h which UBCFS obtains primary or secondary salers, discussed below. The second level is the BCFS provides the final goods (fully prepared ). rge universities, UBCFS’ supplier relations are these suppliers are aware that the university is 14 interested in purchasing local produce all else being equal. Currently this translates into a maximum of 28% of UBCFS’ purchases originating locally. Depending on time of year, a minimum of 30% and maximum of 95% of produce items used by UBCFS are available within BC alone. Based on these statistics and a geographic definition of local, these proportions have the potential to increase. Unfortunately the demand cycle faced in a university is the inverse of the growing season, and fresh local produce is not always a realistic option for Canadians. Local content can be maximized by sourcing seasonal, local vegetables and tailoring the menu accordingly5. Emphasizing their priorities to their suppliers will put pressure on these organizations to come in line with UBCFS’ objectives. 6.0 Strategy and Implementation Summary The first stage of the marketing campaign will be a pilot, launching an educational campaign and providing higher local content foods at the two residence dining facilities exclusively. To do so, they will have to ensure constant supply from their intermediaries. After a one semester window, a review is suggested to determine levels of awareness and acceptance of the program. If UBCFS determines that the campaign has been successful, it should then be implemented campus wide. From there they will be able to continuously build on their initial product offering and supplier relations in order to increase local content at their facilities. 5 This does not entail changing the menu greatly, just that vegetable and fruit content would vary with time of year, the base would remain the same. Examples are the topping on waffles and crepes, salad bar selection, stir fry veggies. 15 6.1 Value of the Proposition The value of this proposal for UBC Campus Sustainability Office and UBC Food Services is the increase of awareness among UBC students regarding the benefits of consuming local foods, and to realize the benefits of the positive relationship between consuming local produce and long-term sustainability. 7.0 Supply Strategy Defining Locally-Grown Defining ‘local’ produce is crucial to the viability of the campaign. If it is defined too narrowly, it could result in failure due to insufficient supply. If, on the other hand it is defined too broadly it could undermine the authenticity of the campaign. Local could imply BC only, western Canada or a specific geographic area. We suggest defining local produce as originating in British Columbia. Consideration, however, should be given to a broader geographic definition including the Washington state area for products that require extremely high volume such as potatoes as well as any future expansion of the program. British Columbia produces a greater variety of crops over a more diverse geographic area than any other province in Canada. In total, there are approximately 3.5 million hectares of productive land in BC. Nearly half of this productive area is located in the Fraser Valley. Additionally, with the development of technology, hothouses and greenhouses are becoming a popular and highly productive alternative for growing quality produce when natural conditions are not ideal, exponentially increasing the productive potential of the region. If the appropriate channels are developed, this could supply a large portion of UBCFS’ needs. 16 Washington state is geographically, although not politically, part of the same northern Pacific region as British Columbia. Washington is similar in terms geography and product offering to BC and has much higher volume production in certain crops. It represents an additional 16 million acres of productive land from which to source produce. They lead their nation in production of many crops including peas, apples, carrots, pears, lentils, corn. In addition they have the most productive potato farms in the U.S (a staple for UBCFS), contributing 20% of gross national output. Their proximity gives their produce similar properties in terms of sustainability as attributed to the BC regions. 8.0 Marketing Strategies The objective of this marketing project is to promote the benefits of consuming locally- produced food to the residence students using an educational approach. The exploratory interview conducted in October 2004 revealed that most students could only point out the economic benefits of consuming BC-produced food, and they rarely mentioned the positive social or environmental benefits. (see appendix A / graph A) Thus, our marketing strategy is to design an educational campaign which will create awareness and promote a behavior (selection of locally grown food alternatives). Our educational campaign will serve as a channel factor to improve students’ understanding of the benefits of consuming local produce, with the long term aim of changing student’s consumption patterns. This approach is necessitated not only because the consumer needs a reason to make the local product choice, but because eventually, as local content increases, there may be slight increases in price which will need to be justified by a strong ideology. 17 8.1 Positioning: Choice of Audience According to newsletters from UBC Food Services, residence dining leads their sales (37%) compared with the other four segments in the Food Services’ business. It is thus considered appropriate to start the marketing/distribution campaign in residence dining. Customers in this segment are mainly students who are living on campus. In both residences, a meal program is mandatory for residents. This and their relative isolation from any infrastructure not university related, make them somewhat of a captive audience. As indicated by our preliminary research, this makes them more likely to be concerned with the quality of food provided on campus. The goal is that they will understand the significance and benefits of consuming BC produced food and that their purchasing behaviour will mirror this. Due to the characteristics of the population and the nature of supply to them, it is felt that they will make a receptive and successful point from which to launch this initiative. 8.2 Product The introduction of local produce into residence dining will occur in two elements of the food supply. The first will be a hot food item and will be promoted as the Home Grown Dish of the Day. In coordinating the menu with this initiative the focus should be on changing produce items in the recipe to include fresh, seasonal vegetables, not on entirely reworking the menu. The second element will be sandwich/salad bar items including all fruits and vegetables. Again the focus should be on providing an assortment of local, seasonal produce. As other and larger quantities are sourced, Home Grown varieties of additional hot items can be offered. To increase students’ awareness of these concepts, categories such as “Chef’s Recommendation” or “Seasonal Food” should be added. The 18 reason for having these choices would be to leave room for chefs who have knowledge of seasonality, and therefore can choose the ingredients and experiment with recipes accordingly in order to participate actively in the Home Grown campaign. 8.3 Price Given the highly price sensitive nature of the consumer as demonstrated in our study as well as in the attempt at introducing organic produce, price maintenance should be the objective. Clearly this is easier said than done. In our research on availability as confirmed by reports done in the Agricultural Sciences Faculty, seasonal produce can often be obtained cheaper locally than if sourced from other regions. Non-seasonal produce is generally more expensive. We thus suggest UBCFS use a cross-subsidization tactic to maintain prices at the current levels. This entails selling seasonal produce for a higher margin and higher priced items for a lower margin. 8.4 Promotion Strategy “Home Grown” Website A local foods webpage will be created (see sample promo material #1) and made accessible via a popup link (see sample promo material #2) on the main UBCFS webpage (www.foodserv.ubc.ca). This webpage will be the main source of detailed information concerning sustainability and locally grown produce, introducing viewers to the concepts of food miles and eating seasonally. All other promotional material will steer targets to the website for further information. 19 Point of sales promotions This material will consist of table tents and strategically located signage. Its objective will be threefold, to create on the spot demand for unaware consumers, to indicate availability to those seeking local produce and to reinforce the behaviour in those already aware and committed to the purchase. Signage will be visible throughout the cafeteria area. It will be located at availability points such as above salad bar items and on hot food countertops where the “Home Grown Dish of the Day” is available (see sample promo material #3, 4, 5). Table tents will be placed on dining hall tables throughout the two residences. Their message will be simple, encouraging customers to check out the “Home Grown Dish of the Day” on one side and giving a local foods factoid on the other (see sample promo material #6). Information card Information cards will be available at cash registers and at other areas for general residence life information as well as being distributed at the beginning of the campaign to each student and again at the beginning of each school. They will be included as an insert in the residence dining menu which each student receives. Their message will be short and succinct as their goal will be to direct curious readers to the webpage (see sample promo material #7). Information Tables At the outset of the campaign, UBCFS has suggested that information tables be set up outside each of the dining halls on different days. On these days special local dishes would be made available for students. The tables could be run by students from the Agricultural Sciences department as well as the UBC food co-op as they have the 20 expertise in the field of locally grown foods. Information cards would be available and the website promoted in addition to any educational materials supplied by the other two partners. It is suggested that UBCFS provide samples of local produce or dishes as this is always a great way to provoke interest in a hungry audience. These tables would serve as a kick-off point for the beginning of the campaign after which time local foods would be regularly available in the cafeterias. With a little animation on the part of those manning the tables as well as some free samples from the kitchen, these should serve to catch the attention of the majority of the residence student body. They will make a strong statement about local foods and UBCFS’ commitment to providing them and working toward a sustainable campus. Personal Wellness Program This program, described in the product and service offering section, can be easily utilized to generate more visibility for the campaign. There are three areas where efforts could be easily coordinated. First in the information sessions provided by the dietician, eating fresh, seasonal, local produce and the personal health benefits thereof should be discussed. Included should be the necessity of getting plenty of fruit and vegetables, and the reduced amounts of pesticides and preservatives found in local varieties. Second, the bulletin board should have a section with information citing the above reasons for eating local produce and availability in the dining halls. Finally, the menu should indicate where the day’s offerings are “Home Grown” with a symbol such as that used for vegan and vegetarian dishes (see sample promo material #8). 21 Comment cards In order to understand more about customer’s attitudes toward BC produced food, residence students will be asked to give feedback to UBC Food Services using comment cards placed on dining hall tables. It is important to get comments from residence students as they are our primary target and their input will allow the progress of the project to be gauged. Questions on the comment cards will change periodically in order to determine the effect of the campaign at various intervals. By reviewing their comments, we can assess what can be improved, what is successful and how the campaign can be applied in the future. Writing Competition A paragraph writing competition asking students to outline their views on the benefits of consuming local produce will conduct in order to gauge the success of the campaign. Additionally this competition will offer another means to promote benefits of consuming BC produce and the UBC Food Services website. Since many students are unfamiliar with the benefits of consuming BC produce, their effectiveness of the campaign can be measured in part by determining increases in awareness on the matter. The information of the paragraph writing competition will be posted on the UBC Food Services website. The topic of the paragraph will be something about BC produced food such as “What are the benefits of consuming BC produced food?” and “How can locally-produced food on UBC campus contribute to the UBC sustainability?” The paragraph is limited to 100 words. Participants have to submit their paragraphs to the UBC Food Services website. As a result, the organization of paragraph writing might increase the number of people visiting the website. The winner can get a prize of $20 redeemable card which can be used to buy food in restaurants 22 9.0 Limitations and Contingency Plan: As with any product introduction, this project has risk inherent to it. To mitigate potential losses, anticipation and contingency planning are imperative. Risk • Students may ignore the long term benefits of sustainability and the local foods campaign as people tend to be short-term oriented. • The potential additional costs paid for BC products could outweigh the social and nutritional benefits of it. As a result, students’ purchasing behaviour associated with BC products may not be as high as we expect. • Supply may prove to be too inconsistent to make local content viable Suggested Solutions for Various Scenarios: After the first phase of the undertaking of the Buy BC campaign, a survey, interview, questionnaire, or seminar will be held to see if the awareness level is higher than before. (to ensure the accuracy of this, a before and after measurement of the level of awareness of resident students should be used.) The worst scenario – awareness has not been raised at all: Reset and reassess the length, intensity, scope, and goals of the campaign. The longer the campaign lasts for, the more the awareness will be created; to get the most buzz, an extension of the campaign is needed. Instead of general items, a few specific items may be chosen that students are familiar with and interested in, e.g. Home Grown 23 apples or tomatoes. The scope and goals are to increase residence students’ awareness of BC products. If it proves unsuccessful, we may narrow the scope to a target group of students whose awareness levels are higher than those of the general student body (such as Agricultural Sciences students) and work on their understanding and behaviour where eating fresher agricultural products is concerned. This will allow UBCFS to assess whether correlating intentions and actual behaviour is realistic. The break-even scenario – awareness has been raised to a satisfactory level: The success of the educational campaign should be pushed to a higher level in the case of such an outcome; this can be done by intensifying short term marketing campaigns to boost the attention level to its maximum. To have an ongoing and flourishing marketing campaign on BC agricultural goods, continuous modification, feedback and tailoring of all the areas involved is essential. The best case scenario – awareness and willingness to pay for locally produced foods are higher than ever: The price of all items can be adjusted to accommodate the increased costs of purchasing maximum amounts from local farms. In the long run, the overall costs will drop as suppler relationships are developed with local farmers, while quantity and quality remain stable. UBCFS’ marketing department can create an alliance or a joint program with other organizations whose aims are similar to our Buy BC campaign to have a boarder scope and higher impact on the community. 24 10.0 Management Summary/concerns The main challenge for UBCFS comes from the fact that they will apply a food-mile concept rather than organic produce concept in promoting BC produced food. However, some BC-produced produce may not be organically grown, and some produce from Seattle requires less food-miles than that from interior regions of BC. Therefore, it all comes down to a question of how to define “local”. Another concern UBCFS has is that Totem Park and Place Vanier are closed for the months in summer; therefore, we need alternate channels during this period. 25 “Home Grown” Marketing Local Foods at UBC Prepared by: Lauren Aikins Sally Kwong Sean Park Ida Wong Packy Wong 26 Home Grown    !  ! !     Presentation Summary #%!"""$  !%#"&%"!  #"&! %%'$%#%( #! #" "%"!  "!%!!$  "!&$"! Sustainability “ Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs from an environmental, social and economic standpoint.” - World Commission on Environment and Development  !%#"&%"! &$%!%(  #"&!  %%'$%#%(  #" "%"!  "!%!!(  "!&$"! Introduction #%!"""$  -#&*(*()$"), -%%'+ UBC’s Sustainability Initiative '!)$%"%%(   $)'%*)%$  !'%*$  $))+(  !) )+()'),  '$  '%#%)%$  %$)$$,  %$"*(%$  ($#(&$)!$!%&$)($ &'#'()#('#$(" & #!#&  (%%#'($#($+&&( #')'(#!"%)' Project & (#$!$$'   #(&$)($#   &$)#  &$(   ((*'(&(,  &#  &$"$($#  $#(##,  $#!)'$#  '$()', ()',')!!&+!&!&   ')( !!&!+!'& !&$,** !&+'&++*$'$ Local Produce? ,.'$''*    &+)',+!'&  #)',&  '$()',  #+"+!-*+)+.  )!!&  )'%'+!'&  '&+!&&.  '&$,*!'& Marketing objectives & Strategy $&"# ##%   "&$#'&#"  $#'"  &&(%&$&)  $#!#&#"  & %  #"&"")  #" '%#"  Exploratory Interview Shows… What do you think are the benefits of consuming BC-produced food? Not Aware of benefits to sustainability and higher food value 71% Aware of the benefits to sustainability or higher food quality 29% We must increase Student’s Awarenes Marketing Objectives       Sustainability & Higher Food Value Eating Local Produce Students understand the benefits of consuming Local Produce Buy “Home Grown” !!! 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'"##$$"#"$$"$# "$$  (" $  #$##%$"$$#% %" #&%"##$'$  "%$#   ##$$#% (!%#$#$(    #$ %$  $ %" &"      % $  $ #%"  $     $  &## Limitations "$  #       Contingencies    Fails Mildly Successful Wildly Successful     +&#'''&'  '(#&''''(!#(#(#'(,'$%#$ !'$("%#  $$''%("'(('()#('&"!&+(# #(&'(# $" &$+#%%!'$&($"($'  &(($'()#('+$'+&#''!*!'&&( #($'$(#&!'()#($, &'# '()#(' Contingencies & Solutions & (#$! $$'     $ "  "  %       !    $  !  !  !      !   !  !  ! !  !   !   ! # "       "    !         " ! "      !  ""    !       !        !     Contingencies & Solutions con’t !       ( "$"" $   &! "" &    "" #   (    !     ( ! $  " !   !  #  % !   !    $"##  #  #  #  "# "  ! # # ! *   ! "  # ! *     *   # !   " #  % "$  !  !   #  " " !  %        !     #  ! ! & #  !  )#  " &"  " !  "   !  #  $! "   "! "  *  %  $)$  $#    $! " *  !  #  "  '  ) #    #  #  $ # ( Contingencies & Solutions con’t !#  " Conclusion & Appreciation #%!"""$   !%#"&%"!  #"&!  %%'$%#% (  #!  #" "%"!  "!%!!(  "!&$"!  #   !  %  "# "%  !  !    % )       %  !"" !# % &  %  $  !#  &)  "    !% & % !  !$  (!# %  % # )   ! $!%   !! % ! %  !&  % ) $% # %   %  !% #        #   ! %  &!&$  "# !' %      &  % )  !! $# ' $ "# !' #   % % " (((  &)  &)    !   !% #  #  %   $$&$ Conclusion Home Grown Rocks!! #%  ! !!$     % # #    !  ""   &   "$"#     # (  ! "    ! #  #  $#  !  #  ! #  " # # !      ! #    ! #   #    !    '     % $   "     !#    "      "& !  ! # "    $ # ( Appreciation for UBCFS & UBCCCSO !# " “Home Grown”       Home Grown Dish of the Day Lentil Stew Ho Grown From local farms, to your plate. Help Food Services work toward a Sustainable campus. Formore info visit: www.foodserv.ubc.ca Look for the Home Grown selections in your dining hall. Home Grown BC Mushrooms Home Grown BC Greens BC SPUDS Home Grown He picked Home Grown. www.foodserv.ubc.ca Now it’s up to you. Look for Available in your dining hall. www.foodserv.ubc.ca Home Grown produce. Home Grown www.foodserv.ubc.ca Home Cooked www.foodserv.ubc.ca ...look for the Home Grown Dish of the Day... Home Grown Creating a Sustainable Campus Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present generation without com- promising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs from an environmental, social and economic standpoint -World Commission on Environment and Development Locally Grown Foods and Sustainability Food Miles are the distance your food travels before reaching your plate. Less food miles means: 1. Fresher produce, picked when it’s just ripe 2.Less pesticides and preservatives 3. Less fossil fuels burned in transportation Currently UBCFS purchases up to 28% of their produce locally. We aim to increase this percentage by working with our suppliers and our customers. We will bring these improvements to you in both our residence dining facili- Food Services’ Role Your Role Eat Seasonally. Learn what foods are available at different times of year and adjust your diet accordingly. Look for the Home Grown markers in the residence dining facilities and make the edu- cated choice. Questions Comments email info@foodserv.ubc.ca