Food Vendors: We are providing guidance on environmental considerations when we are requesting food services from vendors. We are looking to select food vendors who demonstrate environmental considerations in their service. Now, for personal service contracts it may be that food or snacks is in the service delivery on a regular or ad hoc basis,but we still encourage you to ask environmental considerations when purchasing food or catering.
- Do you purchase food products or supplies such as snacks or meals that will have less waste disposal because of less packaging and the ability to compost food waste?
- Please describe the packaging that is used to purchase or serve food and know we have a preference for reusable, recyclable and biodegradable materials.
- Please describe how you avoid the use of Styrofoam products.
- Food is provided on platters that can be returned or in brown paper bags with some recycled content and no print.
- Please describe how you avoid individually wrapped food, but if unavoidable how you seek reusable or recyclable materials other than plastic.
- Please describe how you encourage the use of reusable plates, utensils, glasses, mugs and serving ware.
- Describe how you seek to use napkins, if included, are unbleached and made of at least 50% post-consumer recycled content.
- Describe how you try to incorporate the use of pitchers with tap water or juice are provided rather than disposable water or juice bottles.
- Please describe how you seek locally grown food and purchase it when available.
- If you cater do you arrange for any potential leftovers to be donated to an organization that will use it for its intended purpose? If you need an organization to use try Fork It Over! Which links businesses with food rescue agencies to reduce hunger and waste. Join the many grocers, restaurants and caterers in the Portland metropolitan area that are part of this effort. 503-725-8447.