Sustainable and Local Procurement
One of UVA Dine’s largest contributions in sustainability centers around our Local and Sustainable Procurement program. In the 2025 calendar year, 26% of UVA Dine’s total spend was Locally defined, while 22% of our total spend was Sustainable defined, both of which were increases from the previous calendar year.
What is Sustainable Food/Local Procurement?
Sustainable Food is defined under the AASHE Stars (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System), as either any plant-based product, or any third-party verified product, (i.e. USDA Organic, Certified Humane, etc). Local procurement is defined as ‘any item/product grown, raised, caught, and produced within a 250-mile radius'. These definitions allow UVA Dine to support local farmers, growers, and businesses within the Virginia and Mid-Atlantic region, while also identifying products that are produced sustainably.
Creating Impact Through Local Partnerships
4P Foods
One of UVA Dine’s key local partners is 4P Foods, a local and regional aggregator in Virginia. In the 2025-26 academic year, we purchased over 220k pounds of food from 4P Foods within our three dining halls! Not only did we increase our spend with 4P Foods, but a significant portion of every dollar spent went directly to local producers, supporting their farms and businesses.
Collaborative Events
To showcase our local operations, UVA Dine hosts Farm-to-Fork events, as well as collaborative events partnering with Morven Sustainability Lab and 4P Foods, including the Virginia Farm Summit, Morven Spring Mixer, and Morven’s annual Gazpacho in the Garden. These events bring together UVA students, staff, and faculty, UVA/regional chefs, farmers, and community members across Virginia! In addition to that, we also host farmer’s markets, mini-market pop-ups, and weekly taste cart events!
Featured Local Farmers
Here is a list of a few local farmers we purchased from for the 2025-2026 academic year. Thank you to our farmers for supporting UVA Dine!
- Virginia Poultry Growers Co-op
- Willie Mae’s Farm
- Roundhouse Farm
- Farmer D
- Homestead Creamery
- Twin Oaks Farm