According to a report from the Green Sports Alliance (GSA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council, pro sports venues across all major leagues in North America are now adopting the notion of serving more sustainable food offerings to fans. This is being done through actions such as sourcing viable third-party foods and beverages, donating food, planning food with seasonal and local fare, composing waste through landfills, and even donating unsold food in order to regulate food practices for sports leagues.
Reportedly, 20 venues will feature the “Champions of Game Day Food” which will offer the aforementioned new and improved healthy choices for fans. To start, reports have been made that these 20 venues will now provide organic food options, source food from local farms, have on site gardens, antibiotic free meats, compost food waste, and compostable service ware.
The main highlights of the GSA’s report include many teams making great strides to help the environment and serve better food:
- St. Louis Rams: 100 percent antibiotic-free, humanely raised, and grass-fed beef hot dogs and burgers are served at Edward Jones Dome to Rams fans.
- Florida Marlins: Approximately 10,000 pounds of unused prepared food at Marlins Park is donated to local senior homes annually to feed those in need.
- New York Yankees: 278 compost bins at Yankees Stadium help fans compost ballpark-wide, advancing the Yankees’ zero waste goals.
- Dallas Cowboys: AT&T Stadium sources its USDA-certified organic produce from nearby Paul Quin College’s student-run farm.
- Seattle Mariners: 100 percent of all beef and pork served at Safeco Field is raised without antibiotics or hormones.
- San Francisco Giants: AT&T Park features vegetarian and vegan meal options in every concession area, earning the ballpark first place in PETA’s 2014 Vegetarian Friendly MLB Stadium Rankings.
- Philadelphia 76ers/Flyers: Nearly 100 percent of serviceware at Wells Fargo Center is compostable.
- Sonoma Raceway, Host of NASCAR: The raceway was the first North American racetrack to plant a two-acre organic garden onsite and uses a herd of nearly 3,500 milking sheep to mow the raceway lawns without any industrial equipment.
- Tampa Bay Lightning: 125 hydroponic garden towers grow one acre of organic food onsite at Amalie Arena to feed Lightning players and fans.
- San Francisco 49ers: 30 percent of all Levi’s Stadium produce is USDA-certified organic and more than 20 percent of the menu is vegetarian.
- San Diego Padres: 100 percent of used cooking oil at Petco Park is recycled and donated as biodiesel to support local public transportation and school buses.
Alice Henly, Director of Programs at the Green Sports Alliance and Resource Specialist is optimistic about the wide reaching impact of these franchises making environmentally friendly decisions, “Changing the menus at sports venues, which collectively serve hundreds of millions of people each year, offers an influential platform that can educate consumers and the marketplace about healthier food and stronger food systems. There is a growing trend towards more efficient and environmentally intelligent practices across the supply chain of game day food. The powerful examples in this report provide successful models that all food providers should emulate.”