Climate plan: Sustainable food 2020-2030
Ghent University strives for a healthy, tasty, affordable and ecologically responsible food policy, with less meat and fish consumption. The planetary healt diet, proposed by the EAT-lancet commission on Food, Planet and Health, is the guideline.
Objectives
- By 2030, a protein shift from animal to vegetable proteins according to the ratio 40/60 in the restaurants, cafeteria and catering.
- Avoid food waste through good stock management and cooperation with organizations that work with food surpluses.
Achieved milestones
- Sustainability requirements in tender documents, such as
- for the food offered in the restaurants: vegetable soups, meat of European origin, rice with the fair trade label, etc.
- for the sandwiches for catering: at least 50% vegetarian options, no beef or lamb, fish with a sustainability label, etc.
- No beef on the menu.
- Collaboration with Let's Save Food, in which volunteers collect food surpluses in the restaurants De Brug and Coupure.
- Drinking fountains instead of water bottles in the beverage machines.
- Guidelines for catering for events, conferences, etc.
Actions 2025-2028
- Experiment with a sustainable buffet (mainly vegetable proteins, local and seasonal, leftovers used in soup, no disposable packaging) on the Coupure campus and roll it out further if successful.
- By 2028, we will have evolved to a 50/50 vegetarian-vegan offering at university-wide events such as Happy Hour, the New Year's reception, Dies Natalis, the opening of the academic year and training courses. In this way, Ghent University will demonstrate its sustainable character. An annual evaluation will take place.
More information
More information about our achievements and what you can do can be found on the webpage sustainable food.