Sustainable food

What is Ghent University doing about sustainable and healthy food in the restos and cafeteria? What can you do when you have to provide catering for meetings or events? And how can you get started?

Resto's

Policy sustainable food

Ghent University has committed itself to providing 50% of the menu with vegetarian dishes by 2025. Currently, there are 2 veggie and 2 meat/fish dishes on the menu on Tuesdays, and on Thursday Veggie Day the ratio is 1 to 3.

veggie

Sustainable catering on events and meetings

Sustainable catering focuses on plant-based food, with limited space for dairy products, meat, fish and eggs.

  • Research groups or departments can use the sustainable catering list to find the most sustainable caterer for a reception, meeting or event.
  • Do you ask for preferences when inviting? Then make the vegetarian option the norm, offering the option to choose meat if they insist (in a similar way to where people are now asked about vegetarian or other diets).
  • Always apply this standard in your catering: 60% plant-based, 20% vegetarian and 20% meat or fish with a low footprint and attention to animal welfare.

Resto's

Education and research

Together with researchers, we want to search for a healthy and ecologically sound diet, with less meat and unsustainable fish consumption.

  • In 2019, EAT-Lancet, the first comprehensive scientific report on what constitutes a healthy diet within a sustainable food system, was published2. Following this report, the EAT-Lancet diet, healthy for people and planet, followed (Figure 1).
  • Green deal eiwittransitie (in Dutch)

Vegan

Do you want more?

Do you want to give a stronger signal? Introduce vegan and veg dishes more? Maybe we can help? Or would you like some inspiration?

Useful links

Contact

Duurzaam@ugent.be