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?
Policy sustainable food
Ghent University aims for a healthy, tasty, affordable and ecologically sound food policy, with a protein shift from animal to vegetable proteins according to a 40/60 ratio in restos, cafeterias and catering by 2030. Food waste is avoided through good stock management and collaboration with organizations that work with food surpluses.
- During a pilot project, in the renovated resto Coupure, you can choose from a spacious buffet where vegetables in particular are given a prominent place. Fresh soup is also made daily in the resto. The supply is based on the season and the distance the ingredients have to travel.
Sustainable catering on events and meetings
Sustainable catering focuses on plant-based food, with limited space for dairy products, meat, fish and eggs.
- You can work with these principles for your catering:
- 100% varied vegetarian offering
- At least 50% plant-based options
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Sandwiches, soup and salads can be ordered through the framework agreement. For other catering services, please refer to our website, which lists caterers who fully endorse these principles.
- If you ask about preferences when sending out invitations, make sure that the vegetarian option is shown as the norm, with the option to choose meat if desired (in the same way that you currently ask about vegetarian or other diets).
Education and research
Together with researchers, we want to search for a healthy and ecologically sound diet, with less meat and unsustainable fish consumption.
- Ghent University is partner in the Green Deal eiwitshift.
- In 2019, the first comprehensive scientific report on what constitutes a healthy diet within a sustainable food system, was published. Check this figure of a planet health diet in comparison with our diet.
