College Dining Halls Embrace Plant-Forward Menus

"Not long ago, chalky tofu and limp lettuce constituted some of the only vegetarian meal options available at campus dining halls. But that's changed in recent years as more colleges and universities have set broader sustainability goals, which often include pledges to offer more plant-based foods. Nowadays, students have access to more adventurous plant-based dishes, such as cauliflower ceviche, japchae and sesame tempeh, to name just a few."

"Over the past decade, dozens of colleges and universities have vowed to provide more plant-based meals, including Smith College, the University of North Texas and the University of California, Los Angeles. In November, the University of California, Riverside-where meatless meals already make up about 45 percent of its dining options-became one of the latest universities to commit to expanding its meatless offerings, pledging to make 50 percent of meals plant-based by 2027."

""Without question, institutional procurement is a massive lever for climate solutions at school and an often-overlooked tool for public health," said Sophie Egan, co-director of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative housed at Stanford University. Founded in 2012, the collaborative is a network of 85 colleges and universities that are using campus dining halls as living laboratories to research promotion of plant-forward options, food-waste reduction and increasing food literacy."

Campus dining has shifted from limited vegetarian options to adventurous plant-based dishes such as cauliflower ceviche, japchae and sesame tempeh. Dozens of colleges and universities have pledged to increase plant-based meals, with institutions including Smith College, the University of North Texas and UCLA making commitments. The University of California, Riverside pledged to make 50 percent of meals plant-based by 2027, with about 45 percent currently meatless. Pledges are rooted in sustainability goals and have produced more diverse, healthier menus. Institutional procurement functions as a major lever for climate solutions and public health, and dining halls serve as living laboratories to research plant-forward promotion, waste reduction and food literacy.

Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs