Our food choices provide a big impact on our carbon footprints through the production, packaging, and transportation of these foods. The University is committed to providing its community access to healthy, safe, and sustainably sourced food and drinks by aligning campus food providers and consumers to a shared vision of sustainability and security.

Food packaging is essential and ubiquitous – from snacks bought from ambulant vendors and kiosks to meals supplied in canteens and food concessionaires, and even in University events. The pervasiveness of food packaging makes it necessary to find ways to reduce or minimize its environmental impact and its overall contribution in reducing the ecological footprint of the University. Whenever applicable, it shall promote the adoption of reusable, renewable or recyclable packaging materials for food.

Specifically, the University aims to…

• promote availability and accessibility of healthy and safe food and drinks that have minimal impact on the environment
• promote reusable packaging, and/or renewable and recyclable packaging materials for food
• reduce food and plastic waste from the campus food system

To achieve these goals, the University shall…

• promote the consumption of local, organic and sustainably harvested foods
• issue guidelines to cafeteria operators, food establishments and caterers to minimize food waste and food packaging, limit the use of single-use food accessories, and sell only healthy meals and drinks
• require each unit to have their own reusable utensils
• promote the practice of “Bring your own tumbler/container/utensil” and “Clean as you go”
• install water fountains in all its buildings and ban the sale of bottled water in buildings with water fountains/dispensers
• regularly check its water sources for heavy metals and other contaminants