Universities News - vegconomist: the vegan business magazine

SFU and Forward Food Summit: Educational Institutions Shaping Plant-Based Food Market

November 7, 2023

On November 2nd, Simon Fraser University (SFU) in British Columbia, Canada, partnered with Humane Society International and its Forward Food initiative to host the SFU and Forward Food Summit (Plant-Based Edition). This event provided a platform for food service professionals and leaders to come together, facilitating networking opportunities and equipping them with the necessary skills to integrate plant-based foods into their menus, with the goal of promoting a more sustainable and locally sourced food system. The summit featured a lineup of expert speakers and panelists, including Brent Loken, the global food lead scientist for WWF Global Science, and Amy Symington, nutrition professor and plant-based chef at George Brown College. In addition to the informative sessions, 24 chefs participated in specialized training, showcasing how to effectively …

Organisations and brands:

Humane Society

Food Service

Canadian University Surpasses 40% Plant-Based Menu Goal

September 18, 2023

Western University in Ontario, Canada, has exceeded its initial commitment to introduce plant-based meal options in its residence dining halls. The institution, which had originally pledged in May to make 40 percent of its dining hall menus plant-based by January 2024, has surpassed this goal ahead of schedule. As of September 2023, 43 percent of the meals offered in Western University’s dining halls are plant-based, according to Colin Porter, the university’s director of hospitality services. This achievement comes as a result of Western University’s collaboration with the Humane Society International, making it the first institution in Canada to commit to a plant-based goal through an audit process. The collaboration also involved a professor from the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. This …

3D-printed plant-based pork and turkey burgers

Printed Technology

SavorEat’s 3D Printing Robot Chef Makes Its Debut at University of Denver

September 7, 2023September 6, 2023

After a partnership announcement in 2021, Sodexo and SavorEat officially deployed their 3D printing robot chef as part of a pilot project at the University of Denver, marking its US debut. Starting this week, students at the University of Denver can enjoy SavorEat’s printed burgers at the Rebecca Chopp Grand Central Market in Community Commons, as initially reported by The Spoon. Personalized printing SavorEat, an Israeli food-tech company known for its plant-based 3D printing technology, debuted its Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2021 after raising $13 million from an IPO. Its 3D printer, which prints and cooks plant-based burgers using infrared light, allows customers to personalize their burgers based on their own preferences, including fat and protein levels. Racheli Vizman, CEO of SavorEat, told The …

Organisations and brands:

SavorEat

Sodexo

850+ Academics, Politicians, and Public Figures Demand Vegan Catering in UK Universities

September 5, 2023

The Plant-Based Universities campaign has sent an open letter to university vice-chancellors, catering managers, and student union presidents across the UK, calling for a transition to 100% plant-based catering in UK universities. The open letter, supported by over 850 academics, politicians, and public figures, including Chris Packham, Etienne Stott MBE, and George Monbiot, marks one of the largest instances of academic endorsement for a plant-based food system. Urgency of change Michelle Farnham of the Plant-Based Universities campaign emphasized the urgency of the call, saying, “This open letter should be a clear message to universities across the UK and beyond that the time for bold and decisive change is now.” Chris Packham, a well-known broadcaster and environmentalist, expressed his support, stating, “The student campaigners of Plant-Based …

Organisations and brands:

Plant-Based Universities

Image supplied.

Egg Alternatives

JUST Egg Now Served at 45% More US Colleges Than a Year Ago

August 29, 2023

JUST Egg has reported a 45% growth in US college and university food service accounts over the past year, with over 40 new campus partners added since January 2023 alone. This takes the total number of higher education institutions offering the plant-based egg alternative to 120. College caterers are said to be using JUST Egg in a wide range of dishes, including sandwiches, flatbreads, wraps, grain bowls, salads, and baked goods. JUST Egg has also continued to expand throughout other US locations, with distribution up 14% since last year. The company’s food service business has seen particular success, growing 15% in Q1 of 2023 and 39% in Q2. Making plant-based the default The news comes as students and higher education establishments increasingly embrace plant-forward food. …

Organisations and brands:

JUST Egg

Image: Brakes on Facebook

Food Service

Leading UK Food Wholesaler Brakes Encourages Plant-Forward Meals in Educational Settings

June 26, 2023

Brakes, the UK’s leading food wholesale supplier, has launched an initiative encouraging education caterers to serve plant-forward meals. The company is offering a set of resources to help school, college, and university caterers understand the benefits and opportunities of including more plant-based ingredients in their dishes. This includes recipe and menu suggestions, along with nutritional information and cost-saving tips. Brakes said that removing animal products entirely can be challenging for caterers, especially as some students struggle with unfamiliar foods. However, taking a plant-forward approach provides significant sustainability benefits and cost savings without entirely eliminating animal ingredients. While Brakes’ plant-forward resources for educators emphasise whole foods like beans and vegetables, the wholesaler also offers meat alternatives such as those made by Moving Mountains and THIS. “Virtuous …

Organisations and brands:

Brakes

University of Cambridge Students Vote to Remove All Animal Products From Menus

February 23, 2023

Students at the UK’s prestigious University of Cambridge have voted to make menus fully plant-based across the student union’s cafes and canteens. Following a four-week consultation process, 72% of non-abstaining voters were in favour of the motion. The vote was held in response to lobbying from the Plant-Based Universities campaign, which is supported by Animal Rebellion (an offshoot of environmental group Extinction Rebellion). The motion does not guarantee that Cambridge’s catering services will remove animal products altogether, as decisions about menus are made by the university rather than the students’ union. The vote also does not apply to the university’s colleges, though Plant-Based Universities Cambridge said it provided “an extremely strong mandate for colleges to begin transitioning to 100% plant-based menus”. But while the outcome …

Organisations and brands:

Animal Rebellion

Cambridge University

Gastronomy & Food Service

Berlin Universities to Drop 96% of Meat on Canteen Menus For Climate Harm Reduction

August 31, 2021

In response to popular demand from students, canteen meals in Berlin are becoming even more climate-friendly. According to dpa, a meat-free Monday is planned, as well as a general expansion of the range of vegetarian and vegan dishes from the coming winter semester. “The new nutritional concept was developed in particular because students have repeatedly approached us with the wish to make the food on offer in the dining halls even more climate-friendly,” explains Daniela Kummle from the Studierendenwerk. In the future, vegetarian and vegan options will make up the majority of the menu in Berlin’s canteens, with only about four per cent of the menu consisting of meat or fish. According to Kummle, the city’s refectories have been offering a so-called vegan climate meal …

Organisations and brands:

Berlin University

Save the planet. Young kids holding signs standing near a refinery with gas masks

Society

Students are Helping to Combat Climate Change With Veganism

September 11, 2023August 14, 2019

As reported by the Telegraph, Goldsmiths University in London has announced it will remove all beef products from its cafe and shops as part of its mission to become carbon neutral by 2025. The newly appointed warden of Goldsmiths, Frances Corner, commented that that “declaring a climate emergency cannot be empty words.”

Organisations and brands:

Meatless Farm

Society

The Good Food Institute Announces Top Universities for Scholarship Programme

September 11, 2023October 9, 2018

The Good Food Institute has recently launched a competitive $3 million scholarship program to support open-source research on plant-based and cultured meat. The 24 universities selected for the programme have now been announced. They have beaten the competition because of their technical expertise, research capacity and partnerships with the private sector.

Organisations and brands:

The Good Food Institute (GFI)

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information for decision-makers