Sustainability

• We reduce our paper cup waste by offering a 15p discount, when customers bring their own reusable travel cup. You can redeem the 15p discount across most campus outlets. Due to its unique process, Pearls Bubble Tea sells their own branded cup as well as providing a 15p discount on drinks once a reusable cup is purchased. Please note, the 15p discount is not available at self-service till points. You would need to visit a staffed till point for the discount to be applied.
• We have switched almost all our cold drinks to aluminium cans for infinite recycling.
• We turn our waste cooking oil into biodiesel which is used to run the vehicles that deliver our food to our outlets.
• We recycle all our packaging cardboard.
• All our take-away cutlery is recyclable.
• Our takeaway containers are either recyclable or compostable.
• We don’t use plastic straws, stirrers or sachets.
• We buy from suppliers who minimise single-use plastic packaging.
• We recycle any glass, plastic and paper in our business stream.

Let’s Eat (delivered catering)

• For events held at College Court (the University’s Conference Centre and Hotel), as well as VIP events held in the Fielding Johnson Building and Knighton Hall, all water is provided in refillable and reusable glass bottles. For all other bookings, due to practicality and safety, when ordering water, this will be provided in recyclable bottles. These are to be placed in recyclable bins in the event space.
• We ask event organisers to ask visitors/attendees to bring reusable water bottles to fill up at events and provide them with access to drinking fountain stations.
• We avoid the use of single-use plastics by offering wooden disposable cutlery for hospitality events in compliance with DEFRA, and provide reusable crockery, glassware and cutlery where possible, at College Court and VIP events held in the Fielding Johnson Building and Knighton Hall.

• We continue to try and source suppliers within a 50-mile radius, where possible, to reduce our carbon footprint.
• We buy seasonal and local food and veg, where possible. 

• We work with coffee, tea, chocolate and/or sugar suppliers who have transparent direct trade agreements.
• Life Water is our supply of bottled water, where each bottle purchased helps to support and fund clean water projects across the world through the partner charity, Drop4Drop.
• We buy produce in a way that ensures workers’ rights, labour and environmental stewardship in our supply chain.

• We donate surplus food. Our Community Kitchen located in the Percy Gee Building is available to staff and students to get close to end date foods, to continue to reduce food waste.
• We continue to serve sensible portion sizes to eliminate unnecessary food waste.
• Our food waste is collected and taken to an anaerobic digester plant, for food compost and methane by-product to be turned into fuel.
• We offer meat in reduced portion sizes (if over 85g).
• We measure food waste and set reduction targets.
• We use preservation methods to reduce food waste.

Let’s Eat (delivered catering)

• We advise potential customers on how to optimise low-carbon catering through delivered hospitality, how to avoid over-ordering and reduce food waste.
• In the first instance, we ask event organisers to consider whether it is necessary to provide food at their events.
• The Hospitality Team are experts on knowing the right amount to order for the number of guests to avoid over ordering. As an additional option, you can donate any edible leftovers by taking it to the Community Kitchen. For non-edible leftovers, please place in food waste bins provided in areas.

• We source food from at least one local farmer, fisherman or producer.
• We are accessible to those with disabilities.
• We are a socially inclusive recruiter.

Let’s Eat (delivered catering)

• We provide free tea, coffee, sugar and UHT milk to WorkSmart areas to help reduce food waste for small meetings.

• All our soups are plant-based and gluten free, making them suitable for vegan, vegetarians and those who need to follow a gluten free diet.
• SKVP is our dedicated vegetarian and vegan food outlet, to provide meat-free options every weekday.
• We create menus so that at least half of what is offered overall is vegetarian.
• All the fish we serve is sustainably sourced or MSC approved.
• All our meat is Red Tractor approved.
• We are committed to only using products containing sustainable palm oil.
• All our shelled eggs are Red Lion quality, from free range hens.
• We know the provenance of 100% of our ingredients.
• We offer at least one vegan dish a day.
• We never serve endangered species (IUCN Red List).
• We only buy responsibly sourced soy.
• We do not serve endless refills on sugary drinks.
• No main courses on our menu are more than 50% of your recommended daily intake of calories, fat, sugar or salt.
• We cater to different dietary needs. 

Let’s Eat (delivered catering)

• We offer a fully plant-based menu to optimise low-carbon catering.

• We have a preserved living moss wall in Campus Kitchen that is sustainable, because it improved air quality without needing a watering system, as well as providing noise reduction and reducing carbon dioxide levels.
• We train staff on reducing food waste, energy and water.

• We don’t have staff working unpaid overtime.
• We ensure equal pay for equal roles.
• We have a known grievance policy and system for feedback and complaints that is accessible to all staff.

This policy outlines the importance of healthy eating, how University of Leicester Food and Drink is working to ensure healthy options are available for the University of Leicester community and our staff, and to encourage a healthy work-life balance.

Statement of intent

University of Leicester Food and Drink is committed to providing easy access for our staff and the University of Leicester community to have healthy food options available across our food outlets, delivered catering and hospitality.

Purpose

Food is our way of life. We all function better if we eat better, and eating healthier keeps us healthy both physically and mentally. We want to ensure that the whole community at the University of Leicester has access to healthy eating options in all outlets on campus, providing the opportunity for a well-balanced diet, so having a policy in place ensure we adhere to this.

Why support healthy eating?

By increasing the accessibility of healthy eating options on campus, this can increase awareness of healthy eating overall. It plays a key role in determining health as healthy foods give us the right energy to go about our day, take part in recreation, build resilience to stress and are an essential part of our recovery when we are unwell.

Policy aims

To provide easy access to healthy food options in all outlets, delivered catering and within our hospitality service, and maintain the statement of intent when opening any new outlets on the University campus.

Objectives

Actions

1. To create menus so that at least half of what is offered is vegetarian.
2. Establish a baseline of carbon footprint of our menu ingredients, then reduce our high carbon emission ingredients by 10% year-on-year.
3. Implement and maintain that Shree Krishna Vada Pav (SKVP) is our dedicated vegetarian and vegan food outlet, to provide meat-free options every weekday.
4. To ensure meat-free alternatives are ordered and available for customers to purchase across all outlets and our delivered catering service Let's Eat.
5. Implement training for catering staff on healthy eating benefits to encourage customers to make informed decisions.
6. Maintain chefs training in techniques that promote healthy and sustainable food served in outlets, delivered catering and hospitality service.
7. Implement that no main courses on menus are more than 50% of adults recommended daily intake of calories, fat, sugar and salt.
8. Work with key stakeholders to change consumer behaviour and reduce packaging and disposable waste.

Responsibility of actions

1. Section Manager - Food Production
2. Section Manager - Food Production/Environmental Action Coordinator
3. Director of Operations
4. Section Manager - Food Production and Retail Managers/Section Manager - Retail and Hospitality
5. Section Manager - Outlets/Section Manager - Food Production and Human Resources
6. Section Manager - Food Production and Human Resources
7. Section Manager - Food Production
8. Chief Executive Officer/Director of Operations/Environmental Action Coordinator

Responsibilities, monitoring and revision

• The overall responsibility for the implementation of this policy lies with University of Leicester Food and Drink Operation Team.
• Monitoring will be recorded via staff training, menus produced, outlets allergen portals that provides nutritional information and data produced from stock intake and sales.
• Preparation of staff and student digital and print information, promotional materials and events to promote healthy eating is the responsibility of the University of Leicester Food and Drink Marketing Team.
• Staff training is the responsibility of the Operations Manager, Section Managers and HR, but the content of the training to be provided by health professionals.
• Any revisions to be made will be revised and published by the University of Leicester Food and Drink Marketing Team on the advice of the Senior Operations Team.

This policy will be reviewed every three years or as required due to legislation or evidence changes to practice.

A sustainability plan is a required infrastructure component of University of Leicester Food and Drink.

Aligning our sustainable values with those of the University of Leicester, we are continuously working with the Sustainability Team, Waste Management Team, academics and students on ways to minimise negative environmental impact and taking a leap into a single-use plastic free world, by implementing changes that are based on research and make a positive impact now and for the future.

Our current sustainable practices

• We turn our waste cooking oil into bio-diesel, which is used to run the vehicles that deliver our food to our outlets.
• Our food waste is collected and taken to an anaerobic digester plant, for food compost and methane by-product to be turned into fuel.
• We try and source suppliers within a 5O-mile radius, where possible, to reduce our carbon footprint.
• We buy seasonal and local food and vegetables, where possible.
• We recycle all our packaging cardboard.
• All the fish we serve is sustainably sourced or MSC approved.
• All our meat is Red Tractor approved.
• All our take-away cutlery is recyclable, and take-away containers are either recyclable or compostable.
• We have switched almost all our cold drinks to aluminium cans for infinite recycling.
• We are committed to using products containing sustainable palm oil.
• All our shelled eggs are Red Lion quality, from free range hens.
• We create menus so that at least half of what is offered overall is vegetarian.
• We have a preserved living moss wall in Campus Kitchen that is sustainable, because it improves air quality without needing a watering system, as well as providing noise reduction and reducing carbon dioxide levels.
• Shree Krishna Vada Pav (SKVP), located in Campus Kitchen, is our 100% vegetarian and vegan outlet, serving meat-free Mumbai street food options every week day.
• We continue to provide vegan and/or vegetarian hot options in every food and drink outlet on campus.
• We continue to serve sensible portion sizes to eliminate unnecessary food waste.
• We continue to maintain our direct trade relationship with sustainable Fairtrade coffee farmers/suppliers.
• All of our soups are plant-based and gluten free, making them suitable for vegans, vegetarians and those who need to follow a gluten free diet.
• We have a healthy eating policy in place that is adhered to and kept up-to-date. We continue to ensure it is accessible to our customers and all employees are aware of it.
• Life Water is our supply of bottled water, where each bottle purchased, helps to support and fund clean water projects across the world through the partner charity, Drop4Drop.
• We've teamed up with the Students' Union Food Rescue Volunteers Society to place items in our Community Kitchen to reduce food waste.
• Our Community Kitchen located in the Percy Gee Building is available to staff and students to get close to end date foods, to continue to reduce food waste.
• Within our Hospitality department, we advise potential customers on how to optimise low-carbon catering through delivered hospitality, how to avoid over-ordering and reduce food waste.
• We continuously work with Olleco since 2015, to collect our used cooking oil and turn it into renewable energy. To date, we have a CO2 emissions saving of 74 tonnes with 31 tonnes of used cooking oil collected.
• We work with Ramco Surplus Sorted to stop valuable assets sitting idle. Since November 2022, we've given 131 specialist, outdated and not energy efficient kitchen equipment and the money received was repurposed to buy better energy saving equipment used in our kitchens and food outlets.
• On average, year-on-year, we have reduced our food wastage by 45.9% and in turn, creates a purchase value saving of 47%. This gives the ability to reinvest back in to the University, to provide value for money food and drink, and to maintain a high standard quality of service we provide to our community.
• From 11 February 2019 to date, we have saved over 1.77 tonnes of single-use plastic cups and lids from ending up in UK landfill or from incineration through our own cup discount campaign. 1.77 tonnes is equivalent to approximately 56,640 disposable cups.
• We continue to hold healthy campaigns such as Veganuary annually to promote health conscious options.
• We use Nella Cutlery Services for our chopping board resurfacing service. Closing the loop on waste disposal, reducing our carbon output, while maintaining high food hygiene standards, we swap our worn chopping boards for duplicate resurfaced sets on a regular basis, demonstrating good environmental practice.

Our code of practice

• Work with the University's Sustainability Team to embrace preventative measures.
• Work with the Waste Management Team to embrace redistribution.
• New sustainable initiatives are implemented based on research.
• Set achievable targets and promote eco-friendly practices.
• Align with reputable and sustainability conscious suppliers.
• Reduce single-use plastics where possible.
• Where reuse or reduce isn't possible, always aim to recycle.

Our objectives

Serve more vegetables and better meat

• All animal products must be produced to at least 'minimum' UK standards or to equivalent standards if sourced outside the UK.
• Establish a baseline of carbon footprint of our menu ingredients, then reduce our high carbon emission ingredients by 10% year-on-year.
• No fish is used that is on the MCS 'fish to avoid' list.
• Promote healthy eating, vegan and vegetarian menus across our social media channels.

Waste no food

• Continue to work in partnership with the Students' Union Food Rescue Volunteers Society to collect food from our outlets that has reached its 'sell by' date, but within the 'use by' date at closing time and will place in the community fridge for any one to collect.
• Continue to have community kitchens in place and use surplus food to empower communities.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

• Continue to reduce single-use plastics where possible and create an initiative to reuse containers at our salad bars by the end of the academic year 2025.
• Continue to recycle our used cooking oil by turning it into bio-diesel as part of Olleco's Virtuous Cycle.
• We aim to reduce our print costings by £5,000 by the end of the academic year 2025, and in turn, help to reduce our overall carbon footprint by 3% each year.
• Work with stakeholders to change consumer behaviour and reduce packaging and disposable waste.

Feed people well

• Continue training chefs in techniques that promote healthy and sustainable food each year.
• Maintain that no main courses on our menus are more than 50% of your recommended daily intake of calories, fat, sugar and salt.
• Continue to cater to different dietary needs.
• Have a student forum and staff forum in place, to encourage a two-way conversation and potential implementation, on the food and services we provide.
• Provide customers with calorie, nutritional and allergen information on our menus to give the option to make better food choices.

Accreditations

• Require/encourage our suppliers to register on the NETpositive Futures portal to receive and maintain a bespoke sustainability action plan.
• Gain certification for our delivered catering service and hospitality (Let's Eat) through green meetings, a branch of green tourism, that is specific to the meetings and events industry.