The 92% score from The SRA’s Food Made Good Standard is the university’s highest rating to date and makes it one of ten businesses worldwide rated over 90%. The Food Made Good Standard surveys over 10,500 professional kitchens worldwide across three pillars including sourcing, society and environment.
Eat Central earned its three-star commendation for its commitment to sourcing high–quality sustainable ingredients, managing its environmental impact and providing nutritious budget–friendly meals crafted by the university’s catering partner Chartwells Universities.
Mark Lawrence, contract director at Chartwells, commented: “Attaining a three-star rating from The Sustainable Restaurant Association underscores our commitment to environmental responsibility and social impact.
“It's not just about individual efforts but the collective dedication of our entire team towards sustainable practices. This achievement reflects our shared values and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to making a positive difference at the University of Sussex.”
As part of the University of Sussex’s mission to become one of the world’s most sustainable universities and Chartwells Universities’ wider group commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 55% by 2025, the two organisations have worked closely together to refine menus, supplier lists and packaging. Together they have:
- Developed recipes that make use of by-products such as broccoli stems, banana skins and coffee grounds
- Outlined goals to source 70% of fresh meat, dairy and vegetables from regenerative agriculture by 2030
- Collaborated with Foodsteps to analyse and reduce the carbon footprint of menus
- Switching to shallower containers results in a 15% reduction in leftover food after service
- Chartwells Universities hosts free 'Social Kitchen Sessions' on campus to teach the community how to cook healthy, nutritious meals that minimise food waste
Helen Power-Hosking, head of commercial services at the University of Sussex, said: “When we asked our campus community about their views on catering at the end of 2022, nearly two-thirds of staff and students told us they were worried about the environmental impact of the catering industry.
“We put sustainability at the heart of the new contract when we renewed with Chartwells for the next ten years, so I'm delighted to see all these efforts being recognised already with these ratings. This accreditation is a testament to the hard work from the whole team and it's clear that our whole campus community is benefitting as a result."
The University of Sussex has consistently maintained a three-star rating from The SRA since its first assessment in 2019. This new score of 92% represents the university and Chartwells Universities’ commitment to world-leading sustainability practices and delicious, inclusive meals for students.
Juliane Caillouette-Noble, managing director at The Sustainable Restaurant Association, added: “From sourcing a high percentage of produce from regenerative farms, with goals and actions to improve this in the future, to robust strategies for reducing food waste, we admire the way they use simple yet effective techniques. Well done for providing our young adults with the foundation they need to become influential advocates for food sustainability.”