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University of Cambridge commits to serving climate-friendly food

2nd Nov 2020 - 06:00
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The University of Cambridge has committed to serve more climate-friendly foods through the ‘Cool Food’ Pledge, which is aiming to decrease food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% in workplaces, hospitals and restaurants within the next decade.

The University of Cambridge’s catering service runs 14 cafes and serves more than 1,000 events a year, all while promoting the consumption of plant-based foods, attempting to reduce food waste and ensuring all fish served are from sustainable sources.

Over the last few years the University Catering Service (UCS) has made changes to its food service in order to reduce its climate impact. According to research livestock accounts for 14% of greenhouse gasses and switching from ruminant meat to non-ruminant meats can reduce greenhouses gases by up to 85%.

The ‘Sustainable Food Journey’ report set out some of the changes since 2016 including a 33% reduction in carbon emissions per kilogram of food purchased, 28% reduction in land use per kilogram and a 500-tonne reduction in carbon emissions a year. 

Tom Walston, head of business services at the University of Cambridge, commented:  “Joining the Cool Food initiative will help the UCS connect with a network of organisations like us who are working to achieve more sustainable diets.

“We have had great success in recent years, but know there is still more that can be done, so we look forward to sharing our experiences, as well as learning from others.”

The University of Cambridge Service won the ‘Sustainability Award’ at the Public Sector Catering Awards 2020.

Written by
Edward Waddell