Catering Sustainability

Whenever possible, we strive to use locally and ethically sourced meat, fruit and vegetables. Our seasonal and varied menus reflect that commitment together with our dedication to sustainably cater for all dietary requirements including gluten free and vegan options which are on offer daily.

We are committed to the aims set out in our Sustainable Catering Policy; which outlines our commitment to providing a high-quality and sustainable catering and hospitality service across UON estates.

Sustainable Catering

When we go global for resources, the UON Ethical and Sustainable Procurement Policy ensures that we choose partners that follow our ethos and champion sustainability practices. This is evident in our recent switch to illy coffee, see here for full details of the illy coffee sustainability journey and why we decided to drink their coffee.

Our commitment to providing daily vegan menu options across all out outlets has been recognised through our recent Vegan Society Accreditation.

We are constantly looking at ways to reduce our food waste and promote sustainable consumption. We have signed up to the Guardians of Grub initiative which supports the monitoring and reporting of the food being wasted and enables us to find ways to reduce our overall food waste, this is done through sufficient portion sizes ensuring minimal waste from the plate and initiatives such as Too Good To Go.

In efforts to reduce waste from our catering outlets further we encourage students and staff to bring in their own reusable coffee cups and have a “latte levy” in place for times when a disposable cup is needed, this helps support the “Up for the Cup” coffee cup recycling project.

A recent audit of Single Use items in circulation has seen items removed from use, including sauce sachets. Our takeaway packaging is bio-degradable and only used for “on-the-go” options, crockery and cutlery is used when dining in.

UON provide free access to drinking water is across our estates – water coolers can be found on each floor in all academic buildings.

To learn more about our catering and hospitality offering please visit our catering pages.

Engagement and Community: Sustainable food

Do you have a sustainable food project idea? Why not become a Sustainability Champion?

The University of Northampton Sustainability Champions are a voluntary team representing our body of student and staff who are dedicated to identifying and implementing projects that raise environmental awareness in all aspects of UONs sustainability strategy, with key topics around food, nature, waste, recycling, energy and community.

If you are a UON student or staff member and would like more information on the Sustainability Champions, email: environment@northampton.ac.uk.