Green Gown Awards 2014 - Food and Drink - University of Edinburgh - Finalist

University of Edinburgh’s vision for sustainable food

Recognising the responsibility and influence of the University and the interconnectedness of global challenges surrounding food, the University aims to contribute to the improvement of society as a whole by the creation of sustainable food systems, through the great work done by Accommodation Services and by student and staff initiatives.

To support this vision, the University became the first “Food For The Brain” university in the United Kingdom, first university in Scotland to achieve a Food for Life Bronze Catering Mark for the John McIntyre Centre in 2012 and for 12 catering outlets across campus in 2014, and all catering outlets hold the “Healthy Living Award”.

The University has continued to engage students with food, facilitating cooking workshops for first year undergraduates before they move into independent living in flats, and with Just Trading Scotland, the University has ensured that rice consumed comes from fair trade sustainable sources in Malawi.

Top 3 learning

1 Recognise the impact the decisions made by the University has on the local community and wider world
2 The need to proactively inform students about sustainable food, highlighting where their food has come from in catered halls
3 Important to proactively promote the initiatives that your institutions are progressing to students, raising awareness and winning support to further efforts.