Cardiff Metropolitan University Caterers Prove Themselves to be Sustainability Stars

11th July 2016

A mixed menu of initiatives to serve customers delicious, healthy, ethical and sustainable meals at Cardiff Metropolitan University has been rewarded with a Two Star Food Made Good rating.

The Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) which conducted the rating found that the university had all the ingredients in place to demonstrate an excellent level of sustainability.

While well sourced ingredients play a significant part in making food good, Cardiff Metropolitan University also demonstrated excellent social and environmental credentials.

Andrew Phelps, Catering and Hospitality Service Manager, said: “We feed thousands of students and staff every day. We are passionate about providing all of our customers with delicious, healthy, ethical and sustainable meals because we know it’s good for them, the planet and our business. We are now going to work hard for our Three Stars.”

Andrew and his team place a strong emphasis on sourcing as much as they can from Welsh suppliers, supporting local businesses and taking advantage of the high quality produce on offer. Much of what is imported, including the coffee, is either Fairtrade or Rainforest Alliance certified. And customers are offered the used coffee grounds to use as compost on their gardens.

Aware of the growing interest in and emphasis on healthy eating, the catering team at Cardiff Metropolitan is now working with the Food Industry Centre to further develop the nutritional information on its menus so that customers can make an informed choice.

The SRA found a real dedication to community engagement at the university, evidenced by the work it does with schools in the area and in a recent trial in which leftover food from all of the campus outlets was redistributed to local charities.

Tom Tanner of the SRA, said: “With more than two million customers, and that’s just the students, UK universities have a giant slice of the UK eating out market. That brings enormous power, and with that comes a large degree of responsibility. Cardiff Metropolitan has demonstrated its commitment to serving up genuinely ‘good’ food, and its customers can turn their passion for good food into action and be reassured that they are making positive choices.”

Cardiff Metropolitan is one of more than 30 universities to have joined the SRA and become part of the Food Made Programme. Diners can choose from 6,000 such places to eat out in, across the UK, from Michelin starred – like the SRA President Raymond Blanc’s Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, or high street groups including Carluccio’s and Wahaca.