CDT Fall 2022 - 14

students identify as vegan, and many of
them aren't necessarily interested in eating a
meat or seafood alternative.5
The remaining
students, like the population at large, are
flexitarians, those willing to incorporate
more plant-based options into their diets.
Analogs to chicken, beef, and seafood might
be a gateway strategy to incorporating more
plants into their diets.
However, all alternative proteins are not
equal when it comes to nutrition. Things
to consider may include: too much fat, too
much sodium, or too much processing.
It is important to look behind the " plant
forward " moniker and make sure that you
are delivering good, healthy, and sustainable
choices for students. Many plant-based
companies tout their environmental and
social credentials, but it is very important
to look for 3rd-party certifications such as
United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Organic, Fairtrade, Rainforest
Alliance or B Corporation-certified to ensure
that suppliers are " walking the talk. " For
example, ISH Food's B Corp certification
provides a framework and validation of our
" Whole System Approach, " which holistically
considers human health, community health,
and ecological health and their contribution
to planetary health.
There are global efforts to move away from
large-scale monoculture to permaculture,
crop rotation and to protect and enhance
soil health and reduce the agrochemicals
used in farming and enhance biodiversity in
ecosystems. According to the UN FAO there
are over 608 million smallholder farmers6
producing over one-third of all of the food in
the world.
How can your purchasing and menu decisions
as dining or procurement director help
ensure a just and equitable transition to a
regenerative future for smallholder farmer
communities? Your actions support college
and university presidents' climate leadership
commitments through Second Nature and
AASHE STARS®.
While you and your team might not wear capes
or leap tall buildings in a single bound, make
no mistake: Shifting to more plant-based menu
options makes college and university dining
service directors powerful climate superheroes
and helps create a more sustainable institution,
community, and planet.
There are plenty of resources to help
you and your team on that journey:
NACUFS Collegiate Foodservice
Sustainability Guide and Sustainability
Assessment Tool
www.NACUFS.org/SustainabilityGuide
The World Resources Institute (WRI)
Cool Food Pledge Program has
developed a Playbook to help Dining
Directors and Procurement Professionals
transition menus to more climate
friendly plant based options
www.wri.org/publication/playbook-guidingdiners-toward-plant-rich-dishes-food-service
AASHE
Stars Program (Association for
the Advancement of Sustainability in
Higher Education)
https://stars.aashe.org/
1
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105172#:~:text=Of%20the%2016.5%20billion%20
tonnes,according%20to%20the%20new%20analysis.
2 Watson, A. (2020). The Food System & Climate Change. Climate Action Princeton University.
3 WRI Cool Food Pledge www.coolfood.org
4 Avelino DC, Gaylord A, Lin C. College Students' Awareness, Beliefs, Attitudes and Consumption
Intention Towards Plant-Based Meat and Its Environmental Impact. Curr Dev Nutr. 2022 Jun
14;6(Suppl 1):476. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzac059.004. PMCID: PMC9193591.
5 https://www.tun.com/blog/14-of-college-students-are-vegans-or-vegetarians-study-finds/
6 https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1395127/icode/
14 CAMPUS DINING TODAY | CAMPUS DINING DECISION MAKERS CAN BE CLIMATE CHANGE SUPERHEROES

http://http:// https://www.wri.org/research/playbook-guiding-diners-toward-plant-rich-dishes-food-service https://stars.aashe.org/ https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/11/1105172#:~:text=Of%20the%2016.5%20billion%20tonnes,according%20to%20the%20new%20analysis https://psci.princeton.edu/tips/2020/3/23/the-food-system-amp-climate-change https://coolfood.org/pledge/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9193591/ https://www.tun.com/blog/14-of-college-students-are-vegans-or-vegetarians-study-finds/ https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1395127/icode/

CDT Fall 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CDT Fall 2022