Planet Friendly Food

Our sustainable food commitments focus on promoting healthier, low-carbon choices, minimising waste, sourcing responsibly and locally, and engaging our community to drive positive change. They apply to all catering activities across Ulster University.

Promote Sustainable Eating: Reformulate menus to incorporate more lower carbon and plant-based options.

Reduce Food Waste: Design out avoidable food waste and measure food waste for targeted and impactful reduction.

Sustainable Procurement: Source responsibly and ethically and work with suppliers to improve sustainable practices.

Source Locally: Focus on sourcing ingredients from local suppliers.

Source Seasonally: Focus on using seasonal produce.

Educate & Engage: Increase environmental awareness with creative campaigns designed to foster collective action among staff and students.

The Academy Restaurant, located on our Belfast campus and part of Ulster University Business School, was awarded the Green Key certification, an international eco-label recognising excellence in environmental and sustainable practices.

This achievement reflects the restaurant’s commitment to responsible resource management, waste reduction, and the promotion of local and sustainable food sourcing.

As a student-led establishment, it also plays a key role in embedding sustainability within the learning experience for future hospitality professionals.

Ulster University is growing a culture of sustainability through vibrant campus gardens. Together, these green spaces reflect our commitment to environmental responsibility and creating healthier, more sustainable campuses.

The Belfast, Coleraine and Derry~Londonderry Wellbeing Gardens feature dedicated beds where staff and students can cultivate their own fruit, vegetables, and herbs, promoting hands-on learning, healthy living, and community connection.

The Belfast Herb Garden supplies fresh, seasonal herbs directly to the Academy Restaurant, supporting sustainable, local food sourcing.

Vert Café, located on our Belfast campus, champions sustainable eating by offering an entirely plant-based menu.

By focusing on fresh, seasonal, and locally sourced ingredients, Vert reduces the environmental impact associated with food production, particularly carbon emissions, water use, and deforestation linked to animal agriculture.

At Ulster University, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact through smarter catering practices.

Food waste is segregated where possible to support recycling and recovery, while our single-use plastic reduction measures include replacing sachets with sauce pumps and offering discounts on hot drinks for those using a reusable cup.

These initiatives help cut waste, lower emissions, and encourage more sustainable choices across our campuses.

Ulster University supports surplus food redistribution initiatives across its campuses to reduce waste and promote affordable, sustainable food options for students.

Unsold food from campus outlets, such as sandwiches and other chilled items, is redistributed to Students’ Union community fridges, making it available to students free-of-charge.

On the Derry~Londonderry campus, surplus food is also made available through the Too Good To Go app, allowing anyone from the community to purchase items at reduced prices at the end of the day.

These initiatives help cut food waste, lower carbon emissions associated with disposal, and improve access to low-cost food on campus.