Feed People Well: University of Edinburgh

Delivering positive change through policy

The creation of ‘The Good Food Policy’ in May 2016 marked an important moment for the Catering Department at the University of Edinburgh. “This policy sets out our approach to supporting food systems that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable,” explains Ian Macaulay, Director of Catering & Nurseries. “It contributes to a range of University commitments, including our Strategy 2030, which says the University will ensure that its actions and activities deliver positive change.”

The policy adopts a whole-institution approach to Good Food by taking action across five key areas: Sourcing, Provision, Practice, Research, Learning & Teaching, and Leadership & Culture. “We have the most direct control over Sourcing, Provision and Practice,” says Ian, but the policy is embedded across the University. As just one example, their Palm Oil Policy was developed by an MSc student as part of their degree work, illustrating how the policy filters into Learning & Teaching.

Feeding People Well at the University of Edinburgh

The Catering Department is conscious of their responsibility to provide ‘Good Food’ as outlined in their policy. “The key area under ‘Provision’ is important,” says Ian. “Whether it’s within the catered halls that become a student’s home for a year through to the items for sale in our cafés, we do not encourage any highly processed foods and 95% of all our dishes/products are made in-house.” He notes that their food offering is a fundamental part of daily life for students of the University and, consequently, should be considered with care. “This is not passing trade or an occasional restaurant visit,” he says. “Especially in catered halls, the food they consume is part of their University experience and so a healthy variety of foods is critical.”

Their commitment to healthy and sustainable foods started as far back as 2007 when the University of Edinburgh became the first in the UK to achieve ‘Food for the Brain’ as a specific nutritional accreditation. “This started the process of re-engineering our menus with health in mind – things like using rock salt, using only olive or rapeseed oil, reducing how many fried foods we serve and removing items with unhealthy additives and hydrogenated fats from our menus.” He explains that their policy has long been a food strategy with changes “made by stealth”. The focus is on providing familiar foods such as curry or risotto, but using ingredients which are good for both physical and mental wellbeing.

Students today, consumers tomorrow

A key opportunity for the University sector is the ability to innovate and predict future demand. “We have a target market of 18-25-year-old Generation Z consumers, so we can trial lots of new foods and see which are fads and which are destined to become long-term trends as this demographic matures into the future high street consumer.” 

Following the lead of this emerging consumer base, 55% of options on all the University menus are now vegetarian or plant-based, and they’re continuing to develop new meat-free products as demand increases. “We also ensure we meet the needs of flexitarians, which is where we believe the greatest change will come from.” Ian notes that they’re now seeing demand shift from fake meats to vegetables, an interesting signal for where the market is headed. This gradual, consumer-led approach has been working well, and the team has found nudging behaviours to be highly effective at influencing consumer behaviour.

While they do use some signage to communicate with their customers, they’re smart enough to know their target market lives online. “Most of our communication is via our social media and websites. The response is positive and can also be thought-provoking: notably with the student market, we’re often asked challenging questions across a range of areas, which we always consider fully and take on board.” As another facet of this symbiotic relationship, the Department also supports and provides data to students undertaking related projects as part of their degrees.

Sustainability is now a critical consideration 

On the hunt for accreditations to underpin their Good Food Policy, the University first signed up for Food Made Good in 2014, getting their first report in 2015 with an impressive two stars. By 2021, they had pushed this to three stars “after significant ongoing work in a range of areas,” and have maintained these stars in their most recent evaluation. 

The Standard has had a particularly noticeable impact on their sourcing, says Ian. “This underpins our menu development, so it’s very important and an area in which we continually strive to improve,” says Ian. “What we especially like about Food Made Good, though, is that it covers more than just Sourcing, but also Society and Environment.” 

“Given the ongoing recruitment challenges in the hospitality sector post-pandemic, it’s interesting to see that sustainability is now a critical consideration and that rates of pay are closely linked to an organisation’s ability to keep the right teams in place. The Food Made Good accreditation was highlighting the importance of this even before the labour supply dynamics changed.” The University has always been a Real Living Wage employer and even signed a pledge to ensure contractors working in any parts of the University pay this rate. 

The Food Made Good process

Ian says that the robust, evidence-driven nature of the FMG Standard is one of its most important attributes. “This is very important for any award or certification, as it reduces the risk of greenwashing.” 

He advises businesses new to the Standard not to see its comprehensive nature as daunting. “My advice would be to undertake an initial review of all the sustainability practices you already have in place and other accreditations/awards you may hold. Ask to see the criteria so you understand the kinds of questions you’ll be asked. You could always undertake a trial submission to see where you are now, and remember that earning one or two stars is a great starting point. The assessment is every two years, so this gives you time to build and improve on areas, or implement new initiatives that can increase your score next time.”

For the University, the credibility of a third party evaluation is key. “We may have our Good Food Policy, but it’s also very important to have an external check based on the evidence we provide,” Ian says. “When students and staff ask about our sustainable activities, we are able to share the report.” The tailored recommendations provided to businesses in the FMG report helps to inform new targets for future years, encouraging the team to stretch themselves further and keep doing better. 

So what’s next for the University of Edinburgh?

Always looking to improve, the Catering Department has new targets in place, with a focus on sourcing. These goals include reducing their meat and/or dairy offerings by key action dates; further increasing their plant-based dishes to make their menus plant-rich; taking action to increase the sales of plant-based ingredients through staff training, promotions and competitive price points, and menu design that highlights plant-based dishes; and sourcing ingredients from different types of suppliers, including small scale suppliers – although Ian concedes this will have to be balanced against the often restrictive requirements of public sector procurement.

Ambitious, yes, but just part of a much bigger picture. As Ian wraps up, “For us, food is just one part of our ‘Whole University Approach to Sustainability’”.

Learn more about The University of Edinburgh at their website. Interested in how the Food Made Good Standard can support your business on its sustainability journey? Read about the process here or drop us a line at standard@thesra.org with any questions.