University of Dayton Makes Over 40 Percent of Entrees Plant-Based in Sustainability Push

EAT

Oct 19

From schools to universities, academic institutions are increasing their plant-based menu options to help improve student health and meet sustainability goals.

The University of Dayton is leading the way in plant-based food offerings, as it announces that it is consistently serving over 40 percent plant-based entrees.

It had originally set a target of making 30 percent of the university’s entrees in student dining halls plant-based by 2025. However, it has already surpassed that goal by 10 percent, nearly two years ahead of schedule.

Culinary staff at the university have created a host of new dishes to meet the target, and its plant-based menu now boasts omelettes, breakfast burritos, veggie Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, build-your-own bowls, pizzas, and more.

The university says that increasing the amount of plant-based food served can have a positive impact on animal welfare, sustainability, and student health.

The move is part of the Forward Food Collaborative pledge, an initiative by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) which aims to work together with the food service industry to make 50 percent of the meals offered in institutional dining programmes plant-based by 2027.

Progress so far is promising. According to HSUS, the average percentage of plant-based options in U.S. institutions at the start of 2022 was 13.75 percent. Over a year later, the average percentage is now at 21 percent. By 2027, HSUS are hopeful that the figure will be at least 50 percent.

Plant-Based Universities

Many universities are upping their plant-based options for climate, health, and animal welfare reasons, including several schools in the so-called Big Ten that have already made commitments. Penn State plans on having 35% of its entrees be plant-based by 2025, the University of Michigan serving 55% plant-based entrees by 2025, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a plant-based target of 30% by 2025.

These pledges are in turn helping to change the food service industry in the U.S., with Aramark, the largest foodservice provider in the country, announcing last year its commitment to making nearly half of its food on campuses plant-based. The move is said to help transform the menus at more than 250 colleges and universities across America. “Increasing plant-based proteins, while decreasing animal proteins, is a major factor in helping us reduce food-related emissions and is responsive to changing consumer dietary preferences”, explained Alan Horowitz, VP of Sustainability at Aramark.

Institutions Going Plant-Based For The Planet

Universities are not the only public institutions that are introducing initiatives to swap animal products for more climate-friendly foods.

Berkeley has become the first U.S. city to commit to phasing out carbon-intensive meat and dairy products at council-run public events and in city buildings.

The lower carbon-footprint of plant-based food is one of the leading reasons for such initiatives, but there’s also health benefits too. Public schools in New York have introduced an entirely vegan menu every Friday as part of the Plant-Power Fridays initiative. Aimed at tackling healthcare crises like childhood obesity, childhood diabetes, and asthma, the scheme results in around 1.1 million school children eating plant-based meals at school at least once a week.

New York City’s health care recently received a plant-based makeover, too, with public hospitals in the city now serving plant-based meals as the default option. While patients are still welcome to request meat options, the program has proven an effective way to encourage healthier choices, with more than half of all patients choosing the plant-based meals despite only 1 percent of patients actively following a vegan or vegetarian diet.

And some of the world’s biggest companies are also making plant-based pledges: fast-food giant Burger King has predicted that its menu will be 50 percent plant-based within less than a decade, and has even trialled making plant-based burgers the default option when customers order, as part of its “Normal, or With Meat?” campaign.

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