Exeter University granted SRA Two Star sustainable dining award

The University of Exeter has been bestowed with a celebrated national award to mark its commitment to sustainable dining for campus users in Exeter.

The University has been awarded a Two Star Food Made Good rating, granted by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), in recognition of its sustainable dining experience, from food sourcing through to the management of food waste.

The SRA commended the University for having all the ingredients in place to demonstrate an excellent level of sustainability, including quality sourced goods and excellent social and environmental credentials.

Julie Tong, Head of Catering and Foodservice, said, “We are committed to sourcing the best possible products and serving a range of healthy and nutritious meals to our students every single day. We are proud to have received a two-star rating and to have scored in the top 85% of SRA members in the South West. We are reviewing where we can make further improvements to ensure our customers continue to receive the very best.”

Tong and her team were commended for the work they have done across all three pillars of the accreditation, sourcing, society and the environment. In particular, the University was applauded for offering a high proportion of vegetarian dishes, prioritising British produce, sourcing a range of Fairtrade products, monitoring waste and recycling, using solely environmentally friendly cleaning products and engaging with the community through donations to Exeter Food Bank each year.

The team at Exeter are aware of the importance of food for students, their well-being and the impact on their studies. Work is ongoing to develop nutritional information on all menus so that customers can make an informed choice and the team are also working towards their food for the brain accreditation.

SRA’s Chief Executive, Andrew Stephen said, “With more than two million customers, and that’s just the students, UK universities have a giant slice of the UK eating out a market. That brings enormous power, and with that comes a large degree of responsibility. The University of Exeter 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.”

The University of Exeter 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.