Sustainable Food

Showcasing Local Produce, and promoting healthier options

The food we consume accounts for around a third of the UK’s carbon footprint.

Universities have a significant role to play in the food chain, as procurers and providers of food to almost 3 million students each year. At UEA, we’re committed to offering food that’s good for you, our community, and the planet. We work hard to source responsibly, reduce our environmental impact, and provide fresh, transparent, and healthy choices for students, staff, and visitors. Our goal is to make sustainable eating simple, enjoyable, and accessible for everyone on campus.

Product

The UEA is focused, together with our partners and suppliers, on offering a wide choice of quality products, including healthy and certified alternatives. We follow these standards for all food served on campus:

• livestock produce (meat, dairy, eggs) is, as a minimum, Red Tractor assured and where possible, RSPCA Assured

• whole fresh eggs are free-range

• eliminating the use of fish from the Marine Conservation Society’s ‘Fish to Avoid’ list, and aim to only serve fish with a ‘best choices’ rating from the MCS Good Fish Guide

• work to reduce the number of products that contain palm oil or palm oil derivatives, particularly where sustainability certifications are not met.

• ensures parity of price with plant-based milk alternatives to encourage reduced consumption of dairy which has a higher carbon footprint.

• tea, coffee and sugar is Fairtrade and/or Rainforest Alliance certified

Procurement

Local and smaller suppliers are encouraged to participate in tendering processes, and we provide advice and guidance where appropriate. The UEA also continues to support and encourage the number of supply agreements with locally based companies and place particular emphasis on locally sourced fresh ingredients.

There is a preference for using seasonal produce within restaurant menus to reduce food miles and support British agriculture, particularly within Modern Life Café and the Quadram Café.

Numerous vegan dishes feature in the rotating Zest menu, catering especially to those who prefer a plant-based diet. Despite demand for processed and branded vegan foods which are more expensive than fresh e.g., tofu and Quorn, you’ll often find these products in Zest priced cheaper than meat/fish alternatives to support our sustainability policy goals.

In January 2026 Grain, in The Enterprise Centre, converted to a vegetarian and vegan outlet, to reflect the sustainable goals of the building.

In Zest, the University's catering service publicises carbon emissions data for each individual menu item on printed in-house menus. The department aims to release this data via a digital system across all outlets for all menu items, along with full nutritional and calorie information.

Find out more about our procurement policies here:

Environment

The UEA is dedicated to minimising our consumption of non-renewable and environmentally sensitive resources. When replacing equipment, we ensure replacement catering equipment is the most energy and water efficient available. All food waste is sent for anaerobic digestion, and we actively promote alternatives to disposables such as reusable cups and personal mugs. To encourage the use of reusable cups, UEA offers a complimentary hot drink to individuals who purchase a reusable cup from campus outlets. To incentivise customers to bring their own cup, we also charge a fee for disposable cups and lids. This initiative not only reduces single-use cup waste but also promotes sustainable habits among the university community.

Drinking water is provided at all catering outlets and across campus to allow students and staff to re-use bottles instead of buying new to reduce environmental impact.

The university regularly monitors and audits our practices to reduce waste and improve reuse and recycling through:

• minimising packaging, including offering a reusable meal box scheme, and encouraging customers to bring in reusable coffee cups to avoid a disposable cup levy

• reducing food waste; surplus stock is discounted after peak periods to encourage sales, and if unsold is transported to outlets with later opening hours. Leftover food is then offered through the 'Too Good To Go' app.

• on request, we can offer waste coffee grounds to customers for use in gardens and green spaces to boost soil nutrient density.

• converting waste cooking oil into biodiesel

Getting Involved

Student Food Committee

The university catering team regularly meets with a student committee to discuss upcoming changes, feedback and recommendations for improving the catering offer. The meetings are formed at the beginning of each academic year and hosted on a termly basis.

If you have any initiatives or ideas for sustainable action, please contact campuskitchenfeedback@uea.ac.uk

ENV Student Support

The UEA Catering team support ENV students to work as environmental consultants each SEM 2. Their projects focus on examples such as the true impact of a vegan diet to the environment or analysing the UEA Catering waste stream

University Projects

The Catering department are always keen to be involved in university projects to further understand our relationship with food, the environment and customer purchasing behaviour.

In recent years. major research undertaken in catering outlets has examined the perceptions of fish supply and impact of purchasing more sustainable fish options, and if animal imagery on menus can alter customer behaviour and encourage non-meat purchases.

Socio-economic evidence for sustainable fisheries

Seeing animals, choosing plants: Evidence from a cafeteria field study on food choice

Community Food Initiatives

Find out more about community food initiatives, volunteering opportunities and other ways to get involved.