City University London commits to sustainable food

“City University London is delighted to support the Food Legacy programme as part of our ongoing commitment to provide healthy and sustainable food for all our students, staff and visitors. Campaigns such as this offer the ideal framework and support for helping organizations like ours ensure that environmental, ethical and social factors are considered in the procurement of food products.  We look forward to doing our bit towards helping London achieve a food legacy from the London 2012 Games.”
Dawn White, Environmental Officer, City University London

City University London, with 21,727 students from 160 countries, provides students, the professions and business with the knowledge and skills essential to the success of London as a world city. As they explain, "As an educational institution, City University recognises its responsibility not only to provide healthy and sustainable food, but also to educate our staff, students and visitors on the advantages of such."

The following food standards are part of the university's Sustainable Food Policy, and are written into contracts:

• Providing British and seasonal produce
• Serving only free-range eggs (we hold a Good Egg Award)
• Providing Fairtrade coffee, tea, sugar, bananas and other products (we are a Fairtrade University)
• Encouraging and promoting healthy eating
• Supporting the Sustainable Fish City campaign

City University London has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Sustainable Fish City campaign, stating that this "offers the perfect accompaniment to our existing Sustainable Food Procurement Policy and another opportunity to promote the benefits of purchasing and eating sustainable fish. We are already committed to avoiding any fish which appears on the MCS ‘Fish to Avoid’ list and have been increasing the amount of fish on our menu that is certified by the MSC.”

City University is home to the pioneering Centre for Food Policy. Professor Tim Lang of the Centre for Food Policy said: “I am delighted that City University's catering and environment teams have stepped up to become part of the great collaborative effort to create a sustainable food system. Standards are long overdue for both public and private eating. Campaigns such as Sustainable Fish City and the Food Legacy programme will help galvanise food buyers and consumers into taking appropriate action."

Find out more about the work of City University London at: www.city.ac.uk