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Sustainable Food

Sustainable Food

A group of staff and students sit and stand around a decorated kitchen table featuring a spread of various foods A group of staff and students sit and stand around a decorated kitchen table featuring a spread of various foods
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Sustainability Draft
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Cardiff Met considers sustainability across all aspects of its catering services, from ethical sourcing to waste reduction. The catering team priorities fair, sustainable and responsible sourcing, purchasing from local suppliers where possible. Currently, 65% of our suppliers are based within a 40 mile range of the University. We have been supporting and selling Fairtrade products since 2003 and have been a certified Fairtrade campus since 2007, with our Fairtrade sales growing year-on-year. Plant-based alternatives are available at all outlets, with hot food facilities providing plant-based meals daily, alongside a large variety of vegan deli items, snacks, and drinks.

Hospitality Services Awards Publications Environmental Management System

Since 2017, Cardiff Met has been awarded three star Food Made Good ratings by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). The assessment is comprised of three pillars of sustainability: sourcing, society, and environment, for which Cardiff Met most recently achieved a combined score of 88%.

Cardiff Met's Sustainable Food Policies

Promoting Reuse and Refill on Campus

To reduce the use of single-waste items on campus, Cardiff Met offers the following:

  • Reusable Chilly bottles and mugs for sale on campus, along with water refill points across our sites.
  • Vegware (biodegradable) salad containers.
  • Resuable food containers for sale.
  • Water refill points, placed throughout all our sites.

Fairtrade Catering and Hospitality

Cardiff Met prioritises Fairtrade sourcing across catering outlets, and hospitality services. Fairtrade tea and coffee is served as standard in university hospitality, including conferences and events hosted on campus. Additionally, outlets maintain stock of Fairtrade products across key categories, including tea, coffee, juice, sugar, chocolate, fruit, and more.

Rainforest Alliance Coffee

All coffee sold at The Atrium, The Bench, and The Gallery catering outlets is sourced from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. This means that the coffee is produced in line with rigorous sustainability standards, whilst the workers and their farms are carefully support and protected.