Responsibly produced food
Objectives and current situation
Our campus is our home and we want to offer food we fully support. This applies to catered products provided at meetings and events, as well as food sold in canteens and restaurants and from vending machines. This means that we want to avoid undesirable effects, such as deforestation, overfishing and exploitation. Students or staff members cannot choose from several types of milk or salmon sandwiches because the caterer has already made that decision. The UvA aims to make clear agreements with the caterer on this.
Status of envisaged measures
Read more about the measures in the White Paper on Sustainability (PDF, 19 pages).
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We are reducing the distance between farm and fork
Our campuses serve as a case study in the ‘Unleashing the Short Chain’ (Ontketen de korte keten) research project being conducted by, among others, AUAS. This project, which runs from 2022 to 2026, researches the logistical barriers impeding the accessibility of locally produced food and what is needed to remove those barriers.
By fostering local catering, we aim, among other things, to strengthen the connection between farmers and consumers, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to boost circular agriculture and rural development.
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We will switch to more sustainable coffee beans in 2020
The UvA has now switched to more sustainable coffee beans. More information (in Dutch).
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We will examine the biggest sustainability risks in our food chain
We will formulate proposals for minimum requirements and take measures to bring our catering in line with these. To start with, advice on this topic will be provided by a working group on responsible food to be set up. A student will conduct the research. The working group has not yet been established.
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We will make agreements with the caterer on improvements within the present contract period
In addition, when we put a new catering contract out to tender or extend a catering contract, we will ensure that only responsibly produced food is sold at the UvA. Agreements on this have not yet been made.
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We will set up a campaign to support the transition in the range of food products
Information boards have been placed in the canteen with information on the impact of meat and dairy consumption. A large-scale campaign has not yet been set up.