Responsible Food on Campus Week 30.9.-4.10.2024

The aim of Responsible Food on Campus week is to raise awareness of responsible and sustainable food options. The week is organised by the University of Turku's Sustainable Campus Life Working Group, together with the university's nutrition and food researchers, the Student Union of the University of Turku and campus restaurant operators.

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In 2022, the Finnish Climate Panel published a report according to which consumers can influence the greenhouse gas emissions of food by, for example, changing their diets to be more climate-friendly, i.e. by eating more plant-based food and by reducing food waste. The same means reduce our biodiversity footprint. A more plant-rich diet also promotes health and prevents disease, and this is highlighted in the new Nordic dietary recommendations. The recommendations are based on a planetary diet designed to provide a sustainable and healthy diet for a growing population, taking into account the carrying capacity of the planet.

Responsible Food on Campus -week

The idea of a joint campaign week came up as part of the development work for sustainable campus life. In particular, promoting responsible campus food requires cooperation between different actors. 

- We want to combine our university's research , the students' innovation and strong will to lead the way, and the campus restaurants operators' willingness to promote responsible and sustainable choices," summarises Anna Vuolle, Campus Services Manager and Chair of the Sustainable Campus Life Working Group.

Cooperation between the different actors is active and driven by shared objectives to promote sustainability and responsibility. More climate and nature-friendly sustainable food options, together with the reduction of food waste, are at the heart of this cooperation.  The choices of community members matter and every sustainable choice is a step towards a sustainable campus.

- It's great to see active collaboration between the university and campus restaurant operators. We all strive to make a responsible impact through our actions and together we are more," says Tomas Hägg, Chief Operating Officer of Kårkaféerna.

Unica and Kårkaféerna, the most important players on campus, are participating in the campaign week with several restaurants.  Juvenes, which recently opened a restaurant in the student village, is also participating in the campaign. The aims of the campaign week are:

  • raise awareness of responsible and sustainable food options
  • reduce the climate and environmental impacts of campus restaurants 
  • increase share of vegetarian food

- We have increased the supply of vegetarian food during the campaign week, replacing most of the rice as a side dish, which has a larger environmental footprint. We also aim to stimulate an interactive discussion between students and restaurant operators on how we can work together to promote sustainable food choices and reduce our environmental impact," says Sari Siukonen, Business Development Manager at Unica Restaurants.

Researchers from the University's Centre for Nutrition and Food Research have produced materials for the campaign week, such as science-based facts about the impact of different choices. During the campaign week responsible lunch options will be highlighted in the restaurants

Restaurants participating in the Responsible Food on Campus -week 30.9.-4.10.2024

Unica:​

Kårkaféerna​:

Juvenes:

Check out their lunch menus and choose a more sustainable lunch option for yourself!​

Read more on Sustainable Campus Life - Working Group for Sustainable Campus Life (utu.fi)