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Sustainability Sustainability
  1. Sustainability
  2. Focus Areas
  3. Food and Dining

fruits and vegetables

Food and Dining

Campus Initiatives

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Goals

  • Procurement Definition: The process of sourcing, acquiring and paying for food.
  • Sustainable Food Definition: Within Housing*Dining*Hospitality, 55% of menu items offered are classified as “sustainable choice” offerings; menu items that are classified as a “sustainable choice” are designated as such because they make up less than 25% of the daily carbon footprint.
  • UC Sustainable Practices Policy:
    • Each UC campus foodservice operation will strive to procure 25% sustainable food products by 2030.
    • Each UC campus will procure 25% plant-based food by 2030 and strive to procure 30% by 2030

Progress and Highlights

  • 18% sustainable food spend and 23% plant-based food spend (Fiscal year 2022–2023)
  • Housing*Dining*Hospitality sustainability features include:
    • All coffee and sugar sold at the markets and dining locations is Fair Trade Certified
    • All eggs are cage-free
    • Seafood is sourced from certified Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or certified by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch

Packaging Waste

Housing*Dining*Hospitality launched the Triton2Go Mobile Ordering App and Reusable Container Program during Fall Quarter 2020. From fall 2020 to spring 2023, the program has diverted more than 945,000 single-use containers from the landfill.

Composting Food Waste

  • Housing*Dining*Hospitality markets and dining hall kitchens have been composting pre-consumer food waste since 2009 and launched post-consumer food waste collection Fall Quarter 2023.
  • Price Center vendors have been composting pre-consumer food waste since 2009 and launched post-consumer food waste collection in Spring Quarter 2024.
  • Students who want to collect post-consumer waste in their dorms to empty into campus organic waste collection bins can receive personal compost buckets from the Student Sustainability Collective’s Food Scrap Drop Off Program. Email ssc-food@ucsd.edu for more information.

UC San Diego is one of the most “vegan-friendly” large schools.

  • Housing*Dining*Hospitality Markets and restaurants have vegan and vegetarian options available daily with menus Rooted in Flavor. Specific vegan and vegetarian items may vary by location and time of year. HDH dining locations also offer whole-grain meal alternatives. Look for these icons to differentiate vegan and vegetarian options on the Mobile Order app.
vegetarian and vegan icons
  • Statistics about the prevalence of vegan/vegetarian food served in UC San Diego dining halls:
    • Roots, a Housing*Dining*Hospitality restaurant located in the center of Muir College, has a completely vegan menu that serves entrees, snacks, smoothies and desserts.
    • 27.4% of food purchased in the 2022–2023 academic year was plant-based.
    • Minimally, 20–25% of all menu options are vegetarian; certain platforms and locations have fewer vegetarian/vegan options. (These percentages are based on the 2022–2023 academic year.)
  • The Food Co-Op, located in the Old Student Center, is a vegan student-run cooperative that provides affordable vegan meals to students using ingredients recovered from the Food Recovery Network and Triton Food Pantry.
  • Plant Power, an all-vegan fast food restaurant, operates as a vendor in Sixth College North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood.
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Student Involvement

Students have many opportunities for involvement in sustainability within the food system at UC San Diego.

Food Systems Definition: A food system is an interconnected web of activities, resources, and people involved in keeping us healthy and nourished. It includes the production, processing, packaging, distribution, marketing, consumption, and disposal of food. The food system reflects and responds to social, cultural, political, economic, health, and environmental conditions, and can be identified at multiple scales, from a household kitchen to a city, county, state, or nation.

Source: San Diego Food System Alliance's San Diego Food Vision 2030. For more information, visit their website.

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For students interested in learning about food systems, several academic departments offer specialized food-focused courses. Course availability will vary depending on the Schedule of Classes for each quarter.

These departments generally offer courses that discuss different aspects of food systems:

See this spreadsheet for a comprehensive list of specific food courses.

Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellowship

Students interested in pursuing a specific research project within the food systems realm are encouraged to apply to the Bonnie Reiss Leading on Climate Fellowship (formerly known as the Climate Neutrality Initiative). Students interested in food systems are encouraged to apply for the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellowship. These fellows can work either in climate leadership or sustainable food and agriculture for an academic year. Refer to this spreadsheet for more information about past fellows and projects.

College Corps at UC San Diego

The College Corps at UC San Diego recruits fellows to work with San Diego community partners to participate in climate action and address issues within food systems and public health. Students interested in working on local solutions to food security can apply to positions under the Food Security Focus Area. For more information, contact collegecorps@ucsd.edu.

*Paid positions available

Growing Food – UC San Diego Gardens

The campus has several gardens. Join the UCSD Student Garden Discord to explore how to get involved with each one. Discord link: bit.ly/ucsdgardens

Food Security

Triton Food Pantry*

Contact:

Basic Needs Hub*

Contact:

Food Recovery Network*

Contact:

Che Mutual Aid

Contact on IG: @checommunityfridge

Food Co-Op

Contact:

Cooking Food

Gourmet Muir

Contact on IG: gourmetmuir

Food Co-Op

Contact:

The Che Café

Contact:

Food Systems Sustainability

Student Sustainability Collective*

Contact:

Econauts*

Contact email: econauts@ucsd.edu

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Food Security Resources

  • Basic Needs Hub CalFresh: The Basic Needs Hub is the home of many food security resources available to students. If you are in need of financial assistance for groceries, you may be interested in applying to CalFresh. See the Hub’s CalFresh website for details.
  • Epstein Family Amphitheater Farmers Market: The Epstein Family Amphitheater holds a weekly Farmers Market every Tuesday from 10am-2pm. Stop by for some fresh produce and food vendors!
  • The Good Food Finder: If you are interested in buying local produce through a CSA (Community Serviced Agriculture) box program, you can use the UC San Diego Center for Community Health’s Good Food Finder to navigate offerings from various San Diego County farms.
  • Farmers Markets in San Diego: If you are interested in attending local San Diego Farmers Markets, see locations and hours.