Our Menus

We have a large vegetarian and vegan population here on campus. Since we strive to meet the demands of the population we serve (and even scored an A+ on Peta2’s vegan report card), this means vegetarians will have no problem following a plant-based diet on the meal plan.

Every day we:

• Flag “Vegetarian” menu items that exclude meat, poultry, seafood, or gelatin.
• Flag “Vegan” menu items that exclude meat, poultry, seafood, gelatin, dairy, eggs, honey, and vitamin D3.
• Designate a station, Plant Forward, at both dining halls to plant-forward vegan offerings.
• Designate a vegan fryer to reduce cross-contact with animal products.
• Allow you to customize your meal to be vegetarian/ vegan at any of our made-to-order stations where you can also order soy nuggets upon request.
• Offer dairy-free alternatives including soy milk and almond milk.
• Feature vegetarian protein offerings such as eggs, yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, tofu, legumes, seeds, and quinoa at our salad bar.
• Ensure half of our soups and pizzas are vegetarian and occasionally vegan.
• Provide vegan black bean burgers, garden burgers, and a dessert.
• Cook with dairy-free margarine.

We also:

• Have a vegan representative on our Student Dining Board.
• Participate in “Meat ‘Less’ Mondays” and offer more plant-based options where there would have been a meat option.
• Partner with Vegans for Peace on campus.

A climatarian diet, or climate-friendly diet, is one that prioritizes plant-based and whole foods rather than animal proteins and processed foods. It also emphasizes local and seasonal eating; for example, eating a North Carolina-grown apple in the fall rather than a pineapple that was transported from South America.

At CDS, we strive to make an impact on the health of our planet through our sustainable menus. We have committed to purchasing at least 20% local and/or sustainably and ethically produced foods in our dining halls. Our local purchasing program reaches beyond that goal, with over 30% of foods sourced from farms and businesses within 250 miles of campus! We maintain consistent sustainable menu options, including but not limited to grass-fed burgers, Firsthand Foods breakfast meats, local dairy products, and cage-free chicken & eggs. We also serve exclusively Larry’s Coffee in the dining halls, which is USDA Organic, Fair Trade, and roasted locally in Durham.

Here’s how we make climate friendly eating easy at CDS:
– Our digital menus have filters for Organic, Local, Coolfood, Vegan, Vegetarian, and Sustainable Seafood offerings.
– Our Local Chalkboards are updated biweekly by our Sustainability Team to highlight which local products are currently found on the menus.
– Daily vegan and plant-forward offerings, as well as the incorporation of Coolfood Meals as of Spring 2024.
– We partner with students through the Institute of the Environment to audit our purchases each semester to ensure we are meeting our sustainable purchasing goals.