Responsible Sourcing
We understand the power and centrality of food in our daily lives and recognize that the foods we choose to serve have a direct impact on our health, culture, environment and local economies. We are committed to changing the culture of food by nourishing guests with menus that emphasize sustainable, fresh, whole foods that are raised, grown, harvested and produced locally whenever possible. With each passing year, we seek to find new ways to enhance sustainable food sourcing and educational touch points.
Local & Sustainable Food
- We purchase products from within a 250-mile radius of campus, prioritizing North Carolina vendors, whenever the quality and quantity meet our needs and financial parameters. Approximately 25% of our food purchasing from the 2021-2022 academic year was sourced from North Carolina farms and businesses!
- 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 exclusively serve Larry’s Coffee in the dining halls, which is organic, Fair Trade, and roasted locally in Durham.
- Regularly track sustainable food purchases (local, third-party certified, and sustainably harvested).
- Seek out third-party certified options, including organic, fair trade, Rainforest Alliance, humane, grass-fed, Animal Welfare Approved, and “Best Choice” as defined by Monterey Bay Seafood Watch.
- Participate in the Real Food Calculator, where student interns audit our food purchases each semester to ensure we are meeting our sustainable sourcing goals.
- Our Plant Forward stations in Chase and Top of Lenoir boast tasty vegan recipes from different cuisines each day, and we offer a variety of vegetarian and vegan options daily in our dining halls and food courts.
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