Campaign month May

Oh, so green!

Vegan-Vegetarian Month from 2 May to 2 June in the Mensa am Hofgarten

For five weeks, everything in the Mensa am Hofgarten will revolve around vegan and vegetarian dishes - from breakfast to dessert. The campaign month is embedded in a comprehensive strategy process for a more sustainable canteen of the future, which the Studierendenwerk Bonn is currently going through step by step.

From the perspective of society as a whole, what kind of diet is compatible with the planetary limits in 2050? And what does that mean in concrete terms for the canteen of the future - now and for the coming decades?

These two questions are the starting point of the Studierendenwerk's considerations for sustainable campus catering. A diverse range of good quality at fair prices should convince the up to 10,000 students who eat in our dining halls every day. In doing so, we have to become more sustainable and take our guests with us step by step. Above all, that means less CO2 and, simply put, less meat. The campaign month is therefore an offer to everyone to simply try out a plant-based diet.

During the five weeks, our most popular dishes of the vegan-vegetarian cuisine of the past years will be served, as well as new recipes.

 

Background

Overarching goal: to become climate-neutral by 2030

In summer 2022, the twelve Student Service Organizations in North Rhine-Westphalia, included us, committed themselves to the climate policy goals of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for sustainable management in a fundamental resolution. The ambitious goal of the student unions is: we want to become climate-neutral by 2030!

Long-term oriented strategy process - Together with students and external partners.

In July 2022, committed students officially handed over their concept for "More sustainability in the canteen" to the Studierendenwerk Bonn. It was jointly written by six university groups, the student body and the Green Offices of the two universities (Bonn University, HSBRS), with the support of the project "NEiS-Nachhaltige Ernährung im Studienalltag" (NEiS - sustainable nutrition in everyday student life) of the Verbraucherzentrale NRW.

In the following, a multi-stage strategy process was jointly developed, of which the campaign month of May is a part.

The overriding goal of all stakeholders is to maintain and strengthen the canteen as the place for health-promoting and sustainable nutrition on campus, combining quality and variety at social prices.

Planetary Health Diet

The "Planetary Health Diet" serves as a benchmark in the canteen of the future. It provides a universally valid frame of reference for a healthy and environmentally sound diet.

FAQ

For five weeks, from 2 May to 2 June 2023, the Mensa am Hofgarten will serve only vegan and vegetarian dishes. The meat or fish component will be replaced by a vegan or vegetarian dish. In the breakfast menu, sausage will be dispensed with and completely replaced by vegetarian and vegan spreads and cold cuts.

The action month is one part in our strategy towards more sustainability in the canteen. It is an offer to all those guests who are used to eating meat in the canteen on a daily or very regular basis to simply try out a (plant-based) alternative - without feeling "seduced" by the neighbouring counter.

What goes down well, what not so much? We want to find out together with our guests, especially with regard to the long-term menu design.

The Studierendenwerk Bonn is currently working together with students and the "NEiS - Nachhaltige Ernährung im Studienalltag" (NEiS - sustainable nutrition in everyday student life) project (funded by the Verbraucherzentrale NRW) to develop a long-term implementation strategy for sustainable campus catering. The main focus is on reducing CO2. A decisive lever for this is the reduction of the share of animal products in our offer.

The entire process chain is considered: from recipe and menu design to procurement and production to the efficient management of food returns as well as the consideration of internal and external communication.

The benchmark for our long-term action in community catering is the planetary load limits for feeding 10 billion people in the coming decades. The so-called "Planetary Health Diet" was developed on this basis.

The "Planetary Health Diet" provides a generally valid reference framework for a healthy and environmentally sound diet. Based on a daily energy intake of 2,500 kilocalories, a diet of the future was developed. Learn more about it.

In order to stay within the planet's limits, from today's perspective, the consumption of fruit and vegetables, legumes and nuts would have to be significantly increased, while the consumption of meat and sugar would have to be significantly reduced.

Yes, but! In a nutshell: In the long term, there will be less meat, but from improved or rather species-appropriate animal husbandry conditions (husbandry form 4 or higher) at then appropriately higher prices.

Meat and fish are valuable foods and there are good nutritional reasons to eat animal foods from time to time. From the perspective of society as a whole, however, the consumption of meat and animal-based foods must be significantly reduced.

In addition, we as campus caterers want to set new standards from an animal ethics point of view and gradually change the purchase of meat from species-appropriate farming methods. The meat and sausage products still on offer will then have to be sold at appropriately higher prices.

Chat Icon Chat Icon