Food within planetary boundaries
University of Twente and caterer Appèl are working together towards the menu of the future. The aim is a food offering that is not only tasty and healthy, but also respects the carrying capacity of the earth.
Specifically, this means:
- reducing CO2 emissions by 15% by 2023 and 50% by 2030
- as well as reducing land use, water use and waste.
The collaboration contributes to the objectives of the University of Twente and Appèl to be sustainable organisations.
Visualizing Change
To reach these goals, we want to inspire individuals to be mindful of their food choices. Therefore, together with MiSt Sustainable Solutions, we are working to promote sustainability at the University of Twente. Next to the sandwiches in the restaurants on campus, a sign shows what the 'foodprint' of that particular item is. On the coffee machines, a visualisation shows the different impact of five different drinks. MiSt's food visualizations vividly reveal the CO2, land, and water footprint of each sandwich, empowering each member of the UT community to make informed choices aligned with our 2030 environmental goals.
During a pilot with the visualisation of five sandwiches in Spring 2024, 36% of customers indicated that they had changed their buying behaviour after seeing the visualization. Due to this success, UT decided to continue with all sandwiches.
In addition to the visualisation of the sandwiches in the canteens, the UT also visualizes the following five types of warm drinks from the coffee machine from Maas: black coffee, Cappuccino with cow’s milk, cappuccino with oat milk, tea and hot chocolate. Since most people get warm drinks several times a day, UT wants to inform them of the impact of their choices here as well.
Through this collaboration, we aim to foster awareness and enable people to make conscious decisions that align with the Earth's carrying capacity. This impactful initiative recognizes that each of us makes about 65,000 food choices in a lifetime, each with a environmental impact. Every food choice shapes our collective environment.
Would you like to know more?
Please contact the SEE programme for more information by sending an email to Sustainability@utwente.nl.