Transforming Food in Higher Education

We’re empowering a network of changemakers, including students, faculty, and staff, with the knowledge and skills they need to transform campus food systems in ways that nourish students, faculty, and the planet, inspiring generations of sustainable customers and serving as a model for plant-centered solutions for society.

By leveraging educational programs, fostering community connections, and applying behavioral science strategies, the DefaultVeg Campus Programs pave the way for a healthier, plant-based food future.

Why Plant-based Defaults Matter on University & College Campuses

Food systems represent our most powerful lever for a healthy planet. At Better Food Foundation, we’re discovering ways to make this crucial shift to a plant-centered food system easy, delicious, and sustainable, both economically and ecologically. We’re focused on implementing these solutions in one of society’s most influential communities: Higher Learning.

• It’s estimated that U.S. college and university dining operations serve approximately 22 million people, approximately 3.7 to 6.2 billion meals annually.
• This is a multi-billion-dollar industry with major food service contractors such as Sodexo, Aramark, and Compass Group, who manage a significant portion of campus dining operations. 
• Many large universities have annual dining budgets exceeding $20 million to $30 million. 

Campuses can reduce food-related GHG emissions by 23-30% by adopting plant-based defaults. Here are the results of plant-based defaults on university campuses:

• Impacted 16.2 million meals per year across 600+ institutions
• Reduced 7.9 million kg of carbon emissions (CO2e) annually
• Saved 187.4 million gallons of water per year
• Built a community of campus changemakers transforming food culture and normalizing plant-rich food as the default

**National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data from Fall 2022