Food

UC Food Services

UC's Food Services, facilitated by 513 Culinary Group, has incorporated many sustainability initiatives into on-campus dining over the past several years. Here are some quick facts:  

  • Composting: On the Green (OTG) Dining Center has a state-of-the-art, self-operating composting system that takes food scraps directly from dish return & sends them through a pulper & dehydrator. This turns the scraps into a dry soil amendment that our partner Go Zero picks up for use at parks in the Greater Cincinnati Area. Watch the video above to see this process in action!
  • Food Waste Prevention: OTG, CenterCourt, and MarketPointe utilize a waste tracking device called Leanpath. Kitchen team members use this device to track and manage pre-consumer food waste, informing prevention. Leanpath enables these kitchens to progressively reduce their waste every semester.
  • Cage-Free Eggs and Humane Practice: In collaboration with Humane Society of the United States, Food Services developed a new set of animal welfare principles and purchasing commitments which include: the purchase of only cage-free shell and liquid eggs, crate-free veal and gestation crate-free pork.
  • Food Focus Committee: Food Services hosts a monthly meeting that anyone can participate in to provide feedback on dining options at UC. Meetings are held the third Thursday of each month. For more info, email _____________.
  • Trayless Dining: UC practices trayless dining service to reduce wasted food and water use.  This practice has been in place since 2008.
  • Local Food: 513 Culinary Group uses all leafy greens from Cincinnati's 80 Acres. All dining center coffee is from Rooted Grounds, a local distributor that frequently supports local causes and foundations including the Midwest Regional Sustainability Summit. Most of the accessible produce is sourced from regional farms via Piazza. 513 Culinary Group purchases local, seasonal, and responsibly raised, grown, and sourced products whenever possible.
  • Sustainable Seafood: 513 Culinary Group is committed to advancing sustainable seafood by sourcing only seafood from responsibly managed fisheries and seafood farms. The group is committed to sourcing responsibly and providing energy management services that reduce carbon emissions.
  • Sustainable, Plant-Forward Options: There are several vegetarian, plant-based, and vegan options available at each on-campus dining center. These items will be indicated via icons on the menu boards at each station, on the SodexoMyWay site, and on the Everyday app. 513 Culinary Group’s goal is to have 50% plant-based entrees on menus by 2025.
  • Cooking Oil: A closed cooking oil filtration system is used and all spent oil from dining centers is recycled via RTI.
  • Compostable To-Go Containers: Available for a to-go option at Stadium View Café, all containers are made from compostable materials. This program eliminates the use of approximately 12,500 Styrofoam containers each year.
  • Plastic Bag Campaign: Plastic bags have been eliminated from the Catskeller meal exchange area, the DAAP Café, and the SSLC Subway. Other locations are in the process of switching to reusable options.
  • Napkin Holders: Tork Xpressnap reduces napkin usage by at least 25% compared to traditional dispenser systems. Additionally, the napkins are 100% recycled.
  • Compostable Fiber Containers for Sporting Events: Nippert Stadium & Fifth Third Arena now only have compostable fiber food holders. This will will replace all of the single-use plastic food holders that were used.
  • Reusable Plates and Cutlery for Sporting Events: Club seats at Nippert Stadium & Fifth Third Arena now have reusable plastic plates and silverware. This will eliminate the usage of single-use plastic plates and silverware.