Student catering earns Soil Association accolade
19 Dec 2012
Eight hall dining rooms catered by FoodInResidence have earned the Soil Association’s Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark.
Students in the University's catered halls now have an independent guarantee that the food served in their dining rooms is fresh, seasonal, free from trans fats and controversial e-numbers, and better for animal welfare.
The Catering Mark helps universities and colleges to provide a high standard of planet-friendly food to their students and to reinforce a longer-term change in buying and eating habits.
FoodInResidence has met the criteria for the Bronze Catering Mark through purchasing fresh seasonal vegetables (when available) from Manchester Veg People, free-range eggs and Farm Assured meat, and by producing meals from fresh ingredients in the hall kitchens.
Achieving the Catering Mark may also help the University to move up the People & Planet Green League: the student campaign group has included the bronze Catering Mark in the sustainable food criteria for its league table of universities.
Manchester is the eleventh university to receive the Catering Mark (a total of two silver and nine bronze Marks have been awarded to date).
Alison Aucott, Catering Manager, said:
“Gaining Bronze for all of our catered halls is a fantastic achievement. It is recognition that the team really take pride in the food they serve to our students. Achieving the standards requires determination to buy the right produce, which sometimes means jumping through hoops to get there; the team have demonstrated their determination to do this.”
Further information
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* The dining rooms are at:
Fallowfield Campus
- Ashburne Hall
- Owens Park (Tree Court and Tower)
- Woolton Hall
Victoria Park Campus
- Dalton-Ellis Hall
- Hulme Hall
- St Anselm Hall
- St Gabriel’s Hall