Our sustainable values
From working with local suppliers to ditching plastic and preventing food waste, find out how we are building a sustainable future and contributing to better lives – both here at »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ and around the world.
A sustainable future
The global food system is responsible for around a third of all human-caused carbon emissions (). At »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Uni Food, we recognise our responsibility to help reduce this impact, and we’ve developed a holistic approach that not only tackles the environmental footprint of the food we serve, but also maximises its social and economic benefits for our community.
Cutting carbon emissions
We’ve worked with Foodsteps to analyse the carbon footprint of every dish we make in-house. This research now appears on our menus in the form of carbon labels, making it easier for customers to make climate-conscious choices. The data also guides our own decisions in the kitchen: when we find a recipe with a particularly high carbon impact, we review and rework it to make it more sustainable.
Waste reduction commitment
In the UK, a surprisingly low proportion of recyclable waste actually gets recycled. Often this is due to incorrect disposal, where recyclable materials are placed in the wrong bin or are contaminated with food waste. That’s why our first priority is to reduce waste before it’s created, with a strong focus on reusables. Our returnable cup scheme allows customers to borrow a reusable cup for a small fee and return it at any participating café on campus. Students and staff who bring their own cup or use the returnable option receive a discount — a win-win for both wallets and the planet.
We’re also phasing in a small fee for disposable takeaway containers, starting at the »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Saver counter in Eat Central and Veg Bowl @ Dhaba. Meanwhile, two of our cafés — ACCA Café and Veg Bowl @ Dhaba — have already gone completely disposable cup-free. These changes are part of our broader commitment to cut down single-use items and move towards plastic-free practices across all food outlets.
Ending food waste
Food waste is one of the biggest environmental challenges we face. According to WRAP, nearly a quarter of all food produced in the UK is wasted every year. That’s over 6.4 million tonnes of perfectly edible food worth more than £21 billion.
To help address this, we partner with Too Good To Go, which connects customers with surplus meals via an app at a reduced price. In just over a year, this has saved more than 5,000 meals from being thrown away.
We also work with Olio, a food-sharing platform, to redistribute unsold sandwiches, baguettes, and toasties. Volunteers collect these items and deliver them to households in Brighton. Since 2019, we’ve donated more than 2,771 meals to 317 households, preventing 5.02 tCOâ‚‚e of carbon emissions in the process.
Learn more about food waste in a blog post by »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Uni Food Sustainability Manager.
First to process food waste
In March 2020, the »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ was the first higher education institution in the UK to install an aerobic digester – a bio processor that turns food waste into soil enricher.
The food and compostable waste produced around Bramber House (the centre of our catering operation) is processed through the machine and the contents are reduced by 75% during its 24-hour journey from food to substrate. The substrate can either be used as a soil enrichment source or a biomass fuel source.
Serving our community
Sustainability at »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ is about more than just reducing our footprint, it’s also about creating a positive social impact. Thanks to sales of Life Water in our cafés and shops, we’ve sponsored the construction of three water wells in Uganda and India, providing clean drinking water to communities in need. Life Water partners with the charity Drop4Drop to deliver these vital projects.
We’ve partnered with Social Impact Coffee, a speciality coffee brand now available at the Arts Piazza Café. What makes this partnership special is that 65% of Social Impact Coffee’s profits are donated to local charities, chosen with input from our campus community. This year, our support is going to , a children’s charity based in »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ, and , an environmental charity tackling plastic pollution and protecting our oceans.
We’re also committed to creating opportunities for young people with autism to thrive in the workplace. Through collaborations with DFN Project SEARCH and Ambitious About Autism, we run a supported internship programme that helps young autistic people build skills and gain valuable work experience. Interns take part in classroom-style learning focused on employment skills and complete three work rotations within our cafés across campus. By the end of the year, participants are better prepared for full-time employment with transferable skills suited for the hospitality sector and beyond.
Find out more about .
Healthy eating
We believe that sustainability should go hand in hand with health and affordability. All our recipes, provided by catering partner Chartwells, are analysed by nutritionists to ensure they meet high standards for nutrition. Our »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Saver meal, available in Eat Central, offers a hot, nutritious dish for just £2, supporting students during the cost-of-living crisis without compromising on quality or flavour. Wherever possible, menus are designed to minimise food waste and use sustainably sourced ingredients.
We're regularly running events on healthy diets. Follow @sussexunifood on Instagram to learn more.
Sustainable procurement
We evaluate all suppliers based on their sustainability and company ethics. Where possible we look to provide products with fair or direct trade, soil association or organic accreditation. We favour Certified B Corporation companies (businesses that meet standards defined by B Corps to balance profit and purpose).
We use local suppliers for most of our food, including Munneries for fruit and vegetable and Blakes for meat. We have also partnered with local Brighton businesses and include them in our food offer. Two examples of these kinds of businesses, both available on campus, are Redroaster and Malo Empanadas.
Sustainable ratings
We are proud to be a 3-star member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA) since 2019. In our 2024 reassessment, we achieved a 92% score, placing us among the top 10 most sustainable food businesses worldwide.
We have also been included in the by the animal welfare organisation PETA.
In June 2023, »ÆÉ«¶ÌÊÓƵ Uni Food was awarded the U Dine Award for sustainability and in May 2025 we won the Footprint Awards for our sustainable food strategy.
Find out more about our Sustainable Food and Agriculture Policy [PDF, 71KB].