Food
Our Sustainable Food Policy Statement outlines our intentions to minimise the negative environmental, ethical and social impacts of our catering operations and to promote positive environmental, ethical and social practices. Our Sustainable Food Action Plan details how we are setting out to achieve this.
The policy supports our Environmental Sustainability Policy and Plan, Sustainable Purchasing Policy and Environmental and Energy Management System.
Our progress so far
We have implemented a number of projects to support sustainable and healthy food on campus through our Eat and Drink on Campus Team and food growing projects on campus. Our outlets pride themselves on offering a range of meals for all dietary requirements, and are making changes to do this with a lower environmental impact.
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Community growing space - The Library
One of the suggestions for improvements from our Green Campus Group, was to develop a community growing space. We were successful in achieving funding a couple years ago and collaborated with staff and students to identify a suitable location (behind Clifford Whitworth library) and develop a design for the space that is accessible and reuses materials. The space is up and running and is regularly used to rest, socialise, study and garden. Some of the things we grow include beetroot, lettuce, chives, parsley, joganberry, potatoes, and kiwi!
We have a Community Growing Space teams channel that anybody can join if they are interested in regular updates about the space, and there are gardening sessions on Wednesdays 12:30 - 13:30. Just drop by!
Community growing space - Dementia Hub
The Dementia Hub is a designated space in Allerton Courtyard for people affected by dementia to garden and relax. There are always some jobs to do; for those who are not interested in gardening they can use the Hub space to chat, read and chill in the pergola which has evolved into being a special space for reflection. The SIP and SOW society put on events encouraging all members of the University to come along, look out for posters or contact m.j.pocsai@salford.ac.uk.
For any further information please visit the Dementia Hub page.
Food Made Good Award
In March 2025 we were awarded two stars in our first evaluation in the Food Made Good Awards. The Awards, run by the Sustainable Restaurant Association assesses businesses on their commitment to ethical sourcing, reducing environmental impact, and fostering a positive social impact.
We score particularly well in the 'Celebrate Provenance' area which highlights our commitments to an ethical and sustainable supply chain, such as using some Fairtrade products. The 'Treat Staff Fairly' category showcases our welcoming work environments as we are a Real Living Wage employer and champion wellbeing. We also scored highly on the Environmental pillar thanks to our ambitious net zero targets, waste reduction initiatives, and certified environmental and energy management system.
Areas for future development include enhancing plant-forward menu options, taking additional steps to promote healthy eating, developing clearer commitments to supporting local communities and communicating more about our sustainability efforts.
Drinking water on campus
We have over 20 drinking water refill points across campus so that you can reduce the number of plastic bottles you buy and use your own reusable bottles instead. You can find the locations on the campus map.
If you have any suggestions for other locations, please get in touch.