Farm to Campus Fresh
Around campus and inside our kitchens, our chefs are busy incorporating sustainable practices, making socially conscious choices, and sourcing local food suppliers. This continues to be exemplified with our Catering & Event Services team.
We follow these key messages:
- We support as many as 75 local farmers.
- We own and operate the Village Bakery, which supplies our cafes and eateries with fresh daily bagels, pastries, and treats.
- We provide plant-based options in all our cafes and eateries.
- Our Chefs use fresh local ingredients to create dishes that are prepared from scratch in our kitchens.
- We support our customer’s health by promoting fresh nutritious foods to the campus community.
Fairtrade
All of our Baden Coffee & Planet Bean Coffee are Fairtrade Certified! We also carry Four O'Clock, a Fairtrade certified tea in all locations offering tea.
Fairtrade Certification empowers farmers and farm workers to lift themselves out of poverty by investing in their farms and communities, protecting the environment, and developing the business skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace. Fair trade is much more than a fair price! Fair trade principles include fair prices, fair labour conditions, direct trade, democratic and transparent organizations, community development, and environmental sustainability.
Local Food
UW Food Services is committed to buying local to reduce the transportation emissions associated with our food. In fact, some ingredients are as local as our own back yard. The University Club Garden is a UWFS run garden that began in 2012, supplying our chefs with seasonal produce to use immediately or canned for use throughout the year.
Supporting local suppliers helps liven the local economy and ensures the freshness of our ingredients. That's why we source local produce from the Elmira Produce Cooperative (EPAC) and ensuring that we are aligning with the values that makes our Farm-to-Campus Fresh brand shine!
Our UW Farm Market also provides the UW community with on-campus access to fresh, local produce, honey and baked goods. Look for us this Fall!
Certified Ethical Sourcing
University of Waterloo’s Fairtrade Certification makes certain that farmers and their workers are empowered to invest in themselves, protect the environment, and compete equitably in the global market. It ensures fair compensation, labor conditions and a variety of other benefits.
Catering and Event Services also pride themselves on meeting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Standard for sustainable fishing practices. By solely purchasing seafood that meets this standard, we ensure that it is well-managed and sustainable, reflecting our commitment to certified ethical sourcing. Overfishing has a negative impact on wild fish populations and their eco-systems and thus, it is a priority for us to be conscious of how our seafood is produced.
Recycle and Compost
We provide eco-friendly, compostable cutlery, and plates for takeout. We have also adopted to compostable straws to reduce plastic waste.
