The aim of MenoPerPiù is ‘to show that a good, protective, low-environmental-impact diet is possible and within everyone’s reach.’ The project’s goal is ‘to guarantee people, animals and the planet the wellbeing they deserve, showing that sustainability begins at the table.’ (MenoPerPiu). To this end, the association offers training and support to all bodies (companies included) that want to improve their catering service by going green.
Starting in 2022, Essere Animali, through MenoPerPiù, launched an awareness campaign aimed specifically at university canteens, highlighting the importance of increasing the supply of plant-based dishes which, compared with meat, have a lower environmental impact. It also carried out a study of the catering services of Italian universities which, after a careful analysis of the data collected, gave rise to the report mentioned above.
‘Mense per il Clima – Ranking della ristorazione universitaria’ therefore offers a detailed analysis of the sustainable policies adopted by the canteens of the main Italian universities. The study takes into account the impact that the food served has on the climate: the more plant-based dishes there are on the menus, the more sustainable the canteen is, and vice versa.
Alas, the picture that emerges is, unfortunately, rather negative: of the 49 universities analysed in the report, only 12 adopt virtuous practices from the point of view of sustainability. At the top are three Tuscan canteens: two in Pisa (the Praticelli canteen and the Le Piagge canteen) and the other in Siena (the Sant’Agata canteen). Rome, Florence, Cagliari, Bolzano, Bologna, Trieste and Cosenza are also on the right track.
The menus of the remaining university catering services, by contrast, do not offer a sufficient choice of plant-based dishes, nor do they adopt sufficiently environmentally virtuous practices. This figure gives pause for thought, given that we are talking about more than half of Italian university canteens.
Moreover, it should be stressed that university canteens are not just places where students are fed, but also places of social gathering and, above all, places of education. By adopting sustainable policies, these facilities could become true laboratories in which to promote both proper food education and a sense of environmental and social responsibility.
The university, a place of learning and of investment in the future, has a particular responsibility in this regard. University canteens represent a unique opportunity to spread these values, providing a culinary experience that is appetising, nutritious and, at the same time, respectful of the environment.
A transition towards a diet based more on plant-based, organic, local and seasonal products does not, in fact, only reduce the environmental impact, but also promotes the health and wellbeing of consumers. In addition, it would be important to work on reducing food waste as well, in order to raise awareness of the importance of using resources responsibly.
For these reasons, it is essential that the canteens of the Italian universities that are most lacking in this respect follow the virtuous example of those that are trying to put sustainable and healthy practices in place for students and for the planet. It is essential that this commitment be constant, and that it be further encouraged and supported, so as to promote a green culture at every level, for a better future, in everyone’s interest.
