Food and drinks plays a key role in our commitment to sustainability. The Food and Beverage department contributes to sustainability by offering an innovative and sustainable range of products and by inspiring guests to make sustainable choices.

What can you do to help?
- When it comes to food and drink, you can contribute to sustainability by making your own sustainable choices when buying products. For example, you can buy more often for plant-based or vegetarian meals.
- Never order more than you need. Whether you're using catering services or getting food yourself, make sure to order the right quantities to avoid waste.
- Try to avoid the use of disposable packaging.
Do you have an idea to make the campus more sustainable? Submit your idea via Realize Your Idea!
What are we working on?
In our on-campus outlets, vegetarian or plantbased options are increasingly becoming the standard. Currently:
- 75% of the assortment in the outlets on campus consists of vegetarian or plantbased products. We encourage our guests to make sustainable choices by giving extra attention to sustainable choices.
- Are the catering guides fully vegetarian or plantbased by default.
- We offer plant-based milk in all coffee corners and in more and more coffee machines.
Over the past year, a food waste measurement was conducted in the Refter by Orbisk. Orbisk is a smart monitor that can register waste by type and weight, providing a clear picture of what is being discarded.
Three different types of measurements were taken:
- What is leftover from catering?
- What comes back from the plate?
- How much overproduction occurs at the counters?
Reducing food waste is our goal. So far:
- We combat food waste by producing and ordering on demand. Whatever is left over is offered through the Too Good To Go app.
- We separate waste at all food service locations and encourage our guests to do the same. We take back deposit bottles and cans and donate them to a good cause (the Radboud Fund).
- We collect and reuse coffee grounds as a raw material.
- Whenever possible, we use filtered tap water in reusable bottles within the department.
- We have introduced the Billie Cup as a sustainable alternative to disposable cups.
- We actively approach departments where there is "a lot" of waste in catering.
- We provide takeaway bags with catering so that people can take food home.
- We adjust portion sizes for dishes and replace or eliminate less popular ingredients.
- We analyze customer satisfaction measurements and incorporate feedback into our recipes.
- We are joining MVO Netherlands' Natural Food & Drink Collective. The aim is to make natural farming the new normal.
- We actively participate in initiatives that contribute to the health of our guests and our living environment. Examples include the National Week Without Meat, I Pass / Dry January and the Radboud Impact Festival.
- In vending on campus, we use the Health Food Wall, among other things. Here, users can buy a fresh, healthy and plant-based meal or snack 24/7. There are now 8 Health Food Walls spread across the campus.
- Several water taps have been realised on the campus. You can buy a Join the Pipe bottle through the campus shop or at one of our coffee corners. The money from the purchase of these water taps goes to water projects around the world.
- We work with local and/or sustainable suppliers whenever possible.
- We are committed to inclusivity and a safe working environment for all. That is why we have been working with people with a disadvantage on the job market for many years. We do this by training and employing people. We train people in our Hospitality team through a two-year apprenticeship programme and employ people with a disadvantage on the job market in several departments.
Our objectives
Our goals for the coming years:
- In 2025, at least 80% of all products and meals sold are vegetarian and at least 25% of these are plantbased.
- Gain an insight into the chain of our products. Our products are locally sourced, seasonal and natural, with minimal emissions from farm to fork.
- Eliminate food waste on the Radboud University campus.
- Minimise waste from packaging and disposables. The remaining packaging is made of bio-based or reusable materials.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are seventeen goals aimed at making the world a better place by 2030. They serve as a global compass for addressing challenges such as poverty, education and the climate crisis.
Radboud University’s food and drink plans are in line with the following SDGs:
- 12: Responsible consumption and production