Nowadays, you see more and more vegetarian, or even vegan options passing by at catering and food outlets on campus, in the context of sustainability. Among respondents, there is an increasingly conscious choice to consume animal products; just under half (40%) say they have a flexitarian diet (consciously eating less meat and fish), 22% eat vegetarian, 5% vegan and 5% pescetarian. 25% of respondents said they eat meat and fish almost every day.
In general, employees find that there is a wide range of food offered, including unusual dishes rather than the standard dishes you encounter often. They also find that the food outlets on campus look neat and the staff are hospitable. Employees come to the food outlets to buy food and drinks (95%), to consume them here (71%), to meet each other (53%), but also to relax (23%) and to work (11%).
Opinions vary widely regarding the prices of the food outlets; some employees think the prices are reasonable and others think the prices are too high. Prices are also the main reason for 5% of employees not to visit the food outlets.
Wishes and ideas for food outlets
Besides giving their opinion about the food outlets, respondents could share wishes or ideas in the survey. This showed that they would like to see menus changed more often and that even more healthier options could be offered. It also showed that there is regularly a lack of clarity and confusion about the opening hours of food outlets and employees find it difficult to find this info.
Overall, there is a preference for a 60-100% vegetarian and plant-based food offer on campus (65% of respondents), especially among academic staff (83%) and younger staff (73%). The preference for vegetarian and plant-based offerings decreases slightly with age, although it is still the majority across all age groups. These results are in line with Campus & Facilities' sustainability initiatives: currently 75% of the offerings are vegetarian or vegan and this will become at least 80% by 2025. Also, all catering is vegetarian by default.
Meeting locations and catering
Catering on campus is rated an average of 6.48/10. The facilities in Huize Heyendael receive a 7.24/10 and in Soeterbeeck a 7.54/10. Interestingly, 26% of respondents have never used catering on campus or the rooms in Huize Heyendael or Soeterbeeck. Reasons for this include finding Soeterbeeck too far away and both locations too expensive (and too fancy) for a regular meeting. Respondents also indicated that they simply do not consider these locations when considering a meeting location or venue.
Desires for the ratio of plant-based versus fish and meat vary widely for catering. 28% say they find 50/50 desirable, where 20% say they would prefer to see catering offerings entirely vegetarian with a large proportion vegan. The rest of the respondents are in between. Catering on campus is vegetarian by default in the ordering process, but is customisable in the system. The ordering process is well appreciated, with only 10% of respondents finding it somewhat unfriendly.
