UC Berkeley and The Humane Society Collaborate to Make Campus Dining More Plant-Based

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has joined forces with the University of California, Berkeley, to transition 50% of entrees offered in dining commons on campus to be plant-based by 2027. This ambitious goal not only positions UC Berkeley as a pioneer within the University of California system but also reflects a holistic commitment to environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and public health.

UC Berkeley, known for its academic excellence and consistently ranking among the top universities globally, serves tens of thousands of students, faculty, and community members through its campus food service, Berkeley Dining. To facilitate this significant shift in their culinary offerings, the HSUS will provide essential resources, including chef-led culinary training, student engagement and marketing Support, and a curriculum of plant-based events over the next few semesters.

Kate Jarvis, senior outreach coordinator for food service innovation with the HSUS, expressed excitement about UC Berkeley’s commitment, stating, “We invite the other 20 University of California campuses to join UC Berkeley in offering sustainable, plant-based dining options, contributing to the well-being of their communities and the planet.”

To kickstart this collaboration, the HSUS staff, alongside Berkeley Dining and Sustainability teams, hosted a plant-based takeover at Crossroads, the school’s largest on-campus dining commons. During this event, students sampled a new plant-based Fall Grain Salad Stuffed Acorn Squash, providing valuable feedback and sharing their vision for the future of the school’s menus.

Christopher R. Henning, executive director for Berkeley Dining, expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, saying, “Berkeley Dining has a strong commitment to offering our students healthy and nutritious plant-based options, as well as engaging with our students in the process.”

UC Berkeley has a history of promoting plant-based initiatives, exemplified by its biannual Plant-Forward Recipe Challenge. This competition encourages chefs from the four largest dining commons to create popular plant-based recipes, with the winning dish permanently added to the university’s menu cycles.

Related Content:

• UC Berkeley’s Newest Course Offers Students a Lab to Build Their Own Alternative Meat!
• Penn State Dining Joins the Plant-Based Movement
• New York Hospitals Go Green with Plant-Based Menus
• White House Embraces Sustainability with Plant-Based State Dinner With Indian Prime Minister
• University of Cambridge Students Vote for Completely Vegan Menus

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!