Written by Sustainability & Energy Officer, Amelia Iswariah

What we eat can make a difference. From the ingredients on our plates to the packaging around our takeaway coffee, everyday food choices can have an impact on carbon emissions, food waste and the resources used to produce and transport what we eat. 

At the University of Roehampton, sustainable food is already part of the way we think about catering across campus. Our catering partner, Elior, works with the University on seasonal menus, sustainable sourcing, waste management and more, while initiatives such as Too Good To Go, carbon impact labelling and reusable-cup incentives help make more sustainable choices easier. 

But sustainability doesn’t have to mean completely changing the way you eat. 

This October, Roehampton Eats Sustainably is all about making small, realistic changes that can add up to a bigger difference. 

Small choices. Big impact. 

Whether it’s trying a plant-based, low-carbon meal, choosing a seasonal dish, saving surplus food or bringing a reusable cup, there are plenty of simple ways to make your food choices a little more sustainable. 

So, what’s your sustainable food swap this October? 

1. Try a plant-based option

One simple way to reduce the environmental impact of your food choices is to try a vegetarian or vegan meal. 

You don’t have to completely change your diet. Even swapping one meat-based meal per week for a vegetarian or vegan, low-carbon option is a small change that can make a difference. 

At Roehampton, The Hive is a vegetarian and vegan café, offering a range of plant-based food and drinks. Vegetarian and vegan choices are also available across other catering outlets on campus. Keep an eye out for the low carbon footprint logo! 

And while we don’t currently have a full carbon-impact dataset for every meal, Roehampton’s carbon impact labelling already gives students and staff information to help them make more informed choices.  

Our 2025/26 catering data shows that meat-based options accounted for 56% of food choices, compared with 32% for vegetarian options and 12% for vegan options, across the August 2025–June 2026 data. 

That means almost one in three recorded food choices was vegetarian, while around one in eight was vegan. 

There is also a small positive trend compared with the previous academic year: vegetarian and vegan choices together increased from approximately 42% of recorded choices in 2024/25 to 44% in 2025/26. 

There have also been months when vegetarian and vegan choices have overtaken meat-based choices. In April 2025, plant-based options accounted for 62% of recorded choices, while in May 2026 they accounted for 51%. While these peaks aren’t yet a consistent year-round trend, they show that choosing a vegetarian or vegan option can become a normal part of eating on campus. 

However, the data also shows that meat remains the majority choice in most months, suggesting that there is still an opportunity to encourage more students and staff to make a simple plant-based swap. 

So, if you’re looking for one simple change to try this October, why not make your next meal a vegetarian or vegan one? Let’s see if we can increase the proportion of plant-based meals in 2026-27! 

2. Eat with the seasons

Sustainable food isn’t just about what’s on your plate. It’s also about where ingredients come from and how they are produced. 

Roehampton’s catering menus change with the seasons, with menus designed around seasonal ingredients. Seasonal food can help support more sustainable food systems by making the most of ingredients when they are naturally available and supporting local and regional supply chains. 

The University’s catering commitments include promoting locally sourced produce where possible and sourcing seasonal produce through its sustainable sourcing approach. 

So, when you’re choosing your lunch this October, keep an eye out for the seasonal dishes and ingredients appearing across campus.  

3. Waste less food

When perfectly good food is thrown away, all the resources that went into producing, transporting and preparing it are wasted too. A report from the United Nations found that one third of all food produced is wasted every year, representing a huge economic and environmental cost.  

That’s why Roehampton is working to prevent food from going to waste wherever possible. 

One way you can help is through Too Good To Go. All Elior dining facilities at Roehampton are signed up to the app, allowing students, staff and members of the public to buy unsold food from campus outlets at a reduced price rather than letting it go to waste. 

And the numbers show what a difference this can make. 

Too Good To Go is helping to give surplus food a second chance. So far in 2026, 216 meals were saved from waste, meaning just over half (51%) of the 423 meals available through the scheme were rescued. This means that the equivalent of 583 kg CO2e was avoided – almost the same emissions as a return flight from London to New York for one passenger in economy class, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Carbon Emissions Calculator.  

But saving surplus food isn’t the only way to reduce food waste. 

Roehampton also separates food waste from other waste streams, helping food waste to be processed through the University’s Biodigester. The aerobic biodigester uses oxygen and microorganisms to break down food waste, producing a nutrient-rich material that is used as a soil enhancer product to grow plants. 

Food waste bins are available across campus in catering outlets and in accommodation kitchens, so make sure you’re putting your waste in the correct bin. A few extra seconds of sorting can help make sure food waste goes where it belongs! 

4. Think about packaging

Sustainable food isn’t only about the food itself. The packaging we use matters too. 

Takeaway containers, cups and other single-use items all require resources to produce and dispose of. One of the simplest ways to reduce packaging is to choose to eat in when you can. 

Roehampton’s catering outlets use Vegware packaging and compostable hot drinks cups, made from plant-based materials and processed through the University’s compost waste stream. 

But even compostable packaging is still something we can use less of. 

That’s why Roehampton encourages reusable options. Bring your own reusable cup and you’ll receive a 10p discount on hot drinks at participating University catering outlets.  

Between August 2025 and June 2026, 69% of recorded food transactions were eat-in, compared with 31% takeaway. This is up from around 53% eat-in in the previous academic year. 

This means a growing proportion of meals are being eaten without takeaway packaging, helping to reduce the demand for single-use food containers. However, disposable cup use is not showing the same change. 

Over the same period, just 5% of recorded hot drinks were served in reusable KeepCups, compared with 95% in disposable cups. This is almost unchanged from the previous academic year, when reusable cups also accounted for around 5% of hot drinks. 

Despite the disposable-cup levy and existing reusable-cup incentives, KeepCup use remains below the University’s 10% target. 

So next time you order a coffee, ask yourself: Do I really need a disposable cup? 

If you’re staying on campus, why not eat in, bring your reusable cup or use a reusable container where available? 

5. Take the Roehampton Eats Sustainably challenge

Sustainability doesn’t require perfection .It can be about the small decisions we make every day, and what happens when lots of people make those decisions together. 

This October, take the Roehampton Eats Sustainably challenge and choose one change that feels realistic for you. 

What’s your sustainable food swap? 

• Try a vegetarian or vegan meal. 

• Choose a seasonal option. 

• Put your food waste in the correct bin. 

• Save surplus food through Too Good To Go. 

• Bring a reusable cup. 

• Eat in rather than taking your food away. 

You don’t have to do everything. Just choose one. 

Why not share your sustainable food swap with a friend, course mate or colleague? 

One small choice can become a habit. When lots of people make that same choice, it can make a big difference to the sustainability of our campus.  

Find out more 

Find out more about sustainable food at Roehampton.