Goal 2: Policies, processes and practices

The following page outlines specific policies, processes and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 2 Zero Hunger.

Food waste tracking 

We systematically measures, monitors and reports food waste from all campus catering and residential outlets as part of our Environmental Sustainability Strategy (2023-2028) and our commitment to Zero Waste to Landfill.

In calendar year 2024, a total of 77 tonnes of food waste was recorded.

Food waste is weighed and the data analysed to identify opportunities for reduction and redistribution. Tracking covers University-managed cafés, refectories, halls of residence and conference facilities. We reduce avoidable food waste through initiatives such as Too Good To Go and donations to FareShare Greater Manchester, ensuring surplus edible food reaches local communities. Remaining food waste is processed via anaerobic digestion to generate renewable energy and fertiliser.

By accurately measuring and transparently reporting campus food waste, the University supports SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) through redistribution, and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) through reduction and circular-economy practices.

Tackling food insecurity 

We have a targeted programme to address student food insecurity and hunger, combining direct provision, emergency support, and preventative measures:

Community Fridge: located in the Students’ Union, this initiative redistributes surplus fresh food donated by local retailers and suppliers, offering free fruit, vegetables, and other essentials to any student who needs them. Over 400 students access the Community Fridge each month.

SU Eats scheme: the Students’ Union runs regular free meal-kit giveaways, providing healthy, easy-to-prepare meals that reduce costs and promote good nutrition. More than 1,000 meal kits have been distributed over the past year.

Emergency food bank access: trained Student Support and Advice staff issue food bank vouchers directly to students in urgent need, enabling access to the Greater Manchester Food Bank network.

Cost of Living Support fund: offers financial assistance to students at risk of food insecurity due to low or unstable income, helping them meet the cost of regular, safe, and nutritious food.

Student support resources: students are signposted to advice on low-cost cooking, meal planning, and budgeting through our online Cost of Living Hub and workshops.

We have targeted programmes to prevent and alleviate hunger among members of staff. Staff experiencing financial difficulty can be signposted to external community-support organisations through the University’s Wellbeing support service. We also have an employee assistance programme which provides confidential advice on finance, including what to do in crisis situations of hunger and hardship.

We also ensure that affordable, healthy and sustainable food options are available across campus. Staff can access affordable food options on campus through discounted university catering services and campus supermarkets, helping to ease the financial burden of daily meals. We are committed to sustainable and responsible procurement and fair pricing to make nutritious food accessible for everyone in our community. Catering teams review menus and prices annually to maintain affordability while promoting low-carbon and healthy choices.

These measures ensure that all staff have access to nutritious, fairly priced food and are supported to maintain their wellbeing in line with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

We provide a range of free access to food security and sustainable agriculture and aquaculture knowledge, skills or technology to local farmers and food producers. We’re part of N8 Agrifood and collaborate with Veg Box People to share innovative strategies for addressing food security challenges and develop practical tools to enable local farmers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers to better respond to increasing stresses and risks. We also have a H3 programme that works in partnership with the Global Food Security Programme, government and research councils to provide local food producers with access to our proprietary technologies allowing them to diversify their food production.

We also provide local and international food-security knowledge, skills and technology through our research and knowledge-exchange activity. For example, our Global Development Institute has supported group-farming initiatives in South Asia to improve small-holder productivity and food security. Our research on agro-forestry methods and the transition to sustainable farming helps to provide farmers with applicable, low-carbon techniques.

Sustainable food initiatives

Sustainable food options:

As a University with 2-Star Fairtrade University status (awarded 2024), we are committed to ensuring that all students, staff, and visitors have access to sustainable food choices across campus, with vegetarian and vegan options available in every outlet.

Our Sustainable Food Policy requires ethical and responsible procurement, prioritising local and seasonal produce. We commit to a guaranteed annual spend with Manchester Veg People, a co-operative of local organic farmers, and source farm-assured chicken and MSC-approved fish. We are also working towards a 3-Star Sustainable Restaurant Association accreditation.

All FoodonCampus and FoodInResidence outlets offer clearly labelled vegetarian and vegan options daily. The Manchester Museum Café is fully vegetarian, while the University Marketplace features local independent traders, including one fully vegetarian vendor, ensuring accessible and diverse plant-based food choices.

We have eliminated plastic packaging from our sandwiches, expanded meat-free options in residence dining, made menus in Food in Residence CO2-labeled enabling students to make sustainable choices. We were also awarded a national Catey Award for Sustainability in recognition of our progress.

To ensure affordability, students and staff receive 10% off all purchases in our wholly-owned campus outlets when they pay using their Food in Advance card. We allow fairly priced external partners, such as the Co-operative supermarket, to trade on campus. They offer a range of budget options, including a daily ‘meal deal’ for £4, which includes a sandwich, snack, and drink. They also offer a 10% discount. Our Marketplace has £5 offers for students to ensure they can afford our street traders’ offer.

Together, these measures demonstrate our commitment to sustainable, ethical food systems while making vegetarian and vegan choices a visible, accessible, and integral part of campus life.

Sustainable food purchases:

We prioritise the purchase of products from local and sustainable sources through our Sustainable Food Policy, which applies to all University food outlets.

• We are a 2-Star Fairtrade University (awarded 2024) and commit to sourcing Fairtrade products wherever possible.
• We guarantee a minimum annual spend with Manchester Veg People, a local co-operative of organic farmers, ensuring fresh, seasonal, and sustainably grown produce.
• Our meat, fish and poultry meet high sustainability standards, including farm-assured chicken and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) approved fish.
• We work with local suppliers and independent traders across campus, reducing food miles and strengthening regional food economies.
• We are eliminating unnecessary packaging (e.g. plastic-free sandwiches) and actively reducing our supply chain carbon footprint.
• We are working towards 3-Star accreditation from the Sustainable Restaurant Association and have been recognised with a national Catey Award for Sustainability.

Supporting local farmers

We regularly host events for local farmers and food producers to connect and transfer knowledge.

As a shareholder in the Kindling Trust, the University actively supports their initiatives by providing opportunities for hosting events on campus that focus on sustainable food production and community engagement. This partnership creates opportunities for local producers to network with staff and students, showcase their work, and access specialist expertise.

Additionally, we have a partnership with ManchesterVeg People – a cooperative of local growers, producers, and buyers – we facilitate regular knowledge exchange events on sustainable food purchasing and sales. Their weekly veg box scheme is promoted and distributed on campus at no cost to them, strengthening connections between local producers and the University community.

Through campus farmers’ markets, local-supplier showcases and street-food fairs, regional producers share their products, sustainability practices and supply-chain knowledge directly with the University community. These events promote local economic growth and responsible consumption by encouraging short-supply chains and showcasing seasonal, low-carbon food. They also support the University’s policy to source food locally and engage suppliers on environmental and social standards.

Sustainable farming and food production

We provide access (largely free or subsidised) for local farmers and food producers to university facilities, technology and plant stocks to support sustainable farming practices. Some of these are delivered through formal programmes and through bilateral partnerships.

Through our H3 programme (one of the four consortia under the £47.5M “Transforming UK Food Systems” SPF-UKRI scheme), we grant local producers access to university research infrastructure, analytical labs and crop/soil technology platforms to diversify and make their practices more resilient. This includes access to our laboratories in the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology for analysis of crop nutrition and soil carbon.

Our Firs Environmental Research Station (recently upgraded with £2M investment) houses 14 climate-controlled greenhouse chambers (bench space, controlled temperature, LED lighting) and outdoor/field plot areas. Local growers can apply to use growing compartments or controlled environment chambers for trialling crops under different temperature, humidity or CO₂ regimes.

The Firs also maintains a Living Plant Collection and glasshouse biomes that can serve as plant stock for research collaborations and demonstration work. Because the Firs is open to external engagement, we welcome enquiries from growers, food producers, and SMEs to discuss access to its glasshouses, growth chambers, plant stocks or lab support, often under cost-sharing or subsidised models.

We are also partnered with a local Manchester company via an InnovateUK Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to build a hydroponics demonstrator using a novel synthetic substrate (recycled foam + water-absorbing binders). In that partnership, the company has access to our facilities and infrastructure to test and develop the substrate for sustainable food production.

These arrangements ensure that local farmers and producers can use state-of-the-art facilities without prohibitive cost barriers, thereby translating research innovations into practice on farms in Greater Manchester and beyond.