University of New Hampshire
IN-27: Innovation D

Through a series of innovations, UNH Dining Services reduced beef purchases (20%) between 2015 and 2017 to improve the sustainability and health of campus cuisine. The scale of dining operations at UNH, which serves approximately 17,000 meals per day (3,400,000 annually), demonstrates both the difficulty in achieving such a reduction and the significance of UNH Dining’s commitment to continuous improvement in sustainability. Beginning in 2015, UNH Dining began taking action to reduce red meat purchases, particularly focusing on beef due to its outsized environmental burden and health impacts among protein sources. Numerous strategies have been employed to achieve this objective, including 1) increased seafood offerings; 2) new “blended burgers”; 3) reconfigured burger stations with multiple choices (i.e., veggie, turkey, salmon); 4) portion control; 5) and increased plant-based protein and produce offerings. The impact of these innovations has been substantial, reducing beef purchases by 20% and 16%, on dollar and mass bases, respectively. The carbon footprint of beef purchases was reduced by 310,719 kg CO2-eq., equivalent to removing 66 passenger vehicles from the road for one year. These results will be followed up with a full analysis of UNH Dining’s purchases to quantify the net impact of shifting procurement away from red meat.