To provide sustainable food choices for all members of the campus community, including vegetarian and vegan options, National Taiwan University (NTU) has established a comprehensive framework integrating sustainable food principles, responsible sourcing, plant-based dining, biodiversity protection, and low-carbon food practices.
1. Sustainable Food Principles (Environmentally Sustainable Management & Local Livelihoods)
NTU incorporates sustainable dining into the annual evaluation of campus restaurants. In alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), contracted food vendors are encouraged to implement the following principles:
- Eco-Friendly Farming: Use ingredients certified under domestic or international organic and eco-friendly farming standards, minimising the use of manufactured herbicides, artificial fertilisers, and pesticides.
- Clean Label: Reduce food additives while encouraging ingredients and production methods with lower environmental impacts.
- Plant-Based Dining: Promote vegetarian and vegan meals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production.
- Local Sourcing: Prioritise locally produced ingredients to reduce food miles, support local agriculture, and strengthen sustainable local livelihoods.
- Resource Circulation: Encourage whole-food utilisation, environmentally friendly packaging, and circular economy practices to minimise food waste and unnecessary resource consumption.
2. Vegetarian and Vegan Food Choices for All
NTU provides a wide range of vegetarian and vegan dining options across campus, including dedicated vegetarian restaurants such as Vegetarian Meal (食香園), Green Life Restaurant (小蔬杭), and Macha Prince × Let's Do Eat (茶茶小王子). Internal surveys indicate that approximately 50% of all meals offered on campus are vegetarian, ensuring that sustainable food choices are readily available to all members of the university community.
Furthermore, NTU requires the relevant catering management units to establish a set proportion for plant-based food offerings in campus cafeterias when signing vendor contracts. This requirement is incorporated into the restaurant bidding process and contract management mechanism, with the proportion of "plant-based dining" options factored into bidding evaluations, thereby encouraging vendors to meet the established targets.
3. Responsible and Traceable Food Sourcing (Trusted Sources)
NTU encourages campus food vendors to source ingredients that are environmentally friendly, traceable, and responsibly produced. The use of CAS-certified, organic, traceable, halal, and animal welfare-certified ingredients, together with imperfect produce and surplus food, is incorporated into the evaluation criteria for contracted vendors, promoting trusted food sources, responsible production, and supply-chain transparency.
To further ensure responsible sourcing, meat supplied to campus restaurants must be accompanied by origin certification and is subject to regular inspections and residue testing in accordance with university food safety management requirements.
Each year, NTU recognises the top three restaurants with the "Most Sustainable Dining Concept" award through a campus-wide online survey. Vendor certification details are publicly available through the Dining Services Committee website, promoting transparency and informed consumer choices.
4. Biodiversity Protection
To support biodiversity conservation and sustainable seafood consumption, NTU prohibits the serving of dishes containing shark fins or whale sharks at all university- and college-organised events and banquets.
5. Examples of Sustainable Campus Dining
Several campus restaurants demonstrate outstanding sustainable food practices through responsible sourcing, support for local producers, and low-carbon operations.
NTU's First Green Dining Restaurant
Originating from NTU, Small Farmers Lunch Box, in partnership with Macha Prince × Let's Do Eat and the Carrefour Cultural and Educational Foundation, established NTU's first Green Dining restaurant in 2022. Meals incorporate traceable ingredients, animal welfare-certified products, and partnerships with small farmers and social enterprises, supporting transparent and responsible food supply chains.
NTU's First Carbon-Neutral Restaurant
Xiaolu Minglou (曉鹿鳴樓) became Taiwan's first BSI-certified carbon-neutral restaurant in 2022. Through kitchen electrification, renewable electricity, energy-efficient equipment, and increased use of low-carbon and organic ingredients, the restaurant significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with campus dining.
