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Cornell University

Student & Campus Life

Cornell Dining adopts "Menus of Change" principles

Menus of Change, The Business of Healthy, Sustainable, Delicious Food Choices, is the practical vision for the integration of optimal nutrition and public health, environmental stewardship and restoration, and social responsibility concerns within the foodservice sector and beyond.

Cornell Dining is proud to highlight our ongoing commitment to the Menus of Change initiative. Entering the second academic year of the program on Cornell's Ithaca campus, the University has seen desired results of reducing waste and increasing the amount of produce served in dining halls.

Launched in 2012, and developed by The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in collaboration with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC) is composed of a variety of elements. At its core are the 24 Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus, including those most important to Cornell Dining:

  • Focusing on whole, minimally processed foods
  • Sourcing fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients
  • Serving fewer red meat-based meals, less often
  • Emphasizing produce first at each meal

By integrating the 24 Principles, Cornell Dining continues to fulfill its nutritional and sustainability commitments to the entire Cornell community.

"We take pride in providing our customers a rich, diverse and healthy dining experience, and not just a meal," says Gail Finan, Director of Cornell Dining. "By committing to Menus of Change we lead by example for our students, empower our staff, support local agriculture, and generate less waste." She continues, "We are proud to be a part of a movement that celebrates nutrition, sustainability and healthy living."