By making more informed food purchasing decisions on campus, we can all help create a more climate-friendly food system at UBC.
The Climate-Friendly Food (CFF) Labels provide the campus community with an opportunity to learn more about how their choices, supported by a more sustainable food system on campus, can help reduce the university’s overall GHG emissions and environmental impacts.
The CFF Labels (pictured below) are currently available in all of the UBC Residence Dining halls (Open Kitchen, Gather, and Feast) on-site and online through the UBC Food Services Nutrislice platform and in the Alma Mater Society (AMS) Student Nest Gallery Patio & Lounge. The Label will soon be available in AMS Blue Chip Cafe and will be on UBC signature event’s menus such as the Harvest Feastival!
A menu item with the label with the largest green earth on it means that the meal generated less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and used less water, land, and nitrogen than other items on the menu.
The climate impacts of over 1300 menu items across UBC Food Services and AMS food businesses have been evaluated by a SEEDS student researcher that considers Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and the broader environmental impact of food systems including an evaluation of recipes based on indicators such as land-use footprint, stress-weighted water use, and embodied nitrogen.
This is the first time any Canadian university has taken on a project of this scale, positioning UBC as a model of how other universities can mobilize to address Climate Action through Food Systems.
This project is an interdisciplinary research collaboration between teams of students, staff and faculty as part of the SEEDS Sustainability Program, to develop, pilot and evaluate the CFF Labels at UBC. One team is also evaluating the perceptions and impacts that Climate-Friendly Food Labels may have on UBC’s awareness, knowledge and purchasing decisions.
What does a Climate-Friendly Food System at UBC look like?
UBC aims to tackle all aspects of food systems from how we source ingredients to what we consume and the amount of waste produced from food and food packaging.
This is how the university defines Climate-friendly food systems:
UBC aims to operate within a climate-friendly, just and accessible food system, which means being committed to operating within planetary boundaries by reducing our GHG emissions footprint associated with our food systems and enhancing food system resiliency from production to end disposal and recovery, while producing positive outcomes for people, animals and planet (developed by the Climate-Friendly Food Systems Action Team, 2021).
Food systems on the Vancouver campus account for just over 21% of UBC’s overall GHG emissions. That’s roughly equal to 3/4 the GHG emissions of all UBC’s buildings and energy supply combined, and it is anticipated that food emissions may become UBC’s largest emissions category as other sources of UBC GHGs emissions reduce.
UBC has set a target to achieve a 50% reduction in food systems emissions by 2030 in alignment with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. That’s the threshold many scientists have said is crucial to avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change.
In an effort to tackle this, UBC is currently advancing the following bold food actions:
- Campus-wide Climate-Friendly Food System (CFFS) definition, label, and toolkit.
- Campus-wide Climate-Friendly Food System Procurement Guidelines applicable to all food providers.
- Food Waste Prevention, Reduction and Recovery Strategy (including food-related waste).
- Food System Resilience and Climate Action Strategy that holistically advances climate-friendly foods at UBC including climate mitigation and adaptation.
- Expanded interdisciplinary research initiatives, student and faculty research to advance climate-friendly food systems, spanning climate mitigation and adaptation.
Learn more about sustainable food systems at UBC.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we determine what foods are climate-friendly?
The GHG emissions, land use, nitrogen, and water footprints of each menu item are calculated by summing up the weight of every raw ingredient multiplied by their respective footprint factors. Ingredient footprint factors are determined according to their category in the Cool Food Calculator, which provides data on the amount of emissions emitted during the food item’s life cycle (including production, distribution, and processing, excluding cooking emissions and associated food waste).
Following UBC's Climate Action Plan 2030 reduction goals for food systems, the green coloured Climate-Friendly Food Label was assigned to menu items whose composite footprint is 50% on a 2019 baseline.
A menu item with the largest green earth logo associated means that the item generated at least 50% less GHG emissions, land use, water, and nitrogen per 100 grams of food produced than the average item sold during the 2019 baseline year.
Some foods that are Climate-Friendly, do not align with my preferred food choices, cultural or traditional foods, or habits. With that in mind, how can I make climate-friendly food choices on campus?
Adopting climate-friendly food choices doesn’t mean sacrificing your traditions or preferences. Many climate experts agree that even small, daily changes - like adding more plant-based foods to your meals and reducing animal product consumption - can significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions while improving land and water use.
For instance, a University of Oxford study found that if individuals following a Western diet increased their intake of fruits and vegetables and reduced animal products, emissions could decrease by 29% by 2050.
The Planetary Health Diet also supports sustainability while offering flexibility to adapt to various traditional diets. This allows us to celebrate our cultural diversity and personal dietary choices while contributing to climate action.
Ultimately, the foods we choose are influenced by taste, cost, nutrition, and convenience. By staying informed and making mindful adjustments where possible, we can reduce our environmental impact and honor our traditional food systems.
Are climate-friendly foods more expensive?
The university is taking bold steps to ensure that the campus community has access to wholesome, sustainable, local and diverse foods.
One initiative is All Access Dining, which was launched at UBC's three resident dining halls where the Climate-Friendly Food Labels are currently being displayed. Since all students pay the same amount to eat as much as they care to while at that location, all food items will be the same price regardless of whether they are deemed Climate-Friendly or not.
At the AMS Student Nest, where the CFF Labels have been added to the Gallery Patio & Lounge menu items, preliminary analysis has found that the foods deemed most climate-friendly are not always more expensive than foods labeled as less climate-friendly. At the Gallery some of the Climate-Friendly Food items are the least expensive items on the menu.
As the university continues its work on building a Climate-Friendly food system, a lens of equity and affordability will be applied to all actions. Visit the Centre for Climate Justice at UBC to learn more.
Here's what UBC is doing to address student affordability and food insecurity.
Does the calculation integrate the GHG emission coming from the transportation of food?
The calculation does not integrate all the GHG emissions coming from the transportation of ingredients. For details about what is included in the emissions factors we used visit the Cool Food Calculator.
Additionally, since the production of food creates the most emissions, the GHG emission from the cooking process and food waste were not considered for this phase of the project. The GHG emissions associated with the cooking process (i.e. electricity & natural gas) are included in UBC building-level GHG goals and reporting as part of UBC's annual Climate Change Accountability Report (CCAR). Additional emissions from food waste decomposition are accounted for in the Waste emissions as part of the CAP2030 goals.
Learn more about the Cool Food Methodology.
Where can I find a list of all Climate-Friendly food items offered by UBC Food Services?
The team is currently developing an online resource that will have this information. Stay tuned!
Do you have any additional questions related to the Climate Friendly Food Labels project or UBC’s actions around reducing emissions from food systems on campus? Send them to: seeds.info@ubc.ca. Learn more about how you can support Climate-Friendly Food Systems at UBC.