Catering
New measures to promote sustainable catering have been implemented in the university's catering facilities. Since 2023 the vegetarian/vegan range has been expanded and corresponding menus have been consistently cheaper than meat-based alternatives. Nevertheless, catering-related greenhouse gas emissions increased due to the normalization of operations, but remained below the level of the years before the Covid pandemic.
Further development of the vegetarian/vegan catering offer
After a test month and a survey, a price differentiation between meat-based and vegetarian or vegan menus was implemented in 2023 at Mensa Bernoulli, Restaurant Bacells' and Cafeteria La Strada.1 In these establishments, meat-based dishes have cost at least CHF 2 more than vegetarian or vegan options since then. During the reporting period, the Bacells' restaurant offered at least two vegetarian or vegan options daily, while the entire buffet in the Bernoulli cafeteria was vegetarian, with meat available at an additional charge. At least one vegetarian or vegan dish was also offered daily in the La Strada cafeteria at WWZ. Four of the university's five catering outlets will be reallocated in 2025, meaning that new options will be available on campus from summer 2025.
Various measures and campaigns for sustainable catering were implemented in 2023 and 2024:
Expected increase in greenhouse gas emissions
After the low level of emissions in the years of the Covid pandemic - triggered by temporary closures of establishments and changes of operator - catering-related greenhouse gas emissions rose again significantly in 2023 and 2024 (to 650 and 656 tCO2-eq respectively) as sales figures normalized. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions targeted in the university's climate strategy in the coming years is to be achieved by further expanding the plant-based range - in addition to continuing to largely exclude airline products2 - as meat and dairy products are responsible for the majority of emissions.3
Label products and food waste
The following data was recorded for 2023 and 2024 in the restaurants and cafeterias operated by the SV Group. Almost 80% of the meat on offer in the past two years was BTS-RAUS certified, which sets higher animal welfare requirements than the minimum standards under animal welfare legislation. Almost 60% of the meat on offer was also IP-SUISSE certified. The proportion of certified fish (MSC/ASC) remained at above 90%. The food waste generated was recorded in the Bernoulli canteen and the Bacells' restaurant in 2024 and amounted to around 25 g per main meal, which is at a comparable level to before the Covid pandemic.
[1] While the Bacells' Restaurant and Kaffi in the Biozentrum and the cafeteria in the University Library were operated continuously by the SV Group, Mensa Bernoulli and the cafeteria in the Kollegienhaus were taken over from ZFV by the SV Group in summer 2023. The La Strada cafeteria in the WWZ was run by Rüstzeug GmbH in 2023 and taken over by the Malian Association in 2024.
[2] From 2026, a maximum of 0.5 % of the food service companies' shopping baskets may be transported by air freight.
[3] From summer 2025, the catering operations will be awarded by tender. The objectives of the climate strategy were taken into account in the tendering process, with sustainability specification and award criteria. From now on, annual action plans to optimize monitoring and sustainability management will be agreed with the new companies.
