Lehigh University has committed to social, environmental, and economic sustainability by advancing solutions that support sustainable change through the development and implementation of a 10-year Sustainability Strategic Plan 2030. Within the 2030 Plan, one of the 113 goals is to develop and implement a Sustainable and Healthful Food Purchasing Policy that sets new standards for measuring the ecological, social, and health impacts of on-campus food preparation and consumption. “This policy is just one example of a collaborative campus effort with involvement from multiple departments. It allows Lehigh to expand its commitment to purchasing more sustainable food. By working together and by seeking input through surveys and focus groups, we have developed a policy that truly reflects our campus community,” said Katharine Targett Gross, Sustainability Officer.
Sustainable food, which Lehigh defines as “food that nourishes producers, consumers, communities, and the Earth,” offers a plethora of social benefits, strengthens connections within and between communities, and protects biodiversity and natural resources while minimizing their damage and waste. Lauren Sleeger, Director of Rathbone Dining notes that, “The policy we are creating is a reflection of the ideals our students, faculty, and staff represent. Most important to them by far is offering healthy, defined as high in protein and plant-based, and local products, but in addition is the demand for change in our global food system to be more transparent, fair, and equitable.” Not only does this policy offer healthy food to students and encourage ethical consumption behaviors, but the policy highlights the larger issue of food insecurity.” Sleeger adds, “It's time to break the cycle and do our part to correct the global food crisis before it's too late.”
The development and implementation of the policy is being led by the Campus Food Systems (CFS) Working Group which is composed of staff from Lehigh Dining, the Office of Sustainability, Student Auxiliary Services, and Purchasing Services. Current members of the CFS Working Group include:
David Joseph, Executive Director of Student Auxiliary Services
Lauren Sleeger, Director of Rathbone
Katharine Targett Gross, Sustainability Officer
Jane Altemose, Director of Purchasing
Evan Rehrig, Marketing Manager for Lehigh Dining
Audrey McSain, Sustainability Program Manager
Aleksander Gulkewicz, Graduate Assistant in the Office of Sustainability
The process for policy development began with the CFS Working Group soliciting input about food consumption from the Lehigh campus community through the distribution of surveys to current and incoming students, faculty, and staff. Through these surveys, valuable information about trends and preferences were collected along with input about food quality and selection, disposables and packaging, and food waste. Further stakeholder engagement was performed through focus groups aimed at gathering additional information.
The CFS Working Group has been developing the Sustainable and Healthful Food Purchasing Policy for the last several months. This group meets every three weeks to discuss current and future food initiatives and also oversees the work of undergraduate students in assessing the sustainability of Lehigh’s current food purchasing. The draft policy is completed, and a two week campus review process was initiated on April 1. The group is aiming to incorporate campus feedback and complete the policy by July 1. Campus roll out is expected in August.