3.3 Friendly, Healthy and Seasonal Catering at Reasonable Prices Feeding ULiège students and staff in a healthy and sustainable way while maintaining affordable prices are the two main goals of the institution’s catering services. Creativity and proactivity are required to achieve this. Thus, ULiège subsidises this activity to the tune of almost 900,000€, to finance the difference between the market price and that charged by the university restaurants. “This allows us to maintain access to a whole range of healthy and sustainable products,” says Anne Girin, ULiège Administrator and President of the ASBL Restaurants universitaires de Liège. This preferential rate aims to avoid junk food as much as possible. Confectionery and soft drinks, for example, are sold at market prices, which helps to raise consumer awareness and steer their consumption towards better quality food. The supply of foodstuffs was entrusted to the company COMPASS GROUP BELGILUX on 1st January 2020. This public contract is based on a set of specifications that prioritise sustainable development by listing concrete requirements, which are verified during the execution of the contract. “We prioritise fresh, organic and unprocessed, local and seasonal products or products from fair trade,” says Annick Lambert, who is responsible for the daily management of the ULiège cafeterias and restaurants. “Attention is also paid to food wastage, recycling and waste reduction. We also encourage the use of water fountains, promote conviviality, socially responsible management of human resources, and the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products.” Strongly affected by the pandemic, the evolution of the activity and the respect of the required criteria have only really been observed for a few months. But the initiatives are moving in the right direction. In concrete terms, the volume of purchases of local and seasonal products is increasing and should continue to do so. A vegetable factory has been set up. It allows fresh vegetables to be processed directly in the kitchens, thus favouring short circuits rather than pre-cut and pre-packaged vegetables. “An increasing proportion of fresh produce from local producers is prepared there. We offer a varied salad bar, an organic hot vegetable bar, soups made from fresh vegetables and a 100% local menu every week.” Disposable tableware has been phased out by 90% (95% planned for 2023) and replaced with tableware the students have to pay a refundable deposit for. In the area of waste management, waste sorting tables have been installed. Work is also being done to raise awareness of quality and sustainable food, for example through information campaigns on the vegetable and fruit of the month, as well as food data sheets detailing the composition of the various meals. GET YOUR MUG, AND MORE At the same time, the institution has partially financed reusable mugs and cutlery sets. “These utensils are sold at a democratic price,” explains Anne Girin. “We encourage students to use them, especially through discounts on their orders when they use them.” Sustainability means healthy and ecological food. Sustainability must also be economic and social. “We strongly emphasise these points,” says Annick Lambert. “We are working on developing the well-being of the staff. The restaurant team has access to training. We have also increased the number of permanent contracts, and we are continually seeking to strengthen a sense of belonging within the team.” To guarantee economic sustainability, the ASBL acts as a direct contact with small producers. “We look for suppliers in partnership with the Ceinture Alimentaire-Terre Liégeoise. When negotiating prices, we remain sensitive to the value of work and the economic realities of the sector. Today, milk, some vegetables and meat are supplied by local producers and cooperatives and meet sustainability criteria. The coffee is also 100% fair trade and organic.” A RANGE OF CONSUMER OFFERS AND HABITS To better align its objectives with consumer expectations, the ASBL conducted a satisfaction survey. 1,200 people, mainly students, gave their opinion on the canteen services. “The feedback was very good, especially regarding the reusable containers, the organic food and the friendliness of the staff,” says Annick Lambert. “We have had little feedback on the vegan and vegetarian proposals. We noted that too abrupt a transition to fully sustainable and healthy menu proposals would alienate a large fraction of our clientele. Traditional ‘brasserie’ dishes continue to enjoy great success. But some new products, such as Poke Bowls, are doing quite well. We have a little room for manoeuvre to develop the menu in order to modernise certain proposals, rebalance the menu and influence the evolution of consumer habits. This evolution must be accompanied by other measures, such as communication campaigns.” As regards the management of cardboard, grease, PMC and glass waste, sorting tables have been installed in the self-service units, but efforts to raise awareness are still needed. Better management of food waste (50% by 2022, with a target of 100% by 2023) is necessary, in particular through greater awareness of selective sorting, the installation of additional sorting tables, weighing of waste and a collaboration with Too Good to Go. The reduction of energy consumption is another crucial point for which actions are planned. The proportion of local and seasonal products will also increase, and all of these measures are working towards anchoring ULiège in its sustainable dynamic. FIND OUT MORE Anne Girin Administrator of ULiège and President of the Restaurants universitaires de Liège (ASBL) 14 | ANNUAL REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT ULIÈGE | 2021 – 2022 15 | ANNUAL REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AT ULIÈGE | 2021 – 2022
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