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The University of North Texas Dining Services team is minimizing its environmental footprint. As part of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, UNT Dining works alongside a network of colleges and universities to create healthier, sustainable food options for campus dining.

In Fall 2023, chefs from Dining Services collaborated with nine MCURC member institutions on “Repurpose with a Purpose,” a research project highlighting the financial, environmental and social benefits of creatively repurposing food in large-scale dining operations. UNT Dining Services and Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises co-led the project.

During a 12-week research sprint, the nine institutions measured how repurposing ingredients can impact the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. The research findings were included in an MCURC report and used to create a toolkit  to help other universities and organizations adopt similar repurposing practices. A collection of recipes is also available for those wanting to add more sustainable practices to their own kitchens.

“Organizations are spending dollars on sustainability,” said Matthew Ward, UNT’s executive chef of residential dining and co-chair of the MCURC Executive Chef Committee. “They’ve heard from the consumer that sustainability is something they want companies to focus on and to make pledges about concrete changes they plan to make by 2030 or 2050. Communicating savings and diverted waste is a component of that.”

Within just one month, the participating institutions collectively saved roughly $20,000 in food costs, 21,000 gallons of water and 545,000 tons of carbon emissions.

“It’s been a great way to engage all of our teams into coming up with innovative and environmentally positive recipes, and to share those with the greater university and organizations that are within the MCURC,” said Ward.

As a founding member of the MCURC, UNT has been involved with the collaborative since it began in 2012. UNT Dining Services strives to maintain an environmental consciousness in all of their operations even outside of their involvement with the MCURC, from the Mean Green Acres hydroponic garden that provides leafy greens on campus to repurposing baked goods for use in Scrappy’s Ice Cream production.

Learn more about UNT Dining Services’ participation in the MCURC online.

UNT is ranked No.1 as the best college food in Texas and No. 4 in the nation by Niche.com. The Dining Services team also holds three grand prize wins from the 2024 NACUFS National Conference.