The University of Maryland Joins the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative

In the past seven years, the University of Maryland Dining Services (UMD DS) has made a commitment to building exceptional culinary experiences, eliminating food insecurity on campus, and creating noteworthy sustainability impacts. To further support this commitment, UMD DS has joined the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC). Maryland joins over 50 universities, and 150 organizations and individuals working to leverage our unique position in university dining to advance positive life-long food choices among students.

The Menus of Change initiative advances better food choices and menu development at the intersection of health sustainability imperatives, culinary insight and next-generation business strategy.The purpose of the MCURC is to create a culture of innovation and sharing within and among colleges and universities using the Menus of Change principles, and to advance a research agenda related to those principles. One of the best ways to advance such thinking is by incubating novel collaborations in university-wide academic and foodservice settings—and innovative collaboration among universities.

As a member of Menus of Change, UMD DS will seek to advance healthier, more sustainable life-long food choices among students. This includes offering more plant-based foods in dining halls and educating students on the benefits of a plant-based diet. UMD DS will also aim to adhere to the following principles:

• Transparency about sourcing and preparation of food
• Buying fresh, seasonal, and local
• Focusing on whole, minimally processed foods
• Celebrating cultural diversity and discovery
• Offering meatless menu options
• Incorporating sustainable practices into daily operating procedures.

To further advance the Menus of Change principles, Senior Executive Chef John Gray coordinated two culinary training opportunities for DS chefs and cooks. In May, Chef Gray led 40 chefs and cooks through a syllabus centered on international street food.

“Street food uses local, inexpensive ingredients and bright regional flavors to create unique menu items that will surprise and delight students,” says Chef John. “This is a great way to demonstrate more sustainable cuisine, expand our menus, and bring fun, easy to eat food to the dining halls.”

In August, Chef Gray hosted Guest Chef Jennifer DiFrancesco and the team from the Humane Society of the United States for a two-day intensive training titled "Forward Food". "Forward Food" is specifically designed to help the cooks at Maryland make plant-based food for all students, without segmenting one special group of students. The favors in this program, whether familiar or exotic, provide substantial entrees that all students will enjoy.

“Whether or not you are a full-time vegetarian, you will find delicious food on the menu this year at the University of Maryland,” said Allison Tjaden, dining services assistant director for New Initiatives. “Many students tell us that they eat meat at some meals and not at every meal.”

These culinary trainings mark two more steps in a journey that began in 2012, when the UMD DS, with the support of the students, faculty and staff in the Sustainable Food Committee, drafted and ratified a sustainable food commitment pledging to support the University’s goal of being a “model of a green university” and its public commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050. To this end, dining services aimed to purchase 20 percent sustainable food by 2020. Dining not only reached but surpassed this goal by incorporating over 27 percent sustainable foods into dining hall menus as of 2017.

In 2016, UMD DS revamped its residential meal program and introduced Anytime Dining — marking a dramatic shift from the previous retail dining model. Since then, use of fresh vegetables has skyrocketed, including vegetables from UMD DS’ own Terp Farm, a collaborative project with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. All vegetables served in the dining halls are fresh, never canned or frozen, which allows chefs to season and roast, steam, grill, or bake, sealing in nutrition while adding flavor and variety to these more popular dishes.

“We serve more Brussels sprouts, broccoli, squash, and green beans than I ever would have imagined,” according to Chef Robert Adams of South Campus Dining Hall. And as UMD DS continues to ramp up participation in the Menus of Change, students can expect to see even more healthful, sustainable, and delicious food on campus.

About the University of Maryland Dining Services
A self-supporting, self-operated department, Dining Services is committed to providing the University community with nutritious and popular meals in welcoming settings every day. UMD DS operates three dining halls and 34 other locations on the campus of the University of Maryland including cafes, convenience shops, food courts, a restaurant, and athletic concessions. We are the official caterer of the Maryland Terrapin football team.

About the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative
Co-founded and jointly led by Stanford University and The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). An extension of the Menus of Change initiative presented by the CIA and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health-Department of Nutrition. The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative is a working group of leading scholars, foodservice business leaders and executive chefs from 35+ colleges and universities who are accelerating efforts to move Americans toward healthier, more sustainable plant-forward diets. This initiative leverages the unique position of universities to advance positive life-long food choices among students – who will soon be parents and adult decision-makers – by connecting a diversity of insights from academic programs, dining services, and athletics (performance dining). The vision is to collaborate on research and education in support of culinary-centric, evidence-based food systems innovation within and beyond universities. To learn more about MCURC, please visit moccollaborative.org.