Meat still on menu for most sustainable conference catering at University of Birmingham

A woman holding a plate of food including green vegetables — Every dish on the new Green Conference Catering Package is carbon-costed

Meat will still be a part of sustainable dining during conferences and events at the University of Birmingham, as a new menu will feature a more “nuanced” approach to environmental catering.

The University of Birmingham’s Conference and Events team has introduced a new carbon A-rated menu, which assesses the field-to-fork emissions of each ingredient in a dish. Each menu option will be ‘A-rated’, which means that the combined emissions from their ingredients will be less than 500g, less than a third of the average UK meal.

The menu will continue to feature British-sourced and welfare-assured meat, eggs and dairy. In addition, single-use plastic is banned and suppliers are vetted for their sustainable credentials. The package includes:

Ethically sourced local and seasonal ingredients. We are proud to only use 100% British meat and free-range eggs, Red Tractor milk, and MSC-certified seafood.
Encouraging events in our most energy-efficient venues
All food waste transformed into energy. We send any event food waste to be anaerobically digested.
No single-use plastics.
We only work with sustainable suppliers.
Sustainable travel. We offer hybrid events and 360 tours, so both the planning and events can be online. And it’s easy to travel here responsibly; we are the only university to have its own train station, and there are plenty of electric car charging stations.

....we’ve gone for a more nuanced solution, working with suppliers and producers to calculate the CO2 equivalent value of each dish – and created outstanding menus that won’t cost the earth.
Annaliese Stanton, Project Manager

Sally Badham Lee, Head of Conferences and Events, said: “Our customers are passionate about sustainability and can trust us to organise events which won’t hurt the planet.

“I’m thrilled to launch our new green events package, which has taken months of research and careful planning. We are supporting the University in reaching its aim to be operationally net zero by 2045 by changing the way we operate, and I’m very proud to provide an attractive conferencing service with a delicious menu. Saving the planet never tasted so good.”

Project manager Annaliese Stanton explained why the team hadn’t opted for a plant-based menu: “Transporting fruit and vegetables from across the globe isn’t good for the planet, and some vegan food is highly processed.

“Instead, we’ve gone for a more nuanced solution, working with suppliers and producers to calculate the CO2 equivalent value of each dish – and created outstanding menus that won’t cost the earth.”

If you’re planning a conference or event, we would be delighted to talk to you about hosting it here at University of Birmingham – or using our event management service elsewhere in the West Midlands.

For further information or interviews, please contact Campus Services Marketing and Communications Manager Sala Davies or call 0121 415 8400.

This initiative is Conferences and Events’ response to University of Birmingham’s ambition to achieve operational net zero carbon emissions by 2045.
Conferences and Events organises academic conferences to shine light on research; and prestigious events at University of Birmingham and its city centre venue, The Exchange.
A carbon A-rated menu means each dish has been carefully chosen for its farm-to-fork emissions, and for being A-rated. That means we have considered* how each ingredient has been farmed, transported, and packaged, and the CO2 equivalent value was less than 500g. The CO2e value of the average UK meal is 1.7kg. This is calculated using data provided by the World Resources Institute and the Poore & Nemecek (2018) study, published in the journal Science, which is the largest meta-analysis of food systems to date.
Watch Vice-Chancellor Professor Adam Tickell launch the new menu: Sustainability – University of Birmingham | Conferences & Events (bham.ac.uk)
Food Fellows – University of Birmingham’s food and beverage team – has made huge efforts to work with suppliers and find new local producers who take sustainability as seriously as we do. Meet the producers.
The Soil Association has just awarded Food Fellows’ largest restaurant Campus Infusion – where most food on campus is prepared - with a bronze Food for Life Served Here award. This verifies Food Fellows’ commitment to climate, nature, and health.
100% customers told us in post-event feedback forms that they would factor in sustainability when selecting a venue for their conference or event. Choosing to hold a green event at University of Birmingham means they can be confident they are doing the right thing by the planet.

Notes for editors