St Andrews earns top sustainable food rating

Solar-powered prawn farm, local Fife suppliers and a commitment to plant-forward menus help St Andrews land top tier in global hospitality sustainability standard.

The University of St Andrews has been awarded three stars – the highest tier – in the 2026 Food Made Good Standard, the sustainability benchmark run by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

The certification places the University among the leaders of a socially progressive hospitality sector working towards environmentally restorative practices, with assessors singling out St Andrews’ commitment to locally sourced, high-quality food as a particular strength.

The Food Made Good Standard marks businesses across three areas – Sourcing, Society and Environment – each broken into further impact areas covering everything from staff welfare to seafood sustainability. St Andrews scored 74% on Sourcing, 78% on Society, and 84% on Environment, its strongest category.

Environment Manager Andy Stahly said of the recognition: “This accreditation highlights the incredible sustainability initiatives being undertaken at the university across multiple departments. This award has allowed us to highlight our achievements and helps pave the way forward as we keep striving to reduce our carbon footprint while providing quality meals to our students.

“This accreditation would not have been possible without the collaboration of our colleagues working within the Catering, Procurement and Environment Team,” he added.

Assessors praised the University’s approach to provenance and quality, highlighting collaboration with local suppliers and producers in Fife to source native ingredients and products made from “wonky” vegetables, alongside a well-thought-out tender questionnaire tackling supply chain sustainability.

Most of the seafood served across campus is certified, and flagship initiatives singled out for praise included the solar-powered aquaculture farm operated by Rastech at Eden Campus, which supplies prawns, and the edible campus project run by Transition.

The University’s commitment to healthier, plant-forward menus was also commended: over 50% of the food offer is meat-free in some outlets, backed by clear buy-in from catering leaders who have undertaken further training through the Forward Food initiative through Humane World for Animals.

The Society score of 78% was underpinned by St Andrews’ status as a living wage employer and its Silver Athena Swanaward for gender equality. Staff support networks – including groups for parents and carers, BAME staff, LGBTQ+ staff, and staff with disabilities or neurodiversity – were also noted, alongside the Spare Spoon initiative, which offers students free surplus food rather than letting it go to waste.

The University’s highest score, 84%, came in the Environment pillar, driven by measures such as the Eco-Takeout reusable container scheme, discounts for reusable cups, the removal of single-use items and plastic trays from dining halls, and the separate collection of food waste for anaerobic digestion. A revised travel policy discouraging domestic flights was also credited.

Professor Ineke De Moortel, Sustainability strategic theme lead and Master of the United College, said: “This result reflects the dedication of our catering, sustainability and student teams to rethink how we source, cook and serve food across campus. We’re proud of what’s been achieved, but we see this as a milestone rather than a finish line – there’s a clear roadmap ahead, and we intend to keep pushing on it.”

The Food Made Good Standard, launched by the SRA in 2010, is now used by food and drink businesses worldwide as a benchmark for sustainability performance across sourcing, social impact and environmental footprint.