Sponsor Profiles
FOUNDING MEMBER
At Barilla, we believe good food is a joy for the present and a choice for a better future for people and the planet. It starts with sustainable agriculture: today over 10,000 farmers are involved in sustainable agriculture projects through working with us. Barilla also sources locally in the countries in which we produce: 90 percent of durum wheat is purchased on the local market. Since 2010, we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 32 percent and water consumption by 24 percent per ton of finished product.
Barilla has found a match for our values and goals in the college & university dining segment, and particularly among MCURC members and leaders. The partnerships have already led to on-campus activations to educate and inspire teams and students about healthy and sustainable eating, educational programs focused on the Mediterranean diet, and even a formal study with Northeastern University students looking at Barilla as a case study of a sustainability-focused business operating in the U.S.
For more information about Barilla’s sustainability efforts around the world, please visit https://www.barillagroup.com/en/sustainability/. As the #1 pasta brand in the U.S., we deliver marketing support, culinary training, and a host of other services beyond what’s in the box. Whether it’s increasing staff or student satisfaction, value-added products to ease labor strain and improve consistency, or menuing nutritious products, Barilla can help. Learn more about our labor-saving and plant-based innovation and initiatives at www.barillafs.com.
FOUNDING MEMBER
Google Food fuels over 100,000 people every day. Since the first executive chef joined the company in 1999, food and how it helps build collaboration and innovation have been at the heart of the culture. Google Food today includes over 200 cafes and restaurants globally serving over 150,000 meals in over 56 countries every day. The food program is free for employees, but it’s not free for Google. Google invests in this program because it sees how important food is to its company and to the Google culture.
It puts a tremendous amount of thought into the food and beverage it serves, which includes its approach to culinary, nutrition, responsible procurement, and resource utilization. At the core foundation of its integrated food and beverage approach is the Menus of Change Principles, a modern, thoughtful mindset on menu planning and responsible business. Its unified approach is what guides Google to ensure that it works towards the singular goal of enabling Googlers to experience the joy of food that enables them to be at their best.
Over the past few years, in collaboration with the CIA, the Google Food team conducted several pilots to develop methods it has begun to operationalize in its dining program. It focused on the following key areas:
Globally inspired, balanced, plant-forward menu concepts support users in making better choices
Right-size portions using the “Flip” & combo plates
Designing operations for the future to “nudge” users toward healthier balanced plant-forward options
Culinary interaction (watching chefs cook your meal; chef recommendations)
Plant-forward merchandising for priming
Thoughtful menu planning and menu labeling
Guided customization
Placement/size of plates, service design/flow, etc.
Google Food is constantly growing and evolving to create engaging and inspiring food experiences that provide fuel for big, innovative thinking and collaboration among employees. It fuels Googlers around the world to be at their best today, tomorrow, and over the long haul.
FOUNDING MEMBER
The Mushroom Council is the marketing organization that represents all growers of cultivated mushrooms in the U.S., creating demand through education, promotion, and nutrition research.The Council plays a critical role in showcasing how mushrooms can help meet the culinary challenges of today’s marketplace through consumer and industry public relations, foodservice promotion, and new concept development and retail communications.
With the development of The Blend and The Blended Burger Project™, the Council has createda movement in partnership with the James Beard Foundation. It strives to make burgers and other iconic foods better by blending ground meat with chopped mushrooms, creating a popular favorite that is better for guests, better for the planet, and better for flavor. The Blend was developed with support from The Culinary Institute of America's Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative (HMC).For information on the CIA – UC Davis research on the blend, visit this link.
Through The Blend, which has been called “the future of food,” the Council is meeting a number of the guiding principles of Menus of Change, such as more fruits and vegetables and less red meat, as it strives to improve the world’s food systems, the sustainability of the planet, and the health of all consumers.
For more information on Mushroom Council, please visit www.mushroomsonthemenu.com
FOUNDING MEMBER
When Alfred Peet founded Peet’s Coffee® in Berkeley, California in 1966, he introduced an artisan movement creating the U.S. specialty coffee industry. Considered the “Big Bang of coffee,” Peet’s legacy – sourcing the world’s best beans, artisan roasting for rich, premium taste and crafting beverages by hand – lives on today in every cup, whether ordered online, selected at a grocery store then brewed at home or served in any one of over 270 Peet’s Coffee locations in the U.S and China. Peet’s Coffee is committed to the welfare of people and the planet, with 100 percent of its coffee purchases verified as responsibly sourced per Enveritas standards. The company operates the first LEED® Gold certified roastery in the United States.
Visit www.peets.com and connect @peetscoffee.
Applegate makes the kind of food people love to eat, like hot dogs and deli meat, with no mystery ingredients, all while being on a mission: Changing The Meat We Eat®. We're committed to looking at the best ways to produce meat smartly and sustainably. That means developing a holistic system that connects the health of humans, animals, and planet. We source our meat from more than 2,000 farms, where animals are raised responsibly with no antibiotics ever.
For more information about Applegate, please visit www.applegate.com
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) is a marketing organization that works actively with all segments of the foodservice industry to increase awareness and broaden the demand for one of the world’s most delicious and healthiest protein sources — wild and sustainable Alaska seafood. A variety of custom designed resources are available to help operators capitalize on the growing consumer popularity of eating natural, real, healthy foods like Alaska seafood.
For more information on Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, please visit https://www.alaskaseafood.org/
As a global brand in the plant-based food industry, Better Balance Foods is driven by a passion for innovation, health, and exceptional flavor. We fully embrace Plant-Forward Culinary Strategies and promote balance by introducing a greater variety of plant-based foods for healthier and more sustainable diets.
What sets Better Balance Foods apart is our ability to seamlessly fit into various cuisines by creating high-quality, versatile ingredients that absorb and complement your creative direction. This allows anyone to introduce healthy, plant-based alternatives that stay true to the dish's delicious flavor, texture, and ambition.
For more information, please visit: https://betterbalancefoods.us/
Cocovibe empowers students, college communities and food service operators to be a positive force in the world.
Plant-based, organic, clean label and additive free, Cocovibe provides functional nutrition and electrolyte hydration without the added sugars and high sodium levels of other dispensed/fountain beverages. Made with only two ingredients: organic coconut water and organic fruit, Cocovibe’s three flavor styles are naturally rich in potassium and low in sodium and sugar. An 8 oz serving of Cocovibe provides more potassium than a banana, with only 6-8g of natural sugar. By addressing Americans’ potassium deficiencies with plant-based beverages rich in potassium, Cocovibe supports the potassium/sodium electrolyte balance every human cell requires to function properly. Due to its unique nutritional properties, Cocovibe supports cognitive and physical health and performance unlike any other dispensed beverages.
Cocovibe is the first nutritious and functional beverage to provide the superior sustainability and lower cost of fountain/dispensed beverages from concentrate. Carbon emissions and packaging waster are reduced by nearly 90% vs packaged beverages. One pallet of Cocovibe concentrate provides the same amount of drinkable product as 10 pallets of 12 oz bottled or canned beverages. Reusable, washable and eco-friendly drinkware are enabled and single-serve plastics are eliminated.
Cocovibe believes young people have the passion and power to make the world a better place for all. To that end, Cocovibe empowers and micro-funds students with Cocovibe Grants that provide students the money they need to do good things for the environment, people and communities in need. A $1,000 Cocovibe grant is awarded every week to help a student address a societal or environmental issue they care most about personally impacting.
In April 2021, illy earned B-Corp certification for meeting the highest standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and responsibility. Ethics and sustainability are part of illy caffè’s DNA since its founding in 1933. These values are applied to the company’s entire supply chain, which is built on a system of direct relations with suppliers based on four pillars: selecting and working directly with the best Arabica growers, transferring knowledge and expertise to the growers, training them at illy caffè’s University of Coffee; and through direct, hands-on work in coffee fields with specialized agronomists to achieve sustained, high-quality production while also respecting the environment. We continue to make a difference and lead by action, which includes our goal of reaching Carbon Neutrality by 2033.
Learn more about illy caffè’s University of Coffee at https://www.illy.com/en-us/universita-del-caffe.
The International Fresh Produce Association is the largest and most diverse international association serving the entire fresh produce and floral supply chain, and the only to seamlessly integrate world-facing advocacy and industry-facing support. We exist to create a vibrant future for all, and to do so with our members’ prosperity in mind. For more information about our work in a variety of areas including proprietary consumer insights, nutrition policy, and sustainability initiatives, please visit www.freshproduce.com.
The Jackfruit Company recognized the potential of jackfruit early on. Founded by Annie Ryu, a Harvard graduate, the company emerged from her mission to transform agriculture and food systems in emerging markets.
Bite-by-bite, Jack & Annie’s and The Jackfruit Company are building a better planet, supporting farming communities in India by preventing jackfruit from going to waste, operating the largest global jackfruit supply chain, and providing farming families with 10-40% of their income.
As of 2022, The Jackfruit Company worked with 1,783 farmers who collectively had 516,677 trees which sequestered 28,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. By next year, these farmers will manage an additional 61,000 trees. We are big supporters of small farmers, with over half of our partners farming less than five acres of land.
The commercial potential of jackfruit is underpinned by its environmental credentials. Growing jackfruit requires no irrigation, pesticides, or fertilizers, and the trees contribute to a regenerative ecosystem. Therefore, jackfruit is a more sustainable option than many other popular meat substitute crops.
By sourcing sustainably harvested jackfruit from India, The Jackfruit Company delivers healthy, versatile products to consumers and creates a positive social impact by providing income to local farming communities. For more information about The Jackfruit Company and Jack & Annie’s sustainability efforts, please visit https://www.jackandannies.com/impact/.
Lentils.org is actively working to increase the awareness and consumption of delicious and nutritious lentils in North America. High in protein and fiber, lentils are an economical and sustainable source of plant-based protein. Lentils, as well as other pulses, use less fertilizer and improve soil health by fixing nitrogen back into the soil during the growing process. Lentils and other pulses also have a low carbon footprint, are resilient in the face of climate change, and require relatively low water inputs. Lentils.org is proud to work on behalf of growers who are committed to sustainable agricultural practices and respecting the environment.
With a specific focus on the foodservice industry and working with the innovative thought leaders in the college and university (C&U) space, Lentils.org looks forward to working with you to advance menu innovation using lentils as your go-to source of plant protein on your menus. Lentils are an affordable tool to carry global flavors when promoting healthy menu tactics like “The Blend”, “The Protein Flip”, and building creative “Power Bowls.”
For more information on Lentils, please visit www.lentils.org/foodservice/
Nestlé Professional is a leader and trusted partner in Out-of-Home, serving customers with passion by providing expertise and efficient, innovative food and beverage solutions that help them win (www.nestleprofessional.com).
As part of the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé S.A., our work is guided by our desire to contribute to nutritious and sustainable diets, to help protect, renew, and restore natural resources, to help strengthen communities, and to operate responsibly. Through the Nestlé Professional product portfolio of food and beverage solutions, we partner with foodservice operators who share our values and ambitions to continue to delight out-of-home consumers, including college and university students, while we continue to innovate to meet expectations that our products be good for people and good for the planet. For more information on Nestlé’s global sustainability ambitions, including our commitment to Net Zero Greenhouse Gas emissions by 2050, please visit https://www.nestle.com/sustainability.
We are proud to support the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative as part of advancing our mission of sustainability. Colleges and universities and the students they serve are at the forefront of forming the future of food, and we’re proud to be a partner in shaping that future.
Nature's Fynd™ grows Fy Protein™ through fermentation of a naturally occurring organism, a fungi that has origins in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park. Fy™ is a complete nutritional fungi protein that's entirely new in the global food supply chain and can be made into delicious, sustainable foods that nourish people and nurture the planet.
Inspired by nature’s own efficiency, Nature’s Fynd invented a breakthrough fermentation technology called liquid-air interface fermentation that grows Fy 24/7, 365 days a year without the need for rain, sun, or soil. Their proprietary fermentation method enables them to create protein more efficiently and effectively than traditional agriculture (99% less land, 99% less water, and 94% fewer greenhouse gases compared to beef). Fy is a complete vegan protein with all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential ones. The health benefits of Fy don’t end there—it’s also non-GMO, a good source of fiber, low in fat, and contains no cholesterol. Fy is grown without the use of hormones, insecticides, pesticides, or herbicides. Additionally, Fy has 50% more protein than tofu and twice as much protein as raw peas; it is more easily digested compared to other proteins. This powerhouse protein can be made into a liquid, powder, or solid, and then into amazing-tasting foods ranging from dairy-free cream cheese to meatless breakfast patties. Consistent with MCURC’s platform, Nature’s Fynd is creating foods to help people discover alternate proteins that are nutritious, delicious, and sustainable
Discovering ways to create a variety of sustainable food options is key to feeding our rising global population, and Nature’s Fynd is proud to partner with MCURC to drive that goal forward.
To learn more about Nature's Fynd, please visit: https://www.naturesfynd.com
Oatly is the world’s original and largest oatmilk company. Our mission is to make it easy for people to eat better and live healthier lives without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process. According to the United Nations, the global food system is responsible for about a third of global emissions, with about 50% of those emissions coming from the livestock and animal agriculture industries. Knowing this, the greatest impact we can have as a company is to convert dairy users into Oatly consumers, empowering the plant-based revolution.
Food is delicious, it’s personal and it’s something tangible that people make choices about every single day. Our great-tasting products – everything from oatmilks to frozen desserts, non-dairy cream cheese and more – use a proprietary process that delivers the same creamy taste, frothy feel, and functionality as cow’s dairy. What’s the secret? Oats, of course! They’re a wondercrop and can grow around the world, require less land and fewer resources to cultivate than livestock, and are great for soil health. With oats as our core ingredient, we’re able to produce dairy alternatives that emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions than cow’s milk.
Learn more about our products, sustainability initiatives, regenerative agriculture projects and more at oatly.com
Pulmuone was founded in 1981 by farmer Won Kyung as a small organic produce shop in South Korea. Often referred to as the father of organic farming, Mr. Won believed in sustainable practices that regenerate the land and the community – thoughtfully grown to deliver wholesome food you can trust. With that commitment, Pulmuone established itself as the first Korean company to follow the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) philosophy and continues to nourish lives through delicious food that empowers health and happiness for all.
One of Pulmuone's leading brands, Nasoya, is America’s #1 tofu brand and has a growing line of convenient plant-based meal solutions – Plantspired. The Plantspired product line-up raises the bar on everyday plant-based meals by bringing together classic and Asian-inspired flavors and simple plant-based protein, tofu, to create delicious, convenient, and nutritious meals without compromising taste. Most notably, the plant-based meat market is a sizable and rapidly growing category and we’re proud to debut the first-to-market premium plant-based steak featuring tender steak-like strips that are marinated in Korean BBQ flavors and charcoal-grilled to perfection.
Some of our key product offerings include:
· Premium Plant-Based Steak
· Water-packed & Vacuum-packed Tofu
· Super Firm High Protein Tofu
· Vegan & Meat Dumplings
· Authentic Korean Kimchi
· Plant-Based Bolognese Sauce
· Korean-Inspired Jajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce)
Our goal is to propel the plant-forward movement by partnering with colleges & universities and foodservice operators to implement healthy and plant-forward menus and options that delight and inspire customers to live more sustainable lives. Pulmuone has a robust portfolio of innovative products that help meet the growing consumer demand for plant-forward offerings and Asian cuisine.
Learn more at PulmuoneFoodsUSA.com.
Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) believes a foodservice business thrives only when the people who work there thrive. As the dedicated foodservice business of Unilever, the department leads the industry in providing innovative and high-quality professional food ingredients and value-adding services created by 300 professional chefs, covering 50 cuisines, in 200 million dishes a day. UFS aims to do this in a sustainable way by focusing on four areas to make a difference:
Improving health and well-being: UFS has helped 26,000 operators lower sodium levels and calories in their dishes with training, nutritional support, and healthy inspiration.
Increasing food safety: UFS has trained over 372,000 chefs on food safety in their kitchens via the Chefmanship Academy and online training programs.
Reducing food waste: UFS has helped 45,000 operators reduce food waste in their kitchens/workplaces via innovative and improved products, digital tools (e.g. WUOW app), and collective efforts (e.g. Food Collective).
Sustainable sourcing: UFS supports operators to cook more sustainably using sustainably sourced ingredients in our products.
Learn more at UFS.com.
US Foods® is committed to working with our partners and suppliers to bring the best and widest selection of products that are authentic, with simple ingredients from sources you know and trust, along with clear information to help you decide what’s right for your diners. We believe that the power of food can do remarkable things, like create change that unites us all and improves the state of our planet, people, and communities. We’re working together to help customers live better.
Our Serve Good® program product portfolio is managed to meet the nutritional and environmental preferences of our customers and their diners, many of which align with Menus of Change Principles for Healthy, Sustainable Menus. To be included in the Serve Good program, a product requires two attributes. First, it must come with a claim of responsible sourcing or contribution to waste reduction. Second, it must arrive to our customers in packaging that meets our program specifications. Products within the Serve Good portfolio are developed with suppliers who are committed to responsible practices, and most items come with the reassurance of verification by third-party certifiers.
To learn more, visit usfoods.com/hungryforbetter.
With a promise to help its customers make it, US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With 70 broadline locations and more than 80 cash and carry stores, US Foods and its 28,000 associates provide its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions.
At Violife, we share a deep commitment to promoting dairy-free, allergen free and more sustainable dining options for college and university foodservice professionals. Our mission aligns perfectly with the Menus of Change Principles.
We believe that good food should not only delight the taste buds but also contribute to a better future for both people and the planet.
Violife is dedicated to crafting plant-based, dairy-free alternatives that not only taste delicious but also help reduce the environmental footprint associated with traditional dairy products. We source our ingredients responsibly, emphasizing local partnerships whenever possible. Our dedication to sustainability is evident in our significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption throughout our production processes.
We are excited to collaborate with MCURC members and leaders to inspire and educate the college and university community about the benefits of plant-based, sustainable dining. Our innovative plant-based solutions are designed to support institutions in offering nutritious and eco-friendly menu options. Together, we can create a positive impact on campus dining experiences and contribute to a healthier, more sustainable future. Learn more about our commitment to a greener planet at www.violife.com/sustainability.