Media Coverage

Discover the latest MCURC media coverage, member stories featured in the news and recent publications!

For questions regarding the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, please contact Abby Fammartino (abby.fammartino@culinary.edu) or Sophie Egan (smegan@stanford.edu), Co-Directors of the MCURC.

To submit media for the newsletter or website, please contact Valentina Córdoba at valentina.cordoba@culinary.edu.

June–July 2025 Highlights

The 2025 Plant-Forward Opportunity Report featured in Restaurant Business. Read the full report here.
June 5, 2025.

Read the publication of the FoodWISE case study, "Empowering Staff in Foodservice for Sustainable Impact: A FoodWISE Approach to Reducing Food Waste." June 20, 2025.

The 2025 Plant-Forward Opportunity Report featured in Green Queen. Read the full report here.
June 5, 2025.

The Culinary Institute of America hosted a Sustainable Seafood event. Discover the collaboration between CIA and Monterey Bay Aquarium here, and rewatch the session here. June 3, 2025

We’re thrilled to welcome Universidad Anáhuac Mayab as the first member institution from Latin America to join our collaborative! Read more here. June 25th, 2025.

Several MCURC Members recognized in the 2025 NACUFS Dining, Nutrition & Sustainability Awards!
June 3, 2025.

MCURC member Dr. Christopher Gardner discusses the health impacts of various diets on the Huberman Lab Podcast. Listen in here. May 12, 2025.

Price tops protein content when choosing plant-forward menu items. The 2025 Plant-Forward Opportunity Report featured in FoodService Director. June 6, 2025.

April–May 2025 Highlights

Columbia University cuts food emissions in year one of Plant-Powered Challenge! Read here. April 2, 2025.

Rethinking Campus Dining: MCURC and the University of Reading featured in The Caterer. February 17, 2025.

Repurposing Food Waste in University Dining: A Triple Win.
April 23, 2025.

New Johns Hopkins Study Highlights Meatless Monday’s Impact on Healthy, Sustainable Diets.
April 14, 2025.

Appetite Journal has just published a new article featuring Johns Hopkins University’s Climate Labeling Study. April 1, 2025.

Stanford University Publishes New Study on Portion Sizes in Campus Dining Halls.
April 16, 2025.

The Collective Impact Report featured in The Sustainability Outlook 2025. March 12, 2025.

The MCURC has been included as a case of success in the National Food Strategy published by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food

MCURC Member Dr. Nida I. Shaikh, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, honored with Lewis College Mid-Career Award for Health Science Contributions. April 4, 2025.

MCURC member Patti Klos, Senior Director of Dining Services at Tufts University, wins the 2025 Silver Plate Award.
March 4, 2025.

MCURC member Adam Brumberg, Deputy Director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, honored with the Donald C. Burgett Distinguished Advisor Award. March 3, 2025.

Other Stories

MCURC members CU Boulder, the University of North Texas, and UT Austin top the 2025 College & University Protein Sustainability Scorecard by the Humane Society. Read more here. January 2025.

MCURC Co-Director Sophie Egan was recently featured on Norbert Wilson’s podcast, "The Leading Voices in Food", hosted by the World Food Policy Center at the Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University. Listen here.
September 9, 2024.

Our MCURC Collective Impact Initiative featured in Bloomberg News. Read more here.
November 28, 2024.

MCURC member Dr. Christopher Gardner, PhD, Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, contributed to the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Read more here. December 19, 2024.

In September, The New York Times published an article titled, Restaurant Portions Are About to Get Smaller. Are Americans Ready?,” featuring insights from MCURC Co-Director Abby Fammartino. September 24, 2024.