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 150,000 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 399 cafes serving over 275,000 meals in over 57 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 the company and to the Google culture.

The Food Team puts a tremendous amount of thought into the menus 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 operationalize across the dining program. Key areas of focus include:

  • Globally inspired, balanced, plant-forward menu concepts support users in making delicious, nutritious and sustainable choices

  • Right-size portions (featuring the “Flip”) as well as purposeful plating 

  • Designing operations for the future to “nudge” users toward healthier balanced plant-forward options including (culinary interaction and chef recommendations; plant-forward merchandising for priming, thoughtful menu planning & menu labeling and the placement/size of plates, service design/flow)

Google Food is constantly 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 long into the future.

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.

Impossible Foods is on a mission to positively impact people and the planet by making delicious, nutritious meat from plants with a fraction of the environmental footprint of meat from animals. Impossible Foods products are served in more than 45,000 food service locations across the U.S. because of how delicious they taste, how popular they are with guests and how easily they incorporate into menus

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.

 

At Leanpath, we strive to create a sustainable future for all by making food waste prevention and measurement everyday practice in the world’s kitchens. Through a customized suite of automated measurement products, advanced data analytics, AI-driven behavior change functionality, culinary-based coaching from experienced chefs, and enterprise reporting capability, Leanpath helps foodservice operations cut their food waste in half in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 12.3. Operating in more than 4,000 sites and 40 languages, we have prevented the occurrence of more than 130 million pounds of food waste to date.

As MCURC members know well, the global food system must be transformed if we are to successfully feed a population of 10 billion by 2050 within planetary boundaries – and cutting food waste is an essential part of that transformation. Leanpath has long been a supporter of MCURC and the Menus of Change principles via our Leanpath 12.3 Initiative, through which we engage in research-focused partnerships involving donations of our hardware, data, and expertise to mission-aligned non-profit organizations seeking to advance food waste prevention work. As a certified B-Corporation, we are continually focused on educating stakeholders on the scope and scale of the food waste challenge and the urgent need to accelerate prevention efforts grounded in measurement-driven behavior change, and we work closely with frontline foodservice teams to create a culture of food waste prevention.

Learn more about our work to drive food waste reduction in foodservice operations at multiple colleges and universities and other sectors at www.leanpath.com.

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 Solutions 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 Solutions 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. 

The U.S. Tart Cherry Industry represents growers and processors dedicated to advancing the role of Montmorency tart cherries in health-forward, sustainable food systems. Nearly all Montmorency tart cherries are grown on family farms in the U.S., making them a uniquely American fruit with a bold red color, distinct sweet-tart flavor, and growing scientific interest in their functional nutrition benefits.

Our commitment to the Menus of Change principles is rooted in supporting plant-forward culinary innovation and menus rich in fruits. Tart cherries are available in a range of minimally processed formats—dried, frozen, canned, juice, and concentrate—that align with strategies to reduce food waste and enhance seasonal menu planning.

As an MCURC sponsor, we collaborate with researchers, culinary teams, and foodservice leaders to explore how tart cherries can enrich menus that are nutrient-dense, globally inspired, and rooted in nutrition. Current research explores the potential of tart cherries in areas such as inflammation, sleep, and exercise recovery, supporting broader conversations around food as medicine.

Our goal is to empower chefs and operators with an ingredient that offers both flavor and function. We believe tart cherries can play a unique role in designing craveable, health-conscious dishes that reflect the future of dining on college campuses and beyond.