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: as of 2025, over 12,000 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 35 percent and water consumption by 25 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 led to on-campus activations to educate and inspire teams and students about healthy and sustainable eating and educational programs focused on the Mediterranean diet, to name a few.
For more information about Barilla’s sustainability efforts around the world, please visit https://www.barillagroup.com/en/purpose/. As the leading 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.barillaforprofessionals.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.
Meet 50CUT™, the innovative ingredient that's making real meat - even better! Crafted from roasted mushrooms and mushroom roots (mycelium), 50CUT seamlessly blends with ground meat to deliver enhanced flavor, increased nutritional value, and a reduced carbon footprint – all while maintaining the authentic meat experience your customers crave.
Developed by chefs passionate about elevating classic comfort foods, 50CUT is the secret to creating familiar, satisfying meals that are more delicious and better for you. This dedication fuels our simple obsession: making delicious, satisfying meals even better through clean, high-quality ingredients.
Discover the power of 50CUT in our expanding range of products, including award-winning sausages, expertly blended ground beef, gluten-free meatballs, and rich sauces. Exceptional taste meets enhanced nutrition in every bite.
www.50CUT.com
The American Pecan Promotion Board (APPB) advances the pecan, which is America's only major tree nut native to North America, through education, nutrition and agricultural research, and industry development. Established in 2021 at the request of the pecan industry, the APPB brings together stakeholders across the United States under USDA oversight. Our work centers around highlighting pecans as a healthy, sustainable, and delicious addition to individual diets, as well as a versatile ingredient within culinary applications across retail and foodservice.
Pecans are firmly rooted inside the Menus of Change principles. Moving nuts toward the center of the plate is a core MCURC recommendation, and pecans deliver 3 grams of plant-based protein, 18 grams of unsaturated fat including oleic acid (with 2 grams saturated), and are a solid source of dietary fiber at 11% DV. Pecans are Heart-Check certified by the American Heart Association and are a whole, minimally processed ingredient supporting the "good fat, not low fat" principle, the protein flip, and plant-forward culinary strategies across both savory and sweet applications. In practice, pecans hold texture in hot and cold formats, work across many global cuisine profiles, and offer year-round availability and shelf stability.
APPB invests directly in the research and education infrastructure that MCURC is built on. We fund nutritional and agricultural studies through an open research RFP process, maintain a public research library for health professionals, and partner with university dining programs to test pecan-forward menu concepts in real campus operations. These programs gather student and dietitian feedback on flavor, versatility, and nutrition awareness.
We’re excited to be part of the MCURC and contribute to a healthier, sustainable, and more delicious world!
Aramark Collegiate Hospitality is a provider of hospitality ecosystems in higher education, recognized for its commitment to the whole student and enhancing student life through exceptional culinary experiences and innovative dining solutions. Serving about 300 colleges and universities, Collegiate Hospitality uses data driven consumer insights to curate experiences to meet the unique needs of each campus, fostering a vibrant community with diverse and inclusive dining offerings. This intentional integration of campus identity, world class hospitality, and professional opportunity provides a foundational path to student success. Connect with Collegiate Hospitality on LinkedIn.
Aramark(NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 16 countries around the world with food and facilities management. Because of our hospitality culture, our employees strive to do great things for each other, our partners, our communities, and the planet.
Founded over 20 years ago at a California farmers' market, Hodo has evolved from a local artisan tofu producer into a culinary partner dedicated to the craft tofu movement. We transform organic, non-GMO North American soybeans into delicious foods that help chefs and foodservice leaders make plant-forward dishes the centerpiece of the menu. By focusing on superior taste, texture and nutritional value, we create food that allows chefs and home cooks alike to transition to a more environmentally friendly way of eating without compromise.
Our commitment to the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative is rooted in this same spirit of collaborative innovation. Through education, culinary literacy programs, and partnership, we support the industry's shift toward planet-friendly dining. Acting as an extension of your kitchen, Hodo provides the technical expertise and minimally processed plant-based proteins necessary to integrate sustainable, plant-forward menus across diverse environments, from campus dining halls to Michelin-starred restaurants.
In April 2021, illy caffè earned B-Corp certification for meeting the highest standards for social and environmental performance, transparency, and responsibility. Ethics and sustainability are part of illy caffe’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 illycaffè’s University of Coffee (UdC); 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 including our goal to neutralize our direct emissions by 2033.
Learn more about illy caffè’s sustainability efforts at https://www.illy.com/en-us/sustainability.
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.
Never Better Foods is committed to advancing the future of food through innovation that makes healthy, sustainable eating more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable. As a developer of next-generation plant-based foods, our work is guided by a simple belief: creating a more sustainable food system requires solutions that consumers genuinely enjoy eating while meeting the nutritional, environmental, and operational needs of the institutions that serve them.
Our participation in the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC) reflects a shared commitment to evidence-based innovation. We recognize that colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to influence the future of food by serving as living laboratories where research, culinary excellence, student engagement, and operational practices intersect. Through collaboration with higher education partners, we seek to better understand how food choices, menu design, ingredient functionality, and consumer acceptance can work together to support healthier people and a healthier planet.
Our areas of interest include: Understanding the factors that drive acceptance and long-term adoption of plant-forward menu options. Exploring how allergen-friendly and inclusive foods can improve access while supporting diverse dietary needs. Collaborating on research that examines the relationship between nutrition, sustainability, and consumer behavior. Supporting culinary innovation that enables chefs and foodservice teams to prepare meals that are both environmentally responsible and operationally practical. Evaluating approaches that reduce barriers to implementing sustainable menu strategies across institutional foodservice.
Innovation at Never Better Foods extends beyond product development. We believe meaningful progress comes through partnerships among researchers, chefs, dietitians, students, foodservice operators, and industry. By listening, learning, and collaborating with these stakeholders, we can help accelerate solutions that advance the Menus of Change Principles while addressing the evolving needs of today's food system.
As a sponsor of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, Never Better Foods is proud to support the exchange of ideas, research, and best practices that will shape the next generation of healthy, sustainable menus. We look forward to engaging with the collaborative community, learning from ongoing research, and contributing to a future where nutritious, environmentally responsible, and inclusive food choices become the standard rather than the exception.
The mission of the Northern Canola Growers Association is to promote and encourage the establishment and maintenance of conditions favorable to the production, marketing, processing, research, and use of canola. To promote efficient production through farmer education, public and private research, labeling and registration of crop protection products; to promote uniform seed and product standards; and to work to develop and implement agriculture policies that will enhance development of the industry.
Topanga is an enterprise foodservice technology company focused on preventing food and packaging waste, benefitting both the planet and your bottom line. Our solutions provide much-needed visibility and seamlessly integrate into existing kitchen workflows, helping culinary teams waste less, save more, and make confident decisions. By automating time-consuming processes and gathering data across every stage of production, we're enabling better, smarter culinary operations. https://topanga.io
When we gather around the table, we gain energy, make connections, and share ideas. At UPSIDE Foods, we’re on a mission to change the way meat is produced—so there's always enough to go around. Our cultivated meat is made with an FDA-approved process that starts with cells from a heritage breed chicken. Our meat is better for people, animals, and the future.
Visit us at UPSIDE Foods to learn more.
