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2.3.3 Sustainable food choices on campus

2023-2024

Across its multiple campuses in Egypt, AASTMT has demonstrated a strong institutional commitment to embedding sustainability within its food systems and dining services. At the Abu Kir campus in Alexandria, AASTMT provides comprehensive dining services for students, staff, and visitors, including daily meals for residents in dormitories and catering for campus events. A specialized program also addresses food insecurity among students by offering nutritional support, to enhance the state of malnourished students, and access to food banks and pantries, ensuring that no student faces barriers to healthy eating and that undernutrition is terminated. The Academy’s dining facilities emphasize healthy, affordable, and sustainable options, featuring plant-based meals, locally sourced ingredients that support Egyptian farmers, and initiatives to reduce food waste through portion control and awareness campaigns. Additionally, AASTMT regularly upgrades its main restaurants and cafeterias to improve service quality and dining experiences while organizing educational activities that promote understanding of sustainable food systems and their environmental benefits.

  1. Protein-based Meals: AASTMT ensures the availability of balanced, protein-rich full meals across campus dining outlets to support students’ nutritional needs and overall well-being.

  2. Vegetarian/Vegan Options: Dedicated vegetarian and vegan meal options are offered at selected cafeterias to promote plant-based eating, as well as offer food options for Christian students during fasting periods.

  3. Outcome of In-House Produce: Produce cultivated through AASTMT’s in-house agricultural systems contributes to campus meal preparation, reinforcing local sourcing and food self-sufficiency. For instance, the AASTMT distributes its outcome of some fruits grown across its campus yearly to its staff members.

  4. Healthy Meal Options: The Academy emphasizes health-oriented menus that include fresh ingredients, reduced-fat recipes, and calorie-conscious selections aligned with dietary best practices.

  5. Subsidized Meals: AASTMT provides subsidized meal plans and free meals for scholarship students to ensure equitable access to nutritious food and alleviate financial barriers to learning.

https://aast.edu/en/student-affairs/alex/contenttemp.php?page_id=48600009

2022-2023

AASTMT is committed to fostering a sustainable and inclusive campus environment by ensuring the availability of sustainable food choices for all students and staff across selected food outlets. This commitment reflects AASTMT's dedication to environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and the promotion of health and well-being within its community.

Provision of Sustainable Food Choices

  1. Vegetarian and Vegan Options: AASTMT offers dedicated vegetarian and vegan menus at selected campus dining outlets to accommodate diverse dietary preferences and promote plant-based eating for its environmental and health benefits.
  2. Local and Seasonal Produce: The university prioritizes sourcing fresh, locally-grown produce to support local farmers and reduce the carbon footprint associated with food transportation.
  3. Efforts to Reduce Food Waste: AASTMT employs measures such as portion control, composting, and food donation programs to minimize food waste and promote sustainability.

Healthy and Affordable Options:

  1. Balanced Meal Offerings: AASTMT provides nutritionally balanced meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at affordable prices to meet the dietary needs of its community.
  2. Subsidized Meals: To ensure accessibility, AASTMT offers subsidized meal plans for students, particularly those facing financial challenges.

Education and Awareness:

  1. Nutrition Education: The university conducts programs through its Nutrition Affairs Department to raise awareness about healthy eating and food safety.
  2. Promoting Sustainable Practices: Efforts are made to educate students and staff about sustainable eating habits, emphasizing the importance of reducing the environmental impact of food consumption.

Through these initiatives, AASTMT provides a diverse range of sustainable, healthy, and affordable food options, catering to the dietary preferences and financial needs of its campus community. This effort contributes significantly to reducing the university's environmental impact while supporting social equity.

2021-2022

AASTMT is committed to providing sustainable and inclusive food choices for all individuals on campus, ensuring that dietary preferences and restrictions are accommodated. Recognizing the importance of sustainable practices and the growing demand for vegetarian and vegan options, AASTMT has taken proactive steps to offer a diverse range of plant-based meals. The campus dining facilities feature dedicated vegetarian and vegan food stations or menus that cater to the needs of those who follow these dietary preferences. By doing so, AASTMT promotes a healthy and environmentally conscious lifestyle, encouraging individuals to make sustainable food choices that align with their values. Whether one is a vegetarian, vegan, or simply interested in exploring plant-based options, AASTMT's commitment to providing sustainable food choices ensures that all individuals on campus can enjoy nutritious, diverse, and environmentally-friendly meals

Healthy Menu

Provision of Healthy and Affordable Food Choices for All on Campus

AASTMT provides a variety of healthy and affordable food choices throughout the year for all studentsand employees on campus. AASTMT restaurant and cafeterias starts serving different meals and snacks from 7 am to 11 pm every day. 3 meals are offered (breakfast, lunch and dinner) to an average of 900 student/employee per day. Each meal contains a balanced amount of nutritive value between carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins. The meals are all made of high quality, fresh ingredients containing a big variety of proteins (e.g. beef, poultry, fish, plant-based protein), carbohydrates (e.g. rice, pasta, pastries) and the seasonal vegetables and fruits to complement the mineral and vitamins portion.The AASTMT Nutrition Affairs Department offers subsidized prices for all meals where a full board day costs 250 EGP which is a very affordable price compared to the market. Hot drinks, fresh juices and snacks (burger, grilled and breaded chicken, shawarma, hot dogs, pizza, savory crepes) are also available for purchasing with reasonable prices. AASTMT pays a great attention to food quality where most of the Nutrition Affairs Department employees are hi ghly educated and regularly subjected to regular training sessions and workshops to ensure food safety and occupational health and safety.