Awards

Continuing the trend of excellence, UC Berkeley again appears towards the top of college dining experiences. Delish noted the multitude of vegan and vegetarian options as well as the commitment to combating food insecurity. The 30 Colleges With The Best Campus Food You've Ever Seen.

Last fall the University of California, Berkeley Dining opened the first dining station in the UC system that is certified kosher and also accommodates Muslim, vegetarian, and vegan students. Berkeley Dining launched a new plant-forward menu – which emphasizes meatless meals that contain whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, and seeds – alongside the kosher station, says Adam M. Ratliff, critical communications manager at UC Berkeley's student affairs division. He says the menu intentionally increases the ratio of plant-based foods to animal products without compromising flavor. "Whether a student is vegan, a vegetarian, they eat kosher or halal, our goal was to provide more options for our diverse student community," says Ratliff. U.S.News: Global Universities Adapt Menus for International Students

Berkeley Dining has just opened the first dining station in the UC system that is certified kosher and designed to appeal not only to the Jewish community on campus, but also to Muslims who eat halal foods, as well as students who are vegetarian and vegan. The new kosher/halal food station is part of an overall revamping of Café 3 to emphasize plant-forward meals that are sourced locally and sustainably. This is in line with Berkeley Dining’s overall goal of producing menus that are both nutritious and sustainable. Berkeley Dining opens doors to more inclusive café

UC Berkeley won two 2016 Higher Education Energy Efficiency and Sustainability BestPractice Awards: Jacobs Hall for Energy Efficiency in Construction/Renovation, and Brown's for Sustainable Food Systems. The Best Practice Awards are selected from campuses in the University of California and California State University systems by the CA Higher Education Sustainability Conference. Cal Wins Sustainability Best Practice Awards for Jacobs Hall and Brown's Cafe

Berkeley Dining is a member of the National Association of College and University Foodservice (NACUFS), and was honored to receive the Loyal E Horton Dining Award Gold Medal – Residential Dining for our "Veggie Valentines" Dinner, the goal of this event was to educate the campus community on the plant-forward menu designs we adhere to daily, to showcase our plant-based options, and introduce new recipes, ingredients, and vegetable preparation techniques to our students and chefs.

Berkeley Dining is a member of the National Association of College and University Foodservice (NACUFS), and was honored to receive the 2015 Gold Medal for the Loyal E Horton Dining Award for our "Extreme Local" Dinner, showcasing menu items in which all ingredients came from within 250 miles! Berkeley News: Cal Dining goes local for Food Day.

UC Berkeley is doing such a good job of recycling that today (Thursday, Nov. 15), America Recycles Day, the regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency came to campus to praise Berkeley Dining's efforts to reduce the food waste stream - in particular, by cutting upstream food purchases to limit downstream waste. Berkeley News: On America Recycles Day, EPA recognizes campus food waste reduction.

Sustainability Awards in the Procurement Practices category for becoming Marine Stewardship Council Certified, offering sustainable fish where possible in the dining commons beginning in October 2011.

Became the first US public university to serve certified sustainable seafood. Each dining commons will offer MSC seafood whenever possible, and will hopefully encourage other universities to follow suit. UC Berkeley achieves sustainable seafood certification.

Berkeley Dining is proud to announce two recent Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards for our residential dining commons Crossroads and Foothill! The Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards are given through NACUFS (National Association of College and University Food Services) and judged by a panel of college dining professionals. Competition was at an all-time high with over 140 entries. Here are the results (Honorable Mention was given to those who have 90% of the qualifying points, but didn't get gold, silver or bronze):

Berkeley Dining is one of the greenest food service programs in the country. Endeavoring to reduce waste to 0% by 2020, Berkeley Dining emphasizes ecologically sound practices. Brown’s Café is “hyper-local” and offers ingredients exclusively sourced within 250 miles of Berkeley’s campus. Berkeley Dining instituted a pre-customer food waste prevention program that measures all kitchen waste, and it encourages staff and students to change their preparation and ordering practices accordingly. BestColleges.com - Best Dining Halls