Food, health, and sustainability are issues for all of us to tackle together. Our work is helping to break down barriers between departments, ensuring equity in decision-making, and creating initiatives that benefit everyone.”
Dr Rachel Gibson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Nutritional Sciences and Academic Lead for the MCURC membership.
12 February 2025
King's College London joins Menus of Change University Research Collaborative
King’s has joined the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC), as a result of collaborative work between King's Food and the Department of Nutritional Sciences.
The MCURC unites over 300 individuals from over 70 institutions worldwide, including academics, campus dining leaders, and organisations dedicated to advancing health and sustainability in university dining. By fostering shared research and collaboration, this global network helps universities to tackle critical challenges in food sustainability while improving the dining experience for students and staff.
MCURC membership highlights King’s leadership in food system innovation and is the result of collaboration between researchers in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, dietitians and chefs from King's Food, and members of the King's Estates & Facilities team.
The Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s has been at the forefront of research and education on food systems, sustainability, and dietary health and its partnership with King’s Food integrates this academic research into practical catering solutions.
The journey to MCURC membership
The journey to join the MCURC took nearly five years, during which the team showcased its commitment to sustainable dining at King’s. For example, campus menus are now 70 percent plant-based, featuring globally inspired dishes that emphasise whole, minimally processed foods. Meals are prepared from scratch using fresh, seasonal ingredients, with transparency in sourcing and preparation, and sustainability efforts include the removal of ruminant meat and the replacement of dairy milk with fortified pea milk.
Nutrition and Dietetics students also contributed to the success of the application through placements and research projects within King’s Food. Recent public health placement projects have included evaluating portion sizes to meet Menus of Change principles, which focus on health and sustainability.
Similarly, the innovative “Root-to-Tip Dining” project, led by the King’s Living Laboratory team, Dr Gibson and other collaborators across the University, played a key role in securing membership. This project aims to transform discarded ingredients like pineapple skins and leek roots into nutritious meals, reducing food waste and increasing fibre content. These efforts are in direct alignment with Menus of Change core principles, including prioritising plant-forward strategies, utilising minimally processed foods, and integrating health and sustainability into dining operations.
We start by looking at the products we normally use and then challenge ourselves to think differently. We bring four or five chefs into the kitchen, gather a variety of ingredients, and brainstorm. For this project, we ordered a range of produce, identified what we’d usually discard, and asked ourselves, ‘How can we make use of this?’
Graeme Collie, Executive Chef and King's Food Living Laboratory Food Lead.
The project was also supported by a team of co-applicants who bring expertise from areas across the University. This includes Charles Gallagher, Director of King’s Community Business Services, Manish Shah, Associate Director of King’s Food, Lilly Nash, Registered Dietitian with King’s Food and Dr Nicola Hogan, Sustainability Operations Manager in Estates & Facilities. Looking ahead, the team at King’s is exploring collaborations with institutions in the US and UK to share knowledge and insights, including strategies for implementing the ‘Root-to-Tip’ food concept at other universities.
By joining the MCURC, King’s further cements its commitment to providing healthy and sustainable food, using campus dining as a platform to test research ideas and drive meaningful change.
We are delighted to welcome King’s College London to the MCURC. Their application really impressed us, with a number of programs and impact metrics that demonstrate just how meaningfully they stand to contribute to the Collaborative. We look forward to learning from one another about the most effective strategies for advancing healthy, sustainable, delicious food choices for students--and to conducting innovative research together using campus dining halls as living laboratories.”
Sophie Egan, MCURC Co-Director.
In this story
Senior Lecturer
Executive Chef