These 250 Colleges Are Getting More Plant-Based Cafeteria Options

The average college student spends $4,500 on meal plans every year, according to The Hechinger Report, but for thousands of students looking for healthier or more sustainable meals, relying on university meal plans and institutional cafeteria food has proven difficult. Until now! Aramark –– the largest food service company in the United States –– just announced plans to increase its vegan offerings on college menus by 2025.

Aramark is teaming up with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to increase its plant-based selections at over 250 colleges and universities nationwide. The company intends to make its plant-based selection make up 44 percent of its total offerings.

“Aligned with our existing responsible sourcing commitments, this new target represents another step on our journey toward net zero emissions,” Alan Horowitz, vice president of sustainability at Aramark, said in a statement. “Increasing plant-based proteins, while decreasing animal proteins, is a major factor in helping us reduce food-related emissions and is responsive to changing consumer dietary preferences.”

By increasing its plant-based offerings, Aramark is supporting its mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 by 2030. Currently, the college campuses partnering with Aramark feature menus with 26 to 30 percent plant-based options. After 15 years of partnership with HSUS, the company intends to improve its plant-based distribution and development even further.

About 23 percent of 18-to-25-year-olds maintain a vegan or vegetarian diet, according to the Innova Health & Nutrition Survey. With Aramark's increased effort, college students all across the United States will have better access to affordable plant-based foods, most often included in the meal plans offered by universities. The HSUS will also provide educational materials including recipes, marketing support, culinary training programs, and menu ideas for staff members.

Aramark's announcement closely follows the company's commitment to the World Resource Institute's Cool Food Pledge. This pledge highlights the environmental cost of ingredients, encouraging companies and institutions to develop plant-forward alternatives. Aramark tested this program at 10 universities during the spring 2022 semester but plans to roll out the Cool Food Meals to 1,500 dining facilities in January 2023.

Aramark provides nearly 2 billion meals to universities, hospitals, and other major institutions across 19 countries every year. By implementing plant-based programs, the company can reduce the environmental cost of food at universities worldwide. With 61 percent of food-related greenhouse gas emissions associated with animal-based products, these programs aim to protect the planet from the worsening climate crisis.

Aramark is joined by several other major food distributors helping make college campuses more environmentally friendly and healthier. This April, major food producer Sodexo announced that it would increase its plant-based offerings at U.S. universities by 42 percent by 2025. This September, Sodexo started this plant-based transition at Liberty University in Virginia, replacing South Street Cheesteaks with the vegan and gluten-free concept The Hungry Herbivore.

Sodexo found that 70 percent of its carbon footprint was attributed to its animal-based food selection. With goals to cut its carbon emissions by 34 percent, the company made partnerships with several plant-based and food tech brands, including Israel-based SavorEat. The company launched a plant-based vending robot, designed to prepare burgers made with plant-based ingredients.

By introducing plant-based meals to university students, these companies are helping educate younger consumers on healthier eating habits. One study found that following a plant-centered diet from 18 to 30 lowers your risk of heart disease 30 years later. These new meal programs make plant-based eating accessible to consumers at an earlier, more pivotal age.

Seven-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood has been hailed for her “enormous” vocal range. When it comes to her diet, Underwood’s a fan of breakfast burritos and lots of tofu. She doesn’t shy away from the carbs, either. According to Cheat Sheet, one of her favorite snacks is a toasted English muffin with peanut butter.

Singer, songwriter, and “The Voice” coach, Blake Shelton, 43, has been working to stay fit recently with help from his long-time love, Gwen Stefani, who is a vegetarian and told him to get off the meat if he wants to feel fitter and lose some weight. Shelton has been trying to keep up with Stefani's impressive fitness level, according to an interview Stefani gave this fall. The former No Doubt singer and Hollaback girl is a longtime vegetarian, eats a mostly vegan diet, and is super fit-- and at 50, looks younger than her years. A source told Gossipcop, “Gwen’s told him the way to lose it is to stay the hell away from meat and bad carbs.” We're rooting for him!

The best-selling female country music singer in history isn’t buying any expensive steak dinners after a performance. The “Queen of Country Pop” has sold more than 100 million records but says she keeps her meat-free diet simple. She is both vegetarian and eats very little dairy -- though at times has said she does eat eggs.

Americana singer and songwriter Annette Conlon is also a passionate vegan. She started “The Compassionette Tour,” in an effort to bring compassion, social consciousness, human interaction, and animal issues to a mainstream audience.

The Man in Black is synonymous with country music, even nearly two decades after his death (1932-2003), probably in part because of the biopic about his life starring vegan actor Joaquin Phoenix. Ask any die-hard country music fan (or your dad, for that matter) and they will tell you that Johnny Cash was one of the best-selling musicians of all-time. His scores of hits include “I Walk the Line” and "Hurt" "A Boy Named Sue" and dozens of others. Cash himself was believed to have lived meat-free later in life to help combat some health issues. At Johnny Cash’s Kitchen and Saloon in Nashville, you can also load up on the meat-free dishes as the restaurant boasts a fully stacked veggie menu that includes greens, sweet potato mash, and fried okra.