University news

The University of Glasgow has become the first university in the UK to gain official ‘Sunflower Standard’ accreditation from the Vegan Society.
 
Following discussions with the University of Glasgow Vegan Society, Hospitality Services have introduced a daily vegan hot food option as part of their service improvements aimed at providing best value, freshly prepared products made, wherever possible, using locally sourced ingredients.

Neil Campbell, Director of Campus Services said: "I am delighted that the team at Hospitality Services continues to move forward and engage with service users. The input from vegan colleagues is welcome and the award demonstrates the joint effort that has gone in to securing this achievement."

Colm McBriarty, Business Development Officer at the Vegan Society said: "We were absolutely thrilled when Glasgow University approached us for our Sunflower Standard trademark. They are the largest catering service to register with us, and the first trademark holder in the education sector.

"Their vegan menu, which is of course also suitable for vegetarians, is absolutely first class and offers a vegan option at every meal, every day. We appreciate the efforts they have made to offer this choice and are delighted to work with them."

All products and services registered with the Vegan Society must meet the following strict criteria:

• No animal ingredients
• No animal testing
• Kitchen and hygiene standards
• Any Genetically Modified products must be labelled

The University of Glasgow Hospitality Services has met all these criteria and can now display the Vegan Society's sunflower logo to promote their extensive vegan menu.

All Catering Services’ campus venues are open to the public including the brasserie at One A, The Square (OATS) which is open from 8.30am - 2.30pm.

Among the mouth-watering vegan options on offer are the following: vegetable Thai Green Curry; Tofu Sausage Cassoulet; Falafel with Cauliflower Gratin; Butterbean Burger with Soya Spring Onion Dip; Chick Pea Arriabatta; Baked Squash with Cajun Tofu; Grilled Tofu Sausage with Cranberry Polenta; and Falafel with Asparagus and Fennel Compote.

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Notes to Editors:

Vegan Society sunflower logo accreditation criteria

No animal ingredients
The manufacture and/or development of the product, and where applicable its ingredients, must not involve, or have involved, the use of any animal product, by-product or derivative.

No animal testing
The development and/or manufacture of the product, and where applicable its ingredients, must not involve, or have involved, testing of any sort on animals conducted at the initiative of the manufacturer or on its behalf, or by parties over whom the manufacturer has effective control.

Kitchen and hygiene standards
Dishes that are to be labelled vegan must be prepared separately from other non-vegan dishes. As a minimum, surfaces and utensils must be thoroughly washed prior to being used for vegan cooking. We strongly recommend that a separate set of utensils be procured for this purpose.  Be aware of the risk of cross-contamination from non-vegan sources in your kitchen, and take all reasonable steps to eliminate this.

Genetically Modified Organisms
The development and/or production of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must not have involved animal genes or animal-derived substances.  Products put forward for registration which contain or may contain any GMOs must be labelled as such.

First published: 23 October 2007