Sustainable food

The University of Manitoba offers a wide range of sustainable food choices for students and staff and is actively engaged in sustainable food systems research. We believe it is imperative to be a part of a strong national network of university leaders across the country who are rethinking how food can transform their campus community.

  • Transformative changes

    Students are making transformative changes in their campuses and community food systems. They are creating socially and ecologically conscious food offerings, collaborating with food service providers to make meaningful connections with local farmers and providing space for community organizations to open their hearts, minds and kitchens to opportunity. 

    There is still much work to be done. There are more gardens to be grown, more local farmers to support and more stories to share. We invite you to be a part of the solution.

  • A group of six people stand side by side for a photo in front of a garden, one person holds a long garden hose.
Two smiling people crouched down in a field picking produce from a garden.

Food at the University of Manitoba - report

In 2014 the Office of Sustainability, with input and support from the student-led Campus Food Strategy Group, initiated a research project to assess objectively and report on the current state of food at the University. The resulting report supports ongoing dialogue and action on food at the university, in support of university and university-community priorities.

Sustainable food options on campus

  • Campo food service area in University Centre
    Photo by UM Dining Services

    Dining

    The majority of UM's food service providers offer sustainable meal options for students and staff.

    Learn more about eating on campus

  • Fair Trade sign on a table at the Bannatyne campus.

    Fair trade food products 

    UM's Bannatyne campus is a designated fair trade campus, so all coffee and tea served on campus is fair trade. UM Dining Services offers a large selection of fair trade coffees, teas and chocolates at both campus locations. 

    Learn more about our fair trade Bannatyne campus
     

Sustainable food production on campus

UM’s three gardens demonstrate the benefits of on-campus food production:

  • Foster community around environmental, ecological and food security issues and awareness
  • Promote local, agro-ecological food production by producing food in a sustainable manner, without the use of pesticides, chemicals or genetically modified plants 
  • Provide students, faculty and staff an opportunity to apply classroom knowledge, and integrate food production experience into academic research and course activity 
  • Increase biodiversity and sustainability, such as providing habitat and food for beneficial organisms (such as butterflies, bees and birds, etc.) 
  • Provide opportunity to address food access by providing local, fresh foods to community members, campus food banks and food

  • UMSU Gardens

    This UMSU-led initiative works to generate interest and excitement for gardening and learning and practicing sustainable agriculture.

    The gardens are volunteer-run and promote community development and local food system practices. Seasoned gardeners, rookies and lovers of the outdoors are all invited to take part from April through September. Food produced in the gardens is used at Degrees Restaurant and sold on campus.

    Visit the UMSU Gardens (Google Maps)

  • Hands holding a handful of red hot peppers
  • The permaculture garden features flowers and a brick archway.

  • UM Permaculture Garden

    A permaculture garden is a way to organize food-producing systems that work with nature with minimal harmful impact on surrounding ecosystems.

    The UM permaculture garden uses perennial plants that work in concert to produce food and increase the health and vitality of the site. This student-run project features apples, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus and a variety of native Manitoba pollinator plants.

    Visit the UM Permaculture Garden (Google Maps)

  • Rainbow Gardens

    A group of new immigrants started this garden in 2008, assisted by Knox United Church in collaboration with the City of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba.

    The two-acre plot is now managed by the Refugee Immigrant Farming & Integration in Manitoba Inc. (RIFIM) and feeds new immigrant families. 

    UM provides water and maintenance support and helps find volunteers to assist gardeners during the growing season. Contact us if you are interested in helping out.

    Visit the Rainbow Gardens (Google Maps)

  • A large group of people huddle together for a photo holding a sign got the Rainbow Garden.

Sustainable Food Systems Research Group

The Food Systems Research Group is an umbrella group fostering the creation of multi/trans-disciplinary collaborative research to advance the UM signature research theme of Safe, Healthy, Just and Sustainable Food Systems.

In March 2015, the Campus Food Strategy Group, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Faculty of Arts, National Centre for Livestock and the Environment, Natural Resources Institute and the Office of Sustainability collaborated to host the Sustainable Food Systems Workshop. 

The workshop brought students, faculty and staff from various disciplines together to discuss the food system at UM, build partnerships and collaborate on issues that impact the campus food system. 

Food and curriculum

UM offers undergraduate and graduate courses that focus on safe, healthy, just and sustainable food systems. The courses represent a number of departments and disciplines and a variety of course levels and minimum prerequisites.

Food resources

Additional resources and programs related to food can be found at UM and within the province of Manitoba. Here are a few suggesitons: 

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Contact us

Office of Sustainability
55 Chancellors Circle
Room 501
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2  Canada

sustainability@umanitoba.ca
204-474-6121