Chiang Mai University has an official policy that guides food operators on campus to prioritise sourcing ingredients from local, sustainable and safe sources: the Policy on Food Preparation and Consumption for Quality, Safety and Sustainable Development, B.E. 2566 (2023). Announced by the University President on 30 October 2023 in support of Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger), the policy applies to restaurant operators in the university and promotes sustainable food purchases, local sourcing and food safety across the campus food outlets. Its provisions are set out below.
Under Clause 1, food operators should take responsibility for the sustainable sourcing of quality ingredients: meat and animal products from farms following Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and legally licensed slaughterhouses, traceable and free from drug and chemical residues; seafood from legal fisheries with no child labour and no labour exploitation; and seasonal, locally sourced vegetables and fruit produced under GAP.
Under Clause 2, food operators should maintain a high standard of food safety and pass food sanitation assessment under the “CMU Food Safety” project.
Under Clause 3, the University promotes recycling and waste reduction in its canteens, and operators are to reduce leftover food, manage food waste and used frying oil sustainably, and use biodegradable packaging, supported by a system to monitor and report food waste and used frying oil quantities.
In summary, the Policy on Food Preparation and Consumption for Quality, Safety and Sustainable Development gives priority to local, sustainable and safe food sources across the University’s food outlets. By guiding restaurant operators to source traceable meat from farms following Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), legal seafood without child labour or labour exploitation, and seasonal, locally sourced vegetables and fruit, and to meet high food safety standards, Chiang Mai University promotes sustainable food purchases, local sourcing and sustainable agriculture on campus. In doing so, the University contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).
Source : the Policy on Food Preparation and Consumption for Quality, Safety and Sustainable Development, B.E. 2566 (2023)