![2. Zero Hunger](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/styles/goal_image_small/public/img/goal/E-WEB-Goal-02.jpg?itok=Oy2I8bcY)
![[Line drawing of a crate of produce]](/social-impact/sites/sdgwww/files/img/statistic/SDG2%20-%20vegetables.png)
Our goals in action
Teaching and student life
Eliminating hunger on campus
The goal of eliminating hunger begins on our campuses, where we have implemented several programs that support students who may be experiencing food insecurity.
The Food Insecurity Advisory Committee was formed by the Provost's Office to monitor current practices and trends and provide recommendations for responses to food insecurity at Queen's. The office also supports the Student Food Collective Coordinator who leads the Student Food Collective, supporting student-led organizations on campus that work to address food insecurity holistically. In 2022, the office released a progress update reflecting the efforts of these groups in addressing food insecurity at Queen's.
gives students participating in the university meal plan the option to donate one meal per day (up to five per semester) to a peer in need. Eligible students can anonymously redeem up to 25 meals per term at Queen’s dining halls. During the 2022 academic year, more than 4,700 meals were utilized by students in need.
In 2022, Queen's opened the Providing Equal Access, Changing Hunger (PEACH) Market to combat food insecurity and support food recovery by providing students, staff, and faculty with access to healthy food. Untouched food is rescued from across Queen's Hospitality Services' locations and packaged daily for sale at a self-selecting, sliding scale model, or an open rate to allow customers to voluntarily pay whatever they are able. From May 2022 to April 2023 more than 5,700 meals were served.
The provides members of the Queen’s community a confidential and non-judgmental food service, ensuring that students can stay healthy as they pursue academic achievements.
Learn-to-grow
Queen’s has expanded the number of community gardens on campus with the goal of not only providing communal growing space, but of promoting sustainable gardening practices, donating to food reclamation programs, and facilitating initiatives focused on employee wellness.
Community impact
Between May 2022 and April 2023, Queen’s Hospitality Services, through campus partners Queen’s Soul Food and Loving Spoonful, donated 27,759 lbs of food to community partners, including Kingston Food Bank – Partners in Mission.
Eliminating hunger in our community
Queen’s and its students are committed to reducing hunger in the Kingston community. is a student-run organization that delivers extra food from campus cafeterias to four local shelters every night, as well as to the Kingston Street Truck Mission in the winter.
Supporting local farmers and food producers
Queen’s provides events and access to university facilities such as labs, technology, and plant stocks to local farmers and food producers. The programming aims to transfer food knowledge and improve sustainable farming practices. As part of the We Love Local initiative, Hospitality Services runs an annual "Field to Fork" event to raise awareness about local food used in residence dining halls.
In 2022, Queen's Hospitality Services and Aramark, the university's food services provider, partnered with a local registered commercial beekeeper to set up a bee farm near Richardson Stadium. The four hives house an estimated 240,000 bees and produce approximately 500 lbs annually of honey which is harvested and used across Queen's food operations, benefiting our campus community while supporting sustainability.
The , which is the first post-secondary design team of its kind in Canada, is developing a functional, software-automated aeroponic vertical farm in Kingston.
Global reach
Queen's offers a wide range of courses related to food where students can study its production and impact in society around the world. From plant biotechnology, to nutrition, sustainable food systems, and the history of food, students have the opportunity to learn and research the technological, social, economic, and political factors that encompass food globally.
To help reduce global overfishing, Queen's Hospitality Services sources all seafood served at campus dining locations from suppliers with sustainable practices. Aramark, our food services provider, will only procure seafood that has been certified by a recognized third-party sustainable seafood certifier, such as Ocean Wise and the Marine Stewardship Council.
Queen's Art of Research Submission: Hidden Fruit of the Mata Atlântica by Sean Vanderluit, MSc Student (Biology), Núcleo Santa Virginia, Parque Estadual Serra do Mar, São Paulo, Brazil
Administration and operations
Since 2019, Queen's has provided weekly food scrap donations to a local pig farmer. With the goal of donating 300 lbs per week, Queen's has helped to divert 23,316 lbs of scraps from landfill to support local producers.
Reducing food waste
Reducing food waste is an important aspect of food security. Moving forward, diners at Queen's dining halls will no longer use trays when collecting their meals. This small action will have a huge impact, expecting to reduce up to 25% of food waste and conserve water and energy from washing processes.
Queen’s is a Fair Trade Campus with sustainable and ethical food choices
Our community has access to sustainable and ethical food choices on campus. All our hospitality-run locations prioritize ethical sourcing and are mandated to include Fair Trade options as a designated Fair Trade Campus.
To help the Queen's community make climate-friendly food choices, Queen's launched Cool Food Meals in 2022. Our recipes are analyzed by the World Resources Institute, a global research organization, for their greenhouse gas emissions. Meals that meet a minimum threshold of nutritional quality and have at least 38% lower carbon emissions than the average meal are indicated with the Low Carbon Certified icon at campus food outlets.