Reuben College catering team has been presented with a bronze Food for Life accreditation by the Soil Association, the first of all college caterers to have achieved this award.
The Food for Life accreditation is nationally recognised, and acknowledges the team’s persistent dedication to providing environmentally sustainable and healthy food for students and staff. The endorsement encourages caterers to serve fresh food, source environmentally sustainable and ethical food, make healthy eating easy, and champion local food producers.
Catering at Reuben has been run by the Reading-based, sustainability-focused catering company BaxterStorey since September 2023. This award recognises the on-site team for improving the impact of their food on both health and the environment.
James Baker, BaxterStorey’s head of food for the South West, said: “We’re chuffed with this award – it’s a real credit to general manager Paul and the team at Reuben College.”
BaxterStorey provides catering at over 1000 locations across the UK, and is working towards achieving the Food for Life award at all its locations – including the Saïd Business School.
Stephen Purbrick, Reuben’s Bursar, said: “We are delighted that Reuben College and BaxterStorey have received this award. It reflects our shared dedication to sustainability, along with a commitment to providing food to our College community that is nutritional, well-balanced, and delicious.”
The standards required to achieve the bronze level include stipulations such as prioritising serving more vegetables, pulses, and vegetarian meals, and mandate that at least 75% of dishes are cooked from scratch. Caterers must use free-range eggs, source meat from farms that satisfy UK animal welfare standards, and serve fish that is not on the Marine Conservation Society’s “fish to avoid” list. The use of genetically modified ingredients, “undesirable” additives, artificial sweeteners, and artificial trans fats is prohibited.
Other requirements include that there must be food waste reduction strategies in place, that menus are seasonal, and that catering staff are supported with relevant training in fresh food preparation. Caterers must be able to demonstrate their compliance with national guidelines on food and nutrition, and food suppliers must be verified to ensure that they apply appropriate food safety standards. Information about where food has been sourced from, and which foods are in-season, must be displayed.
Reuben’s catering team includes account manager Paul White, general manager Paul Sullivan, and head chef Dom Slee.
They work with suppliers such as Alden’s Oxford butchery, Roots of Oxford greengrocer, and M&J Fresh Seafood to ensure sustainable and ethical food production.
