McGill University's Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) takes pride in offering students nutritious, thoughtfully prepared options made from responsibly sourced ingredients.  In recognition of these commitments, in Fall of 2016 McGill's dining program earned 2 star SPE certification in its RVC and NRH dining halls (with more to come onboard soon).

McGill's SHHS is doing plenty of things right--sourcing from the university’s Macdonald Campus Farm, using healthier fats for cooking, incorporating seasonal vegetables and whole grains across the menu, serving MSC-certified seafood and featuring antibiotic-free poultry and beef. 

As part of the certification process, the dining staff worked hard to identify daily meals that would meet SPE’s criteria for a balanced plate. Even more, the dining staff was happy to adjust recipes so that balanced plates could be featured each day to help students quickly identify healthy, sustainable options, the dining team adjusted recipes to remove butter and cream and feature a whole grain, .

Monique Lauzon, the SHHS Marketing and Nutrition Counselor is proud of their accomplishment saying, "We are very proud to be the first Canadian University to have been awarded SPE Certification. This new certification aligns with Student Housing and Hospitality Services’ mission and values of providing healthy and delicious food options and recognizes our continuous efforts and initiatives in the areas of nutrition and sustainability. SPE’s holistic approach in evaluating McGill’s food service operation included evaluating the quality of the ingredients we use in our homemade recipes, examining our purchasing practices of local and sustainable food from our very own MAC farm and other local suppliers, and taking into account our Fairtrade Campus status and MSC certification.”

Andrea Canada, SPE's VP of Culinary Nutrition and Sustainability agrees. "After learning about the initiatives and dedication of the SHHS team, it's obvious they are committed to offering nutritious, balanced options and continually helping students identify these options in their dining halls."

Read more about it on the McGill SHHS website.