What’s on the menu? Survey Reveals Progress and Barriers in Advancing Plant-Based Dining on Canadian University Campuses

What's on the menu? Survey reveals progress and barriers in advancing plant-based dining on canadian university campuses

Written by Lindsay Kaisla

To better understand how universities are evolving toward more sustainable, plant-based meals, the Canadian University Initiative surveyed dining leaders at the 30 largest institutions by full-time enrollment. Thirteen universities responded, offering valuable insights into current trends, challenges, and next steps. The survey findings helped shape our May 21 Steering Committee meeting, where chefs, students, and plant-based experts came together to co-create practical strategies to accelerate plant-based progress on Canadian university campuses.

Tracking Progress: 2020 to 2027

To demonstrate progress to date, we reviewed data from nine universities that participated in both our 2022 and 2025 surveys. The first chart highlights their progress from 2020 to 2025 and includes projections for 2027, offering a snapshot of how campus dining is shifting:

Animal-based meals declined from 56.9% in 2020 to 40.3% in 2025, and are projected to fall further to 35.6% by 2027.
Vegetarian options held relatively steady, moving from 26.2% in 2020 to 27.1% in 2025, with projected growth to 29.6% by 2027.
Vegan meals nearly doubled, rising from 16.9% in 2020 to 32.6% in 2025, with a forecasted increase to 34.7% by 2027.

This multi-year data reflects a meaningful shift toward sustainable food choices. The trends reflect both institutional sustainability commitments and rising interest in plant-based meals. All remaining findings below are based on the full group of 13 universities that participated in our 2025 survey.

Steady Shifts Toward Plant-Based Menus Overall

The 2025 survey shows continued progress across campuses. Institutions reported steady growth in plant-based offerings, with projections pointing to further momentum:

Animal-based meals are projected to decrease by an additional 4% by 2027.
Vegan and vegetarian meals are each expected to rise by about 2%.

These gradual yet steady gains suggest a clear opportunity to further accelerate progress through education and innovative menu strategies.

How Do Individual Campuses Compare?

The survey also included campus-by-campus estimates of current and projected meal breakdowns for animal-based, vegetarian and vegan meals. Some institutions are leading with ambitious vegan targets, while others are increasing vegetarian offerings. This variation reflects factors such as operational models, demographics, and cultural dietary preferences.

The data underscores the need for flexible, context-sensitive approaches—what works at one campus may need to be adapted for another.

What’s Popular on Campus?

Traditional comfort foods like butter chicken, burgers, and pasta remain student favourites. This presents an opportunity to develop plant-based versions of familiar dishes. Popular plant-based dishes already reflect demand for bold, globally inspired flavours, including curries, tacos, tofu bowls, and samosas.

Barriers to Progress

Institutions identified several persistent obstacles to advancing plant-based dining:

Low demand from students
High cost and limited availability of plant-based ingredients
Need for more chef training specific to plant-based cuisine

These challenges point to the need for targeted interventions, including education campaigns, training and procurement support.

What Support is Needed?

To overcome these barriers, dining teams pointed to several needed supports:

Educational communications and marketing campaigns to raise awareness and normalize plant-based choices
Culinary training and workshops focused on scalable, student-approved recipes
Tracking tools to monitor progress and demonstrate impact

Some universities are also experimenting with plant-based defaults. Although uptake remains limited, this approach presents a promising opportunity to apply behavioral science to improve meal choices without limiting options.

What’s Next? Turning Insights into Action

At our recent event, Breaking Down Barriers: Advancing Sustainable Food Strategies on Campus, we brought together chefs, students, and food service experts to explore solutions. The event resulted in a shared commitment to practical, impactful strategies for the 2025/2026 academic year.

Strategies for 2025/2026 Academic Year

Make Plant-Based the Default

Normalize sustainable, plant-based choices without eliminating others by using proven behavioural science strategies.
Implement plant-based defaults at select stations to increase uptake (in U.S. trials, this approach increased plant-based uptake from 30% to over 80% and reduced GHGs by 23.6%).

Promote Plant-Based Choices Through Education

Collaborate with student groups, sustainability teams, and dietitians to share the environmental and health benefits of plant-based eating.
Use clear and engaging messaging, particularly around protein, iron, and athletic performance, while addressing common misconceptions.
Leverage signage, tabling, tasting events, and social media to normalize plant-based choices and build student confidence in their quality and impact.

Train and Empower Culinary Teams

Enroll staff in free Forward Food training and use scalable, cost-effective recipes.
Build confidence with plant-based ingredients and encourage ongoing innovation.

Use Smart Menu Strategies

Replace “meat-minus-the-meat” meals with stand-alone plant-based entrées.
Use enticing, descriptive names (e.g., “smoky BBQ tempeh” rather than “vegan wrap”).
Integrate these options into main serving lines, not separate ones.

Support Students and Advocacy Efforts

Create inclusive dining experiences (i.e., plant-based meals should bring students together, not set them apart).
Work with student leaders to promote benefits via posters, tabling and social media campaigns that debunk myths around protein and iron.

Set Clear Institutional Targets

Establish measurable goals (e.g., 50% plant-based entrees by 2027) and conduct annual menu audits.
Use data to inform decisions, maintain momentum and celebrate wins.

Looking Ahead

Beginning in Fall 2025, the Canadian University Initiative and its collaborators will work with select campuses to implement and refine these strategies through the Breaking Down Barriers campaign. With shared resources, proven training, and a growing network of change-makers, campuses are well-positioned to lead the shift toward climate-friendly, inclusive dining.

By aligning culinary innovation, student engagement and institutional commitment, we can make sustainable, plant-based food the new normal.

Stay tuned for updates as we launch new pilots, share learnings and support each other in creating a deliciously sustainable future for campus dining.

Lindsay is the University Liaison and Campaign Manager for the Canadian University Initiative, supporting campuses in advancing plant-based food strategies. With a background in research and strategic communications, she helps facilitate cross-campus collaboration, tracks progress, and connects university teams with the tools and resources needed to drive sustainable change.