A new student-led initiative, the Menza Collective, is working to reshape how universities think about food procurement. The project SustainMap focuses on promoting sustainable sourcing practices in university Menzas.
Supported by EIT Food, the Seeding The Future Foundation, the Young Professionals Platform, and YPARD, the Menza Collective is one of the winning teams of the Menu for Change Challenge 2025 —an international competition empowering young changemakers to develop innovative, real-world solutions for a more sustainable food system.
Toward Scalable Solutions
In its pilot phase at CZU Prague, the project will generate practical outcomes that can inform procurement policies and cafeteria operations. Ultimately, the team envisions scaling the model to other institutions, promoting sustainability from the inside out.
Understanding Sustainability through University Voices
The initiative seeks to explore how key institutional actors—students, cafeteria staff, faculty, and administrators—define and understand sustainability within the context of university food systems. Through a series of qualitative interviews, the team will investigate how these perspectives shape cafeteria decision-making and food procurement practices.
The core objectives of the project are to:
- Capture diverse stakeholder perspectives on sustainability in food procurement;
- Identify shared values and local priorities;
- Develop tailored action plans based on institutional needs;
- Propose sustainability indicators and actionable strategies for cafeteria sourcing;
- Offer a replicable framework for designing sustainably procured menus.
By emphasizing a participatory and interdisciplinary approach, the Menza Collective aims to foster more democratic and inclusive food systems within academic institutions.
The Menza Collective is led by an international team:
- Martin Richter (Czech Republic) – Coordination & Implementation Lead
- Luisa Maike Buss (Portugal) – Marketing & Communication Lead
- Luisa Pereira Goss (Brazil) – Monitoring & Evaluation Lead
- Ing. Petra Chaloupková, Ph. D., dr.h.c. (Czech Republic) – Mentoring
For more information or collaboration opportunities, please contact: menzacollective@gmail.com
