Both TUCO and MCURC share an interest in using campus catering to support healthier menus, reduce food waste, and give students food they genuinely enjoy eating. For TUCO, it means a seat at the table alongside MCURC's academic researchers, campus dining leaders and other industry innovators, all working towards positive change on menus and food systems more broadly.
In practice, the partnership means TUCO can contribute to MCURC's quarterly webinars, Annual All-Member Meeting that takes place each year at a different member institution, and gain access to MCURC's online community and newsletter. Members will also benefit from MCURC's research covering topics like plant-forward menus, cutting food waste, and building food literacy on campus, with TUCO bringing fresh thinking back into the UK sector as the partnership develops.
MCURC's network serves more than 4 million meals a day across its 600+ members worldwide, providing plenty of scope for the two organisations to swap ideas and learn from each other's research, on both sides of the Atlantic.
Commenting on the announcement, Mike Haslin, CEO of TUCO, said:
"We're really pleased to be joining MCURC as a Network Partner. Our members are already doing so much good work around health, sustainability and food waste, and this gives us a chance to learn from what's happening on campuses in the US and beyond, as well as share what we've learned here in the UK. Food is such a big part of student life, and partnerships like this help us make sure our members are equipped to do right by their students, now and in the future."
“TUCO is exactly the kind of mission-aligned, high-impact network we had in mind when we developed the new Network Partner role in the MCURC,” said Sophie Egan, Senior Advisor to the R&DE Stanford Food Institute and Co-Director of the MCURC. “After years of informal collaboration between our two organizations, we couldn’t be more delighted to make our partnership official. This opportunity opens up innumerable new pathways for cross-pollination, cross-promotion, shared learnings, and overall increased value to both of our memberships.”
For more information about MCURC, visit moccollaborative.org.
Find out more about Menus of Change as a TUCO member.
About MCURC
The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (MCURC) is a global network of over 85 colleges and universities using campus dining halls as living laboratories for behavior change. These dynamic learning environments are where applied research, education, and operational innovation join to advance the Menus of Change Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus. Co-founded and jointly led by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Stanford Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE), and Stanford Prevention Research Center, the Collaborative brings together academic researchers, campus dining leaders, administrators, students, and mission-aligned sponsors and research collaborators. The 600+ MCURC members collectively serve over 4 million meals each day, representing 15 billion meals over the course of their students’ lifetimes. Student diners will be tomorrow’s leaders, parents, and consumers. Since college is a formative window for food identity, MCURC’s influence on student habits can drive both near-term change and a long-term transformation of the food system.
