Choose organic. Buy local. Eat responsibly.

Below you’ll find best practices and strategies to help you make healthy and more sustainable food choices while you’re on or around campus.

Choose certified organic foods.

• Grown and processed without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
• The student-run café on campus, Food for Thought, offers healthy, affordable, organic foods.

Select local produce that’s in season.

• Sometimes it’s better to buy local than purchase organic food shipped long distances.
• Visit the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays from March through December and buy your produce directly from local growers.

Eat fish responsibly.

• Utilize the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Guide and look for the Marine Stewardship Certification Blue Label when purchasing fish at your grocery store. 

Seek out Fair Trade or Direct Trade labeled products.  

• Support safe and healthy workplaces for the farmers who grow and harvest those products. Click here for Fair Trade USA.

Try Meatless Mondays!

• Reduce your impact by favoring a plant-based diet - even just once a week. Order vegetarian on the menu or prepare smaller portions of meat from animals raised locally on small farms.
• Victor's Dining Hall in Ondine is doing Meat(less) Mondays every week, in which fewer meat options are served.

Reduce your waste by avoiding disposable food packing whenever feasible, composting, and eating from durable dishes.

• Bring a reusable thermos or mug from home. Receive a 15 cent discount in PSU dining facilities when you fill a reusable mug!
• Try Go Box at your favorite food cart. For a list of participating vendors, click here.
• Visit your student-run café, Food for Thought, for healthy, affordable, and delicious foods served on durable dishware. 
• Close the loop by composting your food waste. Click here for locations.
  • There is a post-consumer food compost station inside Smith's Viking Food Court.