Interventions to support access to healthy food
Inclusive Nutrition
JGU’s dining services are designed so that everyone on campus has reliable access to ample, healthy food. Buffet-style meal services run in all major dining halls and serve students, staff and contract workers alike, and the university provides meals to its staff. Menus are built around whole grains, especially millet, along with pulses, fresh fruit and locally sourced vegetables, with balanced options that include lean proteins and plant-based dishes and cater to different tastes, dietary preferences and cultural backgrounds. In 2025, refined flour was removed from dining operations, whole-grain and gluten-free options rose from 15% to 65% of the menu, and average fibre per meal increased by 35%. Frying on event menus fell from 30% to 0%, replaced by steaming and baking, and MSG, margarine and artificial colours were eliminated. Twelve new plant-based recipes are added each month for vegan, keto-friendly and allergen-free diets. Oat-based plant-based ice cream now replaces regular ice cream in one major meal each day. Every dining space displays nutritional charts with calories and other food data from the daily menu.
On-campus dietitians and wellness advisors offer nutrition counselling, helping people manage medical conditions and meet cultural or religious dietary needs. Chefs and nutritionists work together on the menus, which are revised on the basis of expert guidance and community feedback, including the 2025 Dining Satisfaction Survey and nutritional auditing.
Reducing Food Waste
JGU treats food waste as part of the same system. Dining halls are designed to make it easier to take only what is needed, and trayless dining reduces food and water waste. Waste from the dining halls is measured three times a day, after each meal, as part of a plan to cut it by 30% within a year. Students can see real-time availability of dining spaces on the myJGU portal, and floors with consistently low occupancy are closed temporarily so that food is not overproduced. Food waste that does arise is composted in the campus Organic Waste Converter. The projected annual input is 6,396 kg, which yields 2,112 kg of compost used in campus horticulture and avoids about 288 kg of methane, equivalent to 8,064 kg of CO鈧�.
Community Outreach
JGU also carries out outreach through its events. The same nutrition standards apply to the food served at them, and 100% of campus events followed the No-MSG/No-Margarine mandate in 2025. Healthier event menus, with fried foods replaced by baked and steamed dishes and refined flour replaced by whole-grain and gluten-free options, are now standard across the university.
Research and Teaching on Food
JGU’s research addresses food access and nutrition directly. A UNICEF-supported project, “Marketing of Unhealthy Food to Children in India” (PI: Anmol Diwan, Jindal Global Law School), examines how unhealthy food is promoted to children. Prof. Sriroop Chaudhuri’s work on food insecurity and its impacts sits in the 99.04th percentile worldwide. The university offers five cross-listed electives on SDG 2, with the spotlight course “Sustainable food, water and energy governance”.
