University Food Policies

Universities are increasingly recognised as key actors in the transition towards more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems. As complex socio-technical environments, where food is variously produced, procured, distributed, consumed, and embedded within spatial, organisational, and social practices, university campuses can be understood as cities within the city, offering unique opportunities to connect policy, design, and everyday life.
This book presents the results of the PPP-URB project, developed within the PNRR OnFoods research, and explores how universities can design and implement integrated food policies by acting across multiple dimensions, including procurement, services, spaces, community engagement, and short food supply chains.
The volume introduces a set of guidelines for university food policies and investigates their application through prototyping activities carried out in different Italian institutional contexts.
Bringing together contributions from multiple disciplines and universities, the book shows how campuses can function as living
laboratories for food system innovation, where strategic visions are translated into concrete actions through participatory and design-driven approaches. By linking research, experimentation, and policy-making, it offers both a conceptual framework and practical insights for scholars, practitioners, and policy-makers engaged in food system transformation.