UVA Dining has partnered with Seven Hills Food to source a new burger made from a blend of local Virginian beef and mushrooms. This burger is 80% beef, 20% mushrooms and as of April 2017 is being served in all residential dining locations. This partnership will help decrease the university’s nitrogen footprint because of its lower beef content as well as support local beef producers in Virginia. The burger also may decrease food waste with
a made to order model and its superior taste. In a taste test the blended burger won 3:1 against the current burgers served in UVA dining locations. More of this burger should make it into the stomachs of students than into the compost! A big win for decreasing food waste. This is the first partnership of its kind between a university and local meat processor. UVA will serve as a pilot for this new program that in the future may lead to additional partnerships at other Virginian universities.
