Project Communal Catering
Visiting the cafeteria is an essential part of student life. It serves not only as a place to eat but also as a gathering spot, offering a welcome break from the stresses of everyday university life. As part of the project seminar, students conduct their own research project on communal catering. The seminar is designed for master’s students in nutritional sciences as well as teacher candidates for vocational colleges. Together, they discuss issues related to sustainable food service in such institutions, the challenges of optimal meal planning, and the nutritional needs of specific population groups. The seminar is led by Prof. Dr. Alexandra Brutzer and Prof. Dr. Sarah Egert.
Registration and Schedule
Dates: from 16th of April bis to 23rd of July 2026. There are a total of seven individual sessions/field trips, see schedule/program.
Registration
Registrations are made via Basis during the individual registration periods.
Schedule/Program
Kick-off event in the seminar room at Meckenheimer Allee 174 (Faculty Meeting Room), Introduction to Project Community Catering
Field Trip 1: CAMPO Cafeteria, starting at 07:30 am!
One-time event
Field Trip 2: Dietary Services, Bonn University Hospital
One-time event
One-time event
Closing Event, Presentation of Research Projects
Outlook & Closing Remarks
Frequently Asked Question
In small groups (3–5 students), students will independently carry out projects on topics related to institutional food service facilities. These may include analyzing and discussing sustainability in communal catering, certifications and standards, as well as food service concepts. Two field trips to communal catering facilities provide exclusive insights into their operations and organizational structures. As part of the research projects, students are expected to critically discuss and reflect on the key topics with the collaborating partners.
Planning and carrying out a personal research projects involves formulating a specific research question, selecting an appropriate conceptual framework and research design, and then proceeding with data collection, analysis, and project presentation.
Transfer in WS 25/26
What role does our diet play in fostering sustainable social cohesion? What potential for social transformation lies within the food and nutrition industry? What key role can communal catering providers, in particular, play in this context? Here at the University of Bonn, the Student Union’s dining halls are responsible for communal catering. Every day, they face the challenge of offering menus that are nutritious, sustainable, and healthy, yet affordable. In some respects, this seems like an almost impossible task. Regional sourcing, fair trade, organic and ecological sustainability — taking all of this into account is a challenge that must be overcome.
To ensure that a commercial kitchen provides as diverse and healthy a menu as possible, regular adjustments and changes to the selection of ingredients are necessary in order to meet the increasingly challenging demands of food procurement while maintaining consistent quality. This is precisely where a service-learning course could come into play. Service-learning courses are educational programs in which students collaborate with community actors to develop solutions and put them into practice. In this process, the students and their learning experiences become a vital link between academic research and social action.
As part of the service-learning project "Communal Catering" organized by the Institute of Nutrition and Food Sciences, students collaborated with the CAMPO Cafeteria (Studierendenwerk Bonn) to develop a menu that was offered during Healthy Campus Week from November 3 to 7, 2025. This menu contributed precisely to the ongoing process of adaptation and improvement in the cafeteria kitchens. Together with experts from the Studierendenwerk, new ideas and menu concepts were discussed, tested, and ultimately put into practice.
In recent years, there have been several service-learning courses that have explored the topic of nutrition from various perspectives. As part of the Agricultural and Food Sciences module, there was the Kaffeesatzprojekt in which students developed a method for turning coffee grounds from the cafés and dining halls of the Studierendenwerk into fire starters. As part of the the course Medienpraxis Film/Video in the Media Studies programs at the University of Bonn, students collaborated with the Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia and Slow Food Germany to create short films about food waste and sustainable eating in their daily student lives. The Urbane Ernährungswende project seminar recently collaborated with the Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia and the City of Bonn to explore the prospects and possibilities for a food transformation in the city of Bonn. Students brought together local actors from various relevant fields and laid the groundwork for further collaboration. Building on these previous successful collaborations with the Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Studierendenwerk Bonn, the Communal Catering project adds a dedicated professional perspective to this cross-cutting process of food system transformation. We look forward to continued fruitful collaboration with all participating partners and institutions, as well as to further projects and initiatives, in order to contribute to sustainable food transformation within the university and the broader urban community.
Project partners include the Studierendenwerk Bonn and the Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia.