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> News > Affordable and Healthy Dining: Universitas Sumatera Utara Supports Student Well-Being with Café Talenta USU

Affordable and Healthy Dining: Universitas Sumatera Utara Supports Student Well-Being with Café Talenta USU

Published At

02 October 2024

Published By

Rahmad Eko Febrianto

Through this integrated model of affordability, nutrition, and sustainability, USU reinforces its commitment to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by ensuring that all students have access to healthy and budget‑friendly meals, while at the same time advancing long‑term goals for responsible consumption and reduced ecological impact.

Medan, Indonesia —In line with its mission to promote student welfare and sustainable living, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) has developed Café Talenta USU as a flagship venue for affordable, nutritious, and sustainable meals on campus. The café brings together accessibility, health, and environmental responsibility, ensuring that good food is within reach for all students.

Affordable prices for balanced meals
Café Talenta offers meals in the range of approximately Rp 8,000 to Rp 15,000 (around USD 0.50 to 1.00), making balanced, home‑style dishes realistically affordable, especially for low‑income students.

source: ecency.com/@firayumni

Safe, hygienic, and nutritious food
All food is prepared and served under strict food‑hygiene and safety procedures, in line with the university’s Healthy Eating Guidelines. Operations are supervised by the Faculty of Public Health and the campus food safety programme, so students can rely on meals that are both safe and nutritionally sound.

Diverse and plant‑based menu options
The café provides a range of plant‑based and traditional Indonesian dishes, including:

  • stir‑fried water spinach (kangkung tumis),
  • fern cooked in coconut milk (sayur pakis santan),
  • fragrant coconut rice (nasi gurih),
  • fresh vegetable salad (salad sayur), and
  • tempeh cooked in sweet soy sauce (tempe orek).

These options support healthier eating patterns while respecting local flavours and food culture.

Local sourcing and sustainable ingredients
Café Talenta prioritises local and organic suppliers, particularly farmers around Medan and agroecological farms affiliated with USU. This approach keeps ingredients fresh and seasonal, supports local livelihoods, and reduces the environmental footprint associated with food transport.

Environmentally friendly packaging and responsible waste management
The café uses food‑grade, environmentally friendly packaging, replacing single‑use plastics with paper cups for hot drinks and biodegradable containers for meals. Proactive waste‑management practices ensure that leftover food and packaging are handled responsibly, supporting the university’s broader Green Campus initiative and contributing to its reporting under the UI GreenMetric framework.

Aligning affordability, health, and sustainability
Through this integrated model of affordability, nutrition, and sustainability, USU reinforces its commitment to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) by ensuring that all students have access to healthy and budget‑friendly meals, while at the same time advancing long‑term goals for responsible consumption and reduced ecological impact.

News SDGs 2

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