“The vision of the office is to promote a healthy food environment, with students and staff well informed and empowered to take appropriate action regarding their food and nutrition …”

The No Student Hungry (NSH) programme at the University of the Free State (UFS) aims to support our most vulnerable students - those who excel academically, yet struggle with food insecurity – by providing them with healthy food options to ensure they can complete their studies successfully.

Aligned with the UFS Strategic Plan's Strategic Goal 1 (to improve student success and well-being), the university has developed a comprehensive Food Environment Strategy. This strategy focuses on creating a health-promoting food environment where students are informed and empowered to take appropriate action regarding their food and nutrition situation. The NSH food bursary programme is a cornerstone of this strategy.

The need for food assistance is exacerbated by delays in the delivery of bursary funds. Inadequate funding for living expenses, combined with a lack of knowledge and skills to plan, procure, and prepare healthy meals on a limited budget, contributes significantly to the hunger situation on our campuses.

To address these challenges, we partnered with the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition (through the Eat&Succeed Programme), the Food Sciences division in the Department of Sustainable Food Systems and Development, and Kovsie ACT (the vegetable tunnels). We launched an awareness campaign on the university’s social media platforms, student newsletter, and this webpage, sharing fun facts, budgeting tips, podcasts, videos, student testimonials, and recipes to ensure students have the resources to make healthier food choices.

Bringing together these efforts underscores the UFS's dedication to student well-being and academic success through the NSH programme and the broader Food Environment Strategy. By tackling food insecurity and promoting healthy eating habits, the university is creating a supportive and health-promoting campus environment that empowers students to thrive academically and personally.

For more information on the Food Environment Office, please contact:

Annelize Visagie
T: +27 51 401 3258
E: FoodEnvironment@ufs.ac.za

Sustainable Food Systems
and Development

Nutrition and
Dietetics

towards NSH via
Institutional Advancement
Office