Food

Plant-Based Eating

Eating a plant-based diet is not only good for human health, but also for planetary health. According to a study at the University of Oxford published in Science, eating a vegan diet could be the “single biggest way” to reduce your environmental impact on earth. Researchers at Oxford found that cutting meat and dairy products from your diet could reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73 percent. In addition to carbon, by reducing our animal-based food consumption, we greatly reduce our usage of fresh water and land needed for agriculture.

Eating Local

Here are a few of the benefits of eating food that has been locally grown: 

  • Local food supports the local economy, reinvesting money in your community.
  • Local food benefits the environment by helping to maintain farmland and green space within your community, as well as cutting down on carbon emissions from transportation.
  • Local growers can tell you how exactly the food was grown (planting, raising, harvesting).
  • Local food is full of flavor and nutrients because of the shorter time period between harvest and your table.

For more information, please visit the website for Homegrown Baltimore, the city government’s urban agriculture program encouraging Baltimore residents to grow local, buy local, and eat local.

Looking to support local catering vendors? Visit our Make Your Next Event Low-Waste page to access our Green Eats vendor list and interactive map.

University Farmers Market

The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) Farmers Market, located at University Park Plaza on the corner of Paca and Baltimore streets, is held every Tuesday, June through November, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Stop by to purchase fresh produce, sweet treats, prepared meals, and more! The kickoff for the 2024 season will take place June 4.

For information on using SNAP benefits at the market, visit the UMMC website.

Below is a list of vendors for the 2024 season:

El Piquin 

Back for another year, Paulino and his crew will be dishing out delicious burritos, quesadillas, burrito bowls, and freshly made crepes with a large variety of fillings!

Visit their website here.

MoMo Thai Food 

MoMo offers a taste of authentic Thai food. Using fresh ingredients, a variety of dishes are prepared from scratch and enhanced by herbs and spices for a genuine flavor.

Visit their website here.

Traci’s Treats 

Traci’s Treats works with local suppliers to source the freshest and most natural ingredients and uses old-fashioned techniques to ensure the highest quality. Their goal is to make you feel like you’re sitting in the kitchen with them!

Visit their website here.

Tuckey’s Fruit and Vegetable Farm 

Located just 15 miles northwest of historic Gettysburg, Pa., Tuckey’s offers a full line of berries, fruits, vegetables, honey, and fresh-cut flowers!

DC Donuts 

DC Donuts offers Zeke’s coffee and mini donuts.

Visit their Instagram page here.

Morelife Organic 

Morelife is a family-run company specializing in organic juices, herbal teas, and raw vegan snacks made with love. Their juice ingredients are organic-first and locally sourced when possible from Maryland farmers.

Visit their website here.

Paradise Island Cuisine 

Paradise Island serves food and drink that combine the island food cultures of Haitian and Taiwanese, with inspiration drawn from the sea.

Visit their website here.

UMB Student Food Security

Food insecurity has become a growing concern for students on many campuses. The Food Security Project at UMB is a program to support students who might be experiencing food insecurity.

UMB conducted a student survey in fall 2018 to determine if there was a need for a student food pantry or other resources on campus to assist in addressing any food insecurity that may exist among the student population. Check the  Food Security Infographic  to view some of the findings from the survey.  

For more information and resources regarding food security on campus, please visit the UMB Student Affairs website. You can learn more about the UMB Student Pantry here. You also can learn about our food recovery initiative UMB FREE, which connects students to leftover food from events. 

Baltimore City Food Environment Maps

The Department of Planning and the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future collaborate to examine the Baltimore food environment through research, analysis, and mapping to inform the work of the city’s Baltimore Food Policy Initiative (BFPI).

BFPI is a collaboration among the Department of Planning, Office of Sustainability, Baltimore City Health Department, and Baltimore Development Corporation that draws on the expertise of each to use food as a lens to examine and address the systems that perpetuate food environment disparities.

The city brief provides a snapshot of the impact of Healthy Food Priority Areas and an analysis of food retail, nutrition assistance, and urban agriculture from a citywide perspective. For the most recent food environment briefs, visit the Baltimore City Department of Planning’s website.