Aramark renames higher education division

Aramark has launched a new name for its higher education division—Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. The food management company said it also plans on expanding global flavors and sustainability initiatives this fall.

As part of those efforts, it will expand its Cool Food Meals program, which identifies dishes with a lower carbon footprint by marking them with a badge. The badge will appear on more than 350 menu items at participating schools. Aramark is also leaning into local purchasing, and in June signed the World Resource Institute’s Cool Food Pledge, through which the company committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food it serves by 25% by 2030.

In addition to expanding sustainability programs, Aramark said it will broaden its use of global flavors in response to student feedback. It is doing so by expanding its La Latina Cocina partnership with celebrity chef Grace Ramirez. The program started with pop-ups and takeover stations at 11 schools last year and will expand to 74 campuses this fall.

The company also said it seeks to take a wholistic approach to wellness by providing a variety of dining stations, and employing and cultivating experts through allergen and other training.

“This isn’t a change in identity; it’s an alignment of presentation and substance,” said Trevor Ferguson, president and chief operating officer for Aramark Collegiate Hospitality. “As with all healthy business partnerships, our offerings have evolved with client and market needs. We rebranded our name and messaging to reflect what we are already doing.”

This comes at a time of heavy rebranding from Aramark. The company recently launched a new name for the K-12 division—Aramark Student Nutrition—as well as refreshed the look of its sports and entertainment arm.