1. Preamble
Kalinga University is committed to responsible consumption, environmental stewardship, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable resource management in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water). The University recognizes that food obtained from aquatic ecosystems—including fish, shellfish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other aquatic food resources—can contribute to food and nutritional security, while unsustainable harvesting and production can cause overexploitation, habitat degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and ecosystem decline.
The University therefore seeks to ensure that aquatic food served, sold, procured, or used in campus food services is obtained through legal, traceable, environmentally responsible, and socially responsible supply chains. Preference shall be given to aquatic food sourced from responsibly managed fisheries and aquaculture systems that minimize impacts on aquatic ecosystems and support long-term resource sustainability.
This Policy establishes a systematic framework for sustainable procurement, verification, responsible consumption, vendor compliance, awareness, research, monitoring, and periodic review of food obtained from aquatic ecosystems on the University campus. The Policy is intended to support the University's commitment to SDG 14 and the responsible use of marine and freshwater resources.
2. Principles
The Policy is guided by the following principles:
- Sustainable Harvesting – Promote aquatic food obtained from responsibly managed fisheries and aquaculture systems that maintain the productivity and ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems.
- Biodiversity Conservation – Avoid procurement or consumption of species that are legally protected, threatened, endangered, or subject to conservation restrictions.
- Legal and Ethical Sourcing – Ensure compliance with applicable fisheries, food safety, environmental, wildlife, labour, and other relevant laws and regulations.
- Traceability and Transparency – Maintain adequate information on the source, supplier, species, production/harvesting method, and relevant sustainability credentials of aquatic food wherever practicable.
- Precautionary Principle – Avoid procurement practices that may contribute to overfishing, destructive harvesting, habitat damage, illegal fishing, or other significant ecological harm.
- Food Safety and Quality – Ensure that aquatic food is fresh, hygienically handled, appropriately stored, transported, and prepared in accordance with applicable food-safety requirements.
- Education and Research – Promote awareness, teaching, research, and student participation concerning sustainable aquatic food systems and aquatic ecosystem conservation.
- Continuous Improvement – Periodically assess procurement practices and strengthen sustainability requirements based on scientific evidence, regulatory developments, and stakeholder feedback.
3. Objectives
The objectives of this Policy are to:
- Ensure that aquatic food served or sold on campus is sourced sustainably, legally, and responsibly.
- Promote procurement from responsible fisheries, aquaculture producers, and suppliers with demonstrable environmental and social safeguards.
- Minimize the University's indirect contribution to overfishing, habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, pollution, and unsustainable aquaculture practices.
- Discourage the purchase of protected, threatened, illegally harvested, undersized, or otherwise restricted aquatic species.
- Encourage seasonal and locally appropriate sourcing where it is consistent with sustainability, food safety, and legal requirements.
- Establish sustainability-related requirements for canteens, caterers, food vendors, event organizers, and procurement agencies.
- Promote responsible consumption and reduce waste of aquatic food and associated resources.
- Encourage academic research and student projects related to sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, aquatic biodiversity, food systems, and ecosystem conservation.
- Build awareness among students, faculty, staff, vendors, and visitors regarding sustainable aquatic food choices.
- Support the University's reporting and institutional commitment towards SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
4. Guidelines
4.1 Sustainable Procurement
The University shall:
- Require aquatic food procured for campus canteens, cafeterias, hostels, catering, official events, and other institutional food services to be sourced from legal and responsible suppliers.
- Give preference, where feasible, to suppliers who can demonstrate sustainable fisheries or responsible aquaculture practices through credible certification, documentation, traceability records, or other verifiable evidence.
- Encourage procurement of species from healthy and responsibly managed stocks and avoid species known to be subject to serious overexploitation or conservation concern.
- Prefer procurement arrangements that provide information on the species, source location, harvesting or production method, and supplier.
4.2 Prohibited and High-Risk Sourcing
The University shall not knowingly procure aquatic food that:
- Is obtained through illegal, unreported, or otherwise unauthorized fishing or harvesting.
- Involves protected or prohibited species, or species whose trade, capture, possession, or sale is restricted under applicable law.
- Is associated with destructive harvesting methods that cause significant and avoidable damage to aquatic habitats or non-target species.
- Cannot reasonably be verified as legally sourced where such verification is required by applicable regulations or University procurement conditions.
- Is supplied in violation of applicable minimum size, seasonal closure, catch, transport, or other fisheries management requirements.
4.3 Responsible Aquaculture
Where farmed aquatic food is procured, the University shall encourage suppliers that demonstrate responsible aquaculture practices, including:
- Compliance with applicable environmental and food-safety requirements.
- Responsible management of water, feed, medicines, and other inputs.
- Measures to minimize disease transmission, pollution, escape of cultured organisms, and damage to surrounding ecosystems.
- Responsible treatment of workers and compliance with applicable labour and occupational safety requirements.
4.4 Supplier and Vendor Compliance
All campus canteens, caterers, food outlets, and relevant vendors shall:
- Maintain basic procurement records for aquatic food products.
- Purchase aquatic food only from approved and legally compliant suppliers.
- Provide supporting documentation or declarations of source and legality when requested by the University.
- Cooperate with periodic checks, audits, or sustainability assessments conducted by the University.
- Ensure that sustainability requirements are incorporated into new or renewed food-service contracts wherever practicable.
4.5 Food Safety, Storage and Handling
Aquatic food shall be handled in accordance with applicable food-safety requirements. Vendors and food-service operators shall maintain hygienic storage, cold-chain or appropriate temperature control where required, safe preparation, prevention of cross-contamination, and proper disposal of spoiled or unsafe products.
4.6 Sustainable Consumption and Waste Reduction
The University shall:
- Promote appropriate portioning and demand-based procurement to minimize food waste.
- Encourage responsible use of edible aquatic food and reduction of avoidable by-products and waste.
- Promote segregation and environmentally responsible disposal of food waste and packaging.
- Discourage unnecessary promotion of aquatic food from unsustainable or conservation-sensitive sources.
4.7 Documentation and Traceability
The University shall, where practicable, maintain records including supplier name, product/species, source, quantity, date of procurement, and available sustainability or legality documentation. Records shall be retained in accordance with applicable University procurement and record-management procedures.
4.8 Awareness and Capacity Building
The University shall organize or support:
- Awareness programmes on sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, aquatic biodiversity, and responsible food consumption.
- Expert lectures, seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and campaigns related to SDG 14.
- Student-led activities and information materials on sustainable aquatic food choices.
- Observance of relevant environmental and biodiversity days, where appropriate.
4.9 Research and Academic Integration
Faculty members and students shall be encouraged to undertake research and academic activities related to:
- Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.
- Aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem services.
- Food security and nutrition from aquatic resources.
- Impacts of fishing, aquaculture, pollution, and climate change on aquatic ecosystems.
- GIS, remote sensing, field surveys, and spatial assessment of aquatic resources.
- Sustainable food procurement, consumption behaviour, and campus sustainability.
4.10 Collaboration
The University may collaborate with relevant government departments, fisheries institutions, food-safety authorities, research institutions, conservation organizations, responsible fisheries and aquaculture enterprises, NGOs, and community organizations to strengthen sustainable aquatic food systems and knowledge exchange.
5. Teacher–Student Participation
Faculty members shall:
- Integrate sustainable aquatic resource use and SDG 14 concepts into relevant teaching, practicals, projects, and extension activities.
- Encourage student research on aquatic ecosystems, sustainable food systems, fisheries, aquaculture, and conservation.
- Promote evidence-based awareness of responsible aquatic food consumption.
Students shall:
- Participate in awareness programmes, seminars, surveys, and sustainability campaigns.
- Promote responsible food choices and reduction of food waste.
- Support research and documentation activities relating to aquatic ecosystem conservation.
- Report concerns regarding suspected illegal, prohibited, or unsustainably sourced aquatic food through appropriate University channels.
6. Monitoring and Review
The University shall:
- Conduct periodic reviews of aquatic food procurement and vendor compliance.
- Assess the availability and quality of supplier traceability and sustainability documentation.
- Monitor compliance of campus canteens, caterers, and food vendors with this Policy.
- Record corrective actions and improvements where non-compliance is identified.
- Include relevant activities and evidence in annual sustainability and SDG documentation.
- Review this Policy every three years or earlier where required by changes in law, sustainability standards, institutional priorities, or scientific evidence.
7. Accountability and Transparency
- The Procurement/Stores function, Estate/Administration, campus food-service management, Department of Geography, Environmental/Green Campus Committee, and other relevant academic or administrative units shall jointly support implementation of this Policy.
- Sustainability requirements applicable to aquatic food shall be incorporated into relevant procurement and vendor-selection procedures.
- Records of suppliers, procurement, verification, awareness activities, and monitoring shall be maintained in appropriate digital or physical form.
- Evidence of implementation may be incorporated into the University's annual sustainability report, SDG documentation, website, and other institutional disclosures, subject to applicable confidentiality requirements.
- Vendors or service providers that repeatedly fail to comply with sustainability or legal requirements may be subject to corrective action, suspension, or other contractual measures in accordance with university rules and agreements.
- The University shall encourage transparent communication of its sustainable aquatic food commitments to students, staff, vendors, and other stakeholders.
8. Approval and Implementation
This Policy on Food from Aquatic Ecosystems (Sustainably Harvested) shall come into effect from the date of approval by the competent authority of Kalinga University, Naya Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The Policy shall apply to all students, faculty members, researchers, staff, contractors, canteen operators, caterers, food vendors, event organizers, visitors, and other stakeholders involved in food procurement, preparation, sale, or service on the University campus.
The Policy shall be implemented in alignment with applicable Indian laws, food-safety requirements, fisheries and aquaculture regulations, environmental and biodiversity conservation provisions, and relevant institutional procurement procedures.
