Programmes for student food insecurity/hunger
In accordance with Article 47 of the Higher Education Law No. 2547, ITU’s Directorate of Health, Culture, and Sports provides for the nutritional needs of our students. For this purpose, lunch is served in 10 of our dining halls, and dinner is served in 4 of our dining halls.
Free Breakfast Programme: ITU serves free soup (BEE SOUP -free of charge-) every morning at the Ayazağa campus entrance. Students may have their soup at the entrance of the campus before going to their morning classes.
With the collaboration of ITU and Yemeksepeti; students, faculty members and employees have the opportunity to start the day with hot “Bee Soup” free of charge. The soup distribution service at the Arı Kapı entrance in our Ayazağa Campus continues this year as in previous years.
Free Lunch Programme: Students in need are offered one free meal per day (lunch only) at our university cafeteria. Our university offers meal grants to 2,000 students each year. Apply for free lunch at ITU Scholarships page.
Affordable Lunch and Dinner for ITU students and staff: The Dining-hall of ITU releases its daily lunch and dinner menu at their website and app. The price of the menu for students and staff is also stated on the website. The lunch prices are set to minimum to prevent hunger among students and staff. For student hunger interventions, lunch and dinner costs 47,50-₺ (1 USD) for ITU students in the campuses. For staff hunger interventions, the lunch and dinner prices are set as low as 61,00-₺ to 121,50-₺ (1,4 to 2,9 USD).
Interventions to target hunger among students: During the academic term, meal service is provided to an average of 14,000 people daily. Our Directorate provides a total of 2,000 students with free meal scholarships every year to eliminate student food insecurity/hunger.
In accordance with legal provisions, a portion of the meal cost is covered by meal fees collected from our students and university staff, and a significant portion is subsidized by our university's own income. Our students, academic, and administrative staff can eat their meals using their ID cards (automation system). The automation system is implemented in all our dining halls.
Interventions to Access Food in ITU Campuses
Eco-friendly autonomous food delivery robot: ITU continues to offer its students and faculty members the opportunity to experience the current possibilities of developing autonomous technologies. The eco-friendly autonomous food delivery robot YEBO, developed by DELIVERS.AI for Yemeksepeti, is now at ITU Ayazağa Campus. Students and faculty members at ITU's Ayazağa Campus will be able to receive their Yemeksepeti orders from the campus's favorite restaurant, 1773 ITU Cafeteria, delivered by the autonomous delivery robot YEBO.
Free Drinking Water: Water dispensers are placed at different points to ensure that students have access to free drinking water at all times in ITU campuses.
Access to grocery stores: Students can find a variety of shopping opportunities on Ayazağa Campus. Snacks, toiletries, and limited groceries are available at “Migros” located at the entrance of Ayazağa Main Dining Hall, “A101” located near the Informatics Institute and “Şok Market” located behind the Graduate Institute. Please refer to ITU Map for location of the accessible food banks.
Food Donations and Scholarships: Efforts are continuing to put programmes in place to prevent student food insecurity/hunger. ITU Lunch Scholarship (free of charge lunch) was provided for 2000 students in 2024. A significant part of the revenue generated from the 1773 ITU Store is donated to new generation ITU students by way of scholarships. Alumni and current members also donate for the lunch scholarship to prevent hunger among students. ITU students who are experiencing financial difficulties can benefit from the lunch service offered in the cafeteria of our University's Health, Culture and Sports Department free of charge.
Annual charity dinner: ITU annually organizes free dinner events open to all.
Safe, sustainable, healthy and affordable food choices in Campus
All food outlets within ITU Campuses contain various sustainable food choices. Four kitchens and twenty one cafeteria of different capacities are working at all the ITU Campuses affiliated to the Catering Branch Directorate. These facilities provide meals for students and staff.
Menus are prepared monthly by a team consisting of a food engineer, a food technician, and a head chef under the supervision of our manager, with energy values of 1,000-1,500 kcal, taking into account the nutritional content of the foods offered. Monthly and daily menus are announced on our website. The basic nutrients and calorie values of the foods on the menu can be viewed on the ITU Mobile application.
In our student dining halls, 4 types of meals are served in one sitting. These are;
1. Type: soup/salad/yogurt/tzatziki/crudités and similar,
2. Type: main course with meat,
3. Type: rice/pasta/pastry/olive oil-based dishes and similar,
4. Type: fruit/salad/yogurt/tzatziki/dessert (milk-based/pastry) and similar.
Vegetarian, vegan food and gluten free dishes every day
In ITU Dining Halls Affiliated to the Catering Branch Directorate, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free main dishes are served every day. Students benefit from vegetarian, vegan and gluten free food options at the same price as other options. Alternative options are available in different cafeterias.
For our vegan and vegetarian students, a vegetarian main course is provided as an alternative to the main course at lunch. The vegetarian main courses have been made suitable for consumption by guests with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity by removing wheat, bulgur, flour, etc., raw materials from their recipes.
Quality Management System for Food
As part of Quality Management System efforts of ITU Coordination Office of Quality, satisfaction surveys (Dining Hall, Sports Facilities, Health Center, Library, Psychological Counseling Center, Disability Support Unit) are being conducted annually to enhance the quality of services within ITU and to gather opinions and feedback regarding these services. The valuable input of our staff and students in these surveys significantly contribute to enhancing all our services and reinforcing our Quality Management System practices.
The online survey has been prepared to collect annual feedback on the dining hall services. The participation of our staff and students is highly important for improving the quality and ensuring the sustainability of these services. The survey does not request any personal identification information. Responses are used in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law.
Procurement
The Food Service System of ITU prefers to purchase products from local, sustainable sources according to procurement policy.
“Safe and Sustainable Food Commission (SSFC): The commission established to carry out the tasks specified in the Directive,
Preferring food supply from local producers at the purchasing stage,
It is essential to ensure continuous, sustainable access to food for all stakeholders within the framework of sustainable food policy and to determine strategies to achieve zero waste and zero hunger goals” https://yaziisleri.itu.edu.tr/docs/librariesprovider22/itu-directives/itu-safe-and-sustainable-food-management-directive.pdf?sfvrsn=e2ee0312_0
The raw materials, equipment, and supplies needed by the ITU Catering Services Branch Directorate are determined according to monthly menus and needs. Raw materials and supplies are procured by the ITU Directorate of Health, Culture, and Sports Procurement Branch Directorate through tender or negotiation, using technical specifications. Our technical specifications used for goods and services procurement are prepared by our food engineers in accordance with current laws, regulations, communiqués, standards, and other national and international legal provisions and are constantly revised. For contracted firms, the T.C. Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Operating Registration or Operating Approval Certificates and the implementation of the ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System Standard or HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) Food Safety System are required. In addition, the contracted firms are periodically inspected for hygiene and product safety by our manager, food engineers, and food technicians. The goods received are checked by our inspection commissions, and the necessary raw material analyses are carried out by an accredited laboratory for the features specified in the technical specifications.
For more details click here.
Access to university facilities to local farmers/producers to improve sustainable farming practices
Istanbul Technical University participates in developing the knowledge and skills of local farmers and food producers. ITU Food Engineering Department offers a comprehensive analytical and testing service to support the needs of the local farmers and food producers. The Department provides specific technical expertise and can organize special educational programs and workshops to fit the producers' needs.
Services and laboratories accessible to local farmers/producers to improve sustainable farming practices
Services: Food Engineering Department offers a comprehensive analytical and testing service to support the needs of the food industry. Our laboratory capabilities include microbiological, chemical, nutritional, physical and sensorial analysis of foods.
Upon demand, our faculty members can provide specific technical expertise and organize special educational programs and workshops to fit your individual company's needs.
For detailed information about our extension services, please email food@itu.edu.tr.
Laboratories: The laboratories of the department are classified in two groups as teaching oriented and research oriented. Teaching laboratories have 27 m2 area and research laboratories have 774 m2 area in total. All equipment can be used in both purposes. Teaching laboratories include food quality control lab, food technology lab, microbiology lab, and sensory analysis lab. Research laboratories include microbiology lab, rheology lab, cereal technology lab, and instrumental analysis lab.
● Food Quality Control Laboratory
● Food Technology Laboratory
● Food Microbiology Laboratory
● Instrumental Analysis Laboratory
● Sensory Analysis Laboratory
The Food Engineering program
The Food Engineering program of the Istanbul Technical University is the first food engineering program offered in Istanbul. The foundation of the Food Engineering Department in ITU has been pioneered by some faculty members of the Chemical Engineering Department in the School of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering in 1987. Following the recruitment of faculty members the department admitted the first students in 1990-1991 academic years. The department has been ranked as the second best, based on the OSYM examination scores among food engineering programs of other universities in Türkiye.
The Food Engineering program is supported by 9 full-time professors, 5 Associate Professors, 4 Assistant Professors, 3 staff (one administrative and two technical) and 15 research assistants. The full-time faculty of the Food Engineering Department has a broad range of technical interest and expertise within the food engineering area. https://food.itu.edu.tr/en/home
Collaborations for Zero Hunger
ITU takes active roles in promoting technological advancement and innovation to generate startups and enhance the industrial sector with their project. Members of the Food Engineering Department have worked in two collaborative research projects with the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies – Fruit Research Institute. Project topics include determination of quality criteria of agricultural products and supply chain-oriented determination of Breeding Goals.
Learning food security and sustainable agriculture in ITU
The Safe and Sustainable Food Commission of ITU has established a special event on World Food Day, which is open to the public and free so that interested local farmers and producers can participate. Graduates of the Food Engineering Department who are also local producers and entrepreneurs give speeches at the event.
Events for local farmers and food producers to connect and transfer knowledge
Istanbul Technical University organised the 1st International Multidisciplinary Acorn as Food Workshop on December 17 - 18 2024, in Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center Senate Hall, ITU Ayazaga Campus, Istanbul, Türkiye. The event gathered local farmers and food producers with international experts to transfer knowledge on sustainable food. https://acornfoodworkshop.itu.edu.tr/#about
The 2nd Food Microbiology Congress
The 2nd Food Microbiology Congress, hosted by Istanbul Technical University (ITU), was held at the Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center between September 4-6.
Leading scientists from various universities in our country, researchers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and private sector stakeholders (food producers, food analysis laboratories, analysis equipment and material suppliers) came together at the congress. Panels, oral presentations, and poster presentations provided a platform for valuable exchange of ideas.
Prof. Dr. Mandal stated that the focus of the congress was on technology, specifically artificial intelligence, digital solutions, and big data, which facilitate access to healthy food and the development of new products. He reminded the audience that transforming technology into real solutions goes beyond technical capabilities and requires the collaboration and collective wisdom of different stakeholders.
Our Rector pointed out that, as ITU, they have built a learning and sustainable structure instead of one-way knowledge transfer; they have brought students, academics, public institutions, and private sector representatives together around the same table. Stating that they attach importance to expanding university-public-industry cooperation with the active participation of society and transitioning from a tripartite to a quadripartite structure, Prof. Dr. Mandal added that at ITU, they enable students to gain field experience and participate in a culture of co-production with the industry.
Students for SDG 2- Zero Hunger
ITU Food Engineering Club was established in 2001 at the Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Chemistry and Metallurgy. Club brings together undergraduate, graduate students, and alumni. A dedicated room has been allocated to the Food Engineering Club to enable it to carry out its activities. As part of club activities, career talks, seminars, summits, career fairs, and technical tours around Istanbul are organized with participation from industry professionals and alumni.
Support to Our Faculty Member in the Field of Food Technology
ITU Department of Food Engineering faculty member Dr. Gülay Özkan’s project, which aims to obtain value-added products in the field of food technology by using agricultural wastes and local resources, was entitled to support under TÜBİTAK 1001 in the 1st period of 2024. The project team also includes Prof. Dr. Funda Karbancıoğlu Güler and Res. Asst. Dilara Devecioğlu. (2 Sept 2024)
Istanbul Technical University (ITU) continues to reinforce its pioneering role in engineering and technology with the projects prepared by its faculty members. The project which has ITU Faculty of Chemical-Metallurgical Engineering, Department of Food Engineering faculty member Dr. Gülay Özkan as its principal investigator and Prof. Dr. Funda Karbancıoğlu Güler and Res. Asst. Dilara Devecioğlu in its project team was deemed worthy of support within the scope of TÜBİTAK 1001.
Growing interest in edible food packaging
Assist. Prof. Dr. Gülay Özkan’s project titled “Production, Characterization and Food Applications of Edible Film Containing Bioactive Peptide Obtained from Agricultural Waste/By-Products and Probiotic Yeast Isolated from Local Sources”, prepared within the Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Research Support Group (TOVAG), won support among the “2024 1st period projects that were resubmitted without waiting for the next period”.
Our faculty member Dr. Gülay Özkan emphasized that edible film technology, which aims to both extend the shelf life and preserve the quality characteristics of food products, has been developing rapidly in recent years and that consumers’ demands for sustainability and natural content are effective in this.
International Support for Project Aimed at Sustainable and Efficient Agriculture
The project titled “Quantum Dot-Based Nano-Optical Antennas for Sustainable and Efficient Agriculture,” prepared by an academic team led by Prof. Dr. Levent Trabzon, a faculty member at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and including Assoc. Prof. Dr. Caner Ünlü, a faculty member at the Department of Chemistry, has been awarded funding by the UK Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology in collaboration with the British Council. (25 Oct 2024)
Istanbul Technical University (ITU) academics continue to receive new support in the international arena for their scientific projects. The project, prepared by researchers including our faculty member Prof. Dr. Levent Trabzon from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Caner Ünlü from the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science and Letters, will be supported by the UK Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology in collaboration with the British Council. The project will involve collaboration with Dr. Tariq Sajjad and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suela Kellici from London South Bank University.
Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture
A cooperation protocol highlighting artificial intelligence technologies in the fields of agricultural technologies and food engineering was signed between ITU, 1773 ITU Technopark, and Agrotech Inc. (20 Mar 2024)
A trilateral cooperation protocol was signed between Istanbul Technical University, 1773 ITU Technopark, and Agrotech High Technology and Investment Inc. to increase productivity in fields such as agricultural technologies, food engineering and artificial intelligence.
The protocol, which provides the industry with access to qualified personnel and up-to-date information, as well as providing workspace and job opportunities for ITU student teams, paves the way for the efficient production of innovative products with high added value under advanced technology-oriented sustainable conditions.
The cooperation protocol, which brings together our university’s expertise in artificial intelligence technologies with sectoral practice and pioneers the creation of concrete outputs of academic studies that can be applied in the industry, aims to develop the effective and widespread use of artificial intelligence technologies in the production of agricultural foods.
Food for Pets on Our Campus
In an attempt to contribute to feeding pets on our campus, you can donate pet food in any amount that suits you by clicking here.
What is a Pet Food Bank?
It is our common concern to be able to reach all pets on our campuses. However, not everyone can always afford and send one bag of pet food. That's why we use the "pet food bank" tool that as much or as little as you would like to support within the framework of the ITU CAMPUS IS OUR HOME PROJECT.
How Does the Pet Food Bank Work?
You can accomplish the buying process through the “ITU Campus is Our Home” project and the pet food is going to be sent to the ITU Veterinary Unit. ITU Veterinary Unit instagram page shares the donations and activities @ituveterinerbirimi