14.3.2. Food from aquatic ecosystems (policies)
Have a policy to ensure that food on campus that comes from aquatic ecosystems is sustainably harvested
UEH promotes policies for the responsible procurement and consumption of sustainably sourced seafood on campus
University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) promotes the responsible, sustainable and traceable procurement and use of food originating from aquatic ecosystems. Under its Green Campus Regulations, UEH prioritises food-service providers committed to purchasing responsibly caught or farmed seafood with sustainability certification. It also commits not to purchase or use seafood from prohibited fisheries, destructive fishing practices or illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
In addition to publishing its policy, UEH is progressively integrating sustainable food procurement into canteen management, supplier selection and communication about traceable food. These measures encourage responsible consumption on campus, support aquatic resource conservation and contribute to SDG 14 – Life Below Water.
- Policy description
UEH has established a policy guiding the provision of food originating from oceans, seas, rivers, lakes and other aquatic ecosystems according to sustainable harvesting and aquaculture principles (Sustainably Harvested Food from Aquatic Ecosystems).
The policy has three main elements: prioritising seafood suppliers with sustainability commitments; excluding products originating from prohibited or destructive fishing or IUU activities; and managing supply through procurement rules, traceability and the responsibilities of campus food-service providers.
These principles are reflected in the Green Campus Regulations and apply to procurement and food services at UEH campuses, including the Vinh Long Campus.
Policy adoption and continuity
UEH issued the Green Campus Regulations under Decision No. 2059/QD-DHKT-CSVC in 2022. In 2024, UEH’s Sustainability Project Board piloted an extension of the regulations, introducing a preference for providers sourcing responsibly caught or farmed seafood under Article 16(4). In 2025, the preferences for sustainable seafood and the exclusion of illegally harvested products continued to be publicly stated in Article 16(4) and Article 16(6) of the Green Campus Regulations, covering procurement and food services at UEH campuses, including Vinh Long.
Source 1 – Green Campus Regulations, Article 16:
https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh
Source 2 – UEH Future, 3 November 2025, documenting the 2024 pilot extension:
https://future.ueh.edu.vn/1432-thuc-pham-tu-he-sinh-thai-duoi-nuoc-chinh-sach/
- Policy to ensure sustainable sourcing of aquatic food
2.1. Provisions directly addressing food from aquatic ecosystems
Source: UEH Green Campus Regulations.
https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh
| Provision | Policy content | Relevance to indicator 14.3.2 | Image |
| Article 16(4) | Prioritise food-service providers committed to purchasing responsibly caught or farmed seafood with sustainability certification. | Establishes a preference for sustainable seafood at the supplier-selection stage. |  Green Campus regulation excerpt |
| Article 16(6) | Commit not to purchase or use seafood from prohibited harvesting, destructive fishing or activities identified as IUU violations. | Excludes illegal and ecologically harmful seafood sources. |  Green Campus regulation excerpt |
Mechanism for ensuring sustainable seafood sourcing
UEH combines two principles in managing food from aquatic ecosystems: prioritising food-service providers committed to procuring responsibly caught or farmed seafood with sustainability certification, under Article 16(4); and excluding products from prohibited fisheries, destructive fishing or IUU fishing, under Article 16(6). These provisions are supported by supplier traceability and recordkeeping requirements under Article 6, linking sustainability criteria to campus procurement and food services.
Source – Green Campus Regulations, Articles 6 and 16:
https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh
2.2. Supporting supply-chain management provisions
Source: UEH Green Campus Regulations.
https://gogreen.ueh.edu.vn/quy-dinh-thuc-hanh-dai-hoc-xanh
| Provision | Policy content | Role in policy implementation | Image |
| Article 6(1) | Purchase food only from suppliers with food-safety certification and clearly documented origin; prioritise local, organic or appropriately certified products. | Supports food traceability and responsible supplier selection. |
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| Article 6(4–5) | Supplier selection, origin documentation, reporting and handling of relevant standards violations. | Supports supply-chain control and monitoring. |
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| Article 16(1–2) | Assigns responsibilities for procurement policies and processes prioritising suppliers that meet Green Campus requirements. | Integrates sustainability criteria into procurement management. | 
Green Campus regulation excerpt |
| Article 17(1) | Requires goods and service providers, including canteens and shops, to ensure ethical food provision. | Defines the responsibilities of campus food-service operators. |  Green Campus regulation excerpt |
Green Campus regulation excerptOn this basis, UEH’s food procurement is guided by responsible supplier selection, origin verification and requirements concerning safety, ethics and the environment. Seafood-specific conditions are set out in Article 16(4) and Article 16(6).
- Evidence of food procurement and provision at UEH
Alongside its policy framework, UEH publishes information on sustainable food procurement practices, supplier cooperation and communication encouraging food choices with clear provenance.
| No. | Evidence | Implementation and findings | Supporting image | Source |
| 1 | Cooperation with clean seafood suppliers in sustainable food procurement | In 2025, UEH continued to prioritise local, organic and traceable food for its canteens, maintaining longer-term cooperation with suppliers of organic produce and clean seafood. A 2025 consolidated food procurement report cited in the Vietnamese article states that 68% of total food ingredient expenditure went to local suppliers in the Mekong Delta and neighbouring areas (up 3 percentage points from 2024), while 46% of products within the reporting scope had organic certification (up 6 percentage points). These figures cover general food procurement, not the proportion of seafood certified as sustainably caught or farmed. Seafood-specific requirements remain those of Article 16(4) and (6). | 
Contract with a clean seafood supplier and campus canteen photographs. |
https://future.ueh.edu.vn/254-thu-mua-thuc-pham-ben-vung/ |
| 2 | Public information about campus canteens and food provision | UEH’s 2025 evidence article on indicator 14.3.2 describes its sustainable seafood supplier preference and includes canteen and menu photographs, providing context for the application of the policy to on-campus food services. | 
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https://future.ueh.edu.vn/1432-thuc-pham-tu-he-sinh-thai-duoi-nuoc-chinh-sach/ |
| 3 | Food Safety Action Month 2025 | UEH communicated the importance of choosing safe and traceable food, checking certification information and ensuring appropriate storage conditions. This supports responsible food consumption awareness and transparent supply chains, although it does not establish seafood sustainability certification. |  
Students preparing nutritious meals; students choosing hygienic canteen facilities. |
https://www.ueh.edu.vn/cuoc-song-ueh/tin-tuc/thang-hanh-dong-vi-an-toan-thuc-pham-2025-73823 |
| 4 | Publication of UEH’s ethical sourcing framework | UEH publicly sets out food supplier selection, traceability and procurement accountability principles. These provisions complement the seafood-specific requirements in Article 16. | 
Food safety eligibility certificate. |
https://future.ueh.edu.vn/1221-chinh-sach-cung-ung-co-dao-duc/ |
UEH canteen and menu.- Conclusion
Through its Green Campus Regulations issued in 2022 and the pilot extension in 2024, UEH established a policy framework for the sustainable procurement of food from aquatic ecosystems. The policy combines a preference for responsibly caught or farmed seafood from sustainability-certified sources with a commitment to exclude products from prohibited fisheries, destructive fishing and IUU activities.
The policy applies to procurement and food provision at UEH campuses, including Vinh Long, supported by traceability and supplier responsibility provisions. Continued cooperation with food suppliers, including suppliers described as providing clean seafood, supports the direction of responsible purchasing, aquatic resource conservation and SDG 14. General food procurement statistics should not, however, be presented as verified sustainable seafood procurement rates.