In Champaign-Urbana, more than 20 different food truck vendors can be found regularly circulating through the cities. Many of these food trucks can be found around the University of Illinois streets, students being a primary consumer of their offerings. Businesses, especially those which serve food and drink, have a unique opportunity to address sustainability within their operations. To-go, delivery, and food trucks have the unique addition of disposable products as part of their service to customers. The Green Food Truck Certification project, proposed in October 2022, was born out of a desire to address sustainability within the to-go food industry space.

In June 2023, with the EPA's Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More Sustainable Products funding cycle beginning soon, the team is not only inspired to consider substituting Styrofoam and plastic foodservice ware products (traditionally recognized as harmful for the environment), but also to consider the composition of all foodservice ware products and to avoid Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) where possible for the benefit of both human and environmental health.