A climate-friendly menu, how do you go about it?

With a few simple adjustments, we can make meals a lot more climate-friendly in the foodservice sector. This is based on three principles: we put extra emphasis on vegetable-based food, reduce waste and make smart purchases of food raw materials.

This is part of the plant-forward movement, a style of cooking that mainly involves cooking and eating food of plant origin.

Here are a few strategies to make this happen:

• Eat more vegetable proteins
• Eat less meat with a large ecological footprint, such as beef or lamb. Poultry is a better option.
• Eat animal proteins in combination with vegetable proteins, ensuring richness on your plate.
• Mix meat with vegetables, creating more variety
• Place plant-forward menus more upwards and centrally on the menu
• Make sure the food is still tasty
• Describe the food attractively, without mentioning that it is vegetarian or vegan
• Offer the climate-friendly menus to customers first

Less waste drastically reduces the impact on the planet.

This is what you can do:

• From carrot to peel, try to use everything from food in your dish (if possible)
• Provide portions tailored to the customers
• In the case of food of animal origin, use the entire carcass in your dish (if possible)
• Strive for a circular economy, relying on suppliers who use by-products to create new ingredients

Be aware of the impact of where your food comes from, and how it is transported. Strive for efficiency and sustainability.

Some strategies:

• Use only seasonal produce
• Rely on local and national cultivation
• Avoid products that are transported by plane
• Use only climate-friendly crops from organic and regenerative agriculture.