Climate Friendly
Made with the planet in mind. Reducing emissions through better food practices.
Climate change is an urgent, global issue. As society expands and develops, a range of activities in our everyday lives are producing an excessive rise in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). The accumulation of these gases in the atmosphere is leading to climate change and global warming.
At present, our food systems contribute to 20-30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is the leading cause of deforestation and biodiversity loss worldwide. Food therefore might just be the strongest lever to optimise human and environmental sustainability on earth. This is where you can make a difference.
A global call to action.
Aramark’s Climate friendly menus are our approach to nutritional sustainability which “is the ability of a food system to provide sufficient energy and the amounts of essential nutrients required to maintain good health of the population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their nutritional needs.” (Smentana et al 2019).
Our approach is in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals - a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
There are 10 key principles behind our Climate Friendly Menus:
1. Flexitarian approach: Our recipes are based on a flexitarian approach (75% plant based and 25% animal protein) which is considered to be the 3rd most climate friendly diet by the UN. Plant-based foods are known to have a smaller carbon impact than foods derived from animals overall. While many people might not be interested in excluding meat from their diets entirely, even a reduction in animal-based products has been shown to make a significant impact in lowering GHG emissions. In addition to this, there is evidence to suggest that the flexitarian diet is on the rise, with around 1 in 3 adults reporting following this way of eating. Using this broadly accepted and palatable approach, we hope to make a bigger impact by engaging with a significantly higher number of clients and consumers.
2. Wellness Criteria: Each recipe is analysed to ensure it meets our health and wellness criteria, therefore ensuring each recipe is both good for planet and person. We believe that health and sustainability must be conceived as a duality in which each creates and conditions the other. Sustainability must be conceived in a health perspective and health must be conceived in a sustainability perspective.
3. Animal Proteins: As per the Flexitarian approach, some meat proteins are acceptable within this menu framework. Options with relatively low carbon footprints have been selected, and substitutions are not permitted. These options are limited to higher welfare poultry or MSC/ASC certified fish. Recipes using red meat of any kind will not be permitted as part of this menu framework, including beef, pork, or lamb.
4. Seasonality: Using local and in-season foods enables us to use ingredients at their peak in nutrient density while also aiming to:
Minimise food miles: reduced food transportation distances results in reduced fossil fuel usage, which in turn reduces carbon emissions.
Reducing energy input: food grown in heated greenhouses out of season uses more energy.
Reducing packaging: supply chains are shorter, meaning produce can get to the consumer quickly and therefore requires less protection from spoiling.
Supporting local farmers: by buying local, you’re therefore helping sustain the local economy.
5. Use of Eco-Friendly Packaging: Any recipe that requires packaging within the climate friendly range must ensure that it is either biodegradable or recyclable.
6. Food waste: If food waste was a country, it would be the 3rd highest emitter of GHG after the US and China (FAO 2013). Our goal is to minimise, and where possible, eliminate food waste.
7. Deforestation: Agriculture requires a great deal of physical space. Some products, such as those derived from animals, fruit trees, palm and more, require more than others. Support dedicated to sourcing practices that forbid further conversion from forest to farmland may help offset current levels of GHG emissions.
8. Soil regeneration: While many crops are extractive of minerals as they grow and deplete the soil in which they grow over time, there are others that can actually store valuable minerals such as Nitrogen and improve the health of the soil. Pulses are an excellent example of regenerative crops and are a good choice on a climate-friendly menu.
9. Water inputs: Everything requires water to grow, and generally speaking it takes more water to raise animals used in agriculture than plants. However even within categories of plant-based foods there are options that minimize the consumption of fresh water resources. For example, certain types of grains can withstand limited periods of drought that would be highly destructive to most crops.
10. Agricultural Biodiversity: Over time, the global farming community has come to rely increasingly on a shrinking number of plant and animal species. As a reduced variety of foods are produced, the risk of catastrophic crop, pollinator and livestock collapse caused by pest, disease and weather events increases dramatically. Adding a less common variety of fruit or vegetable to a recipe might contribute greater food security around the world.
Let’s take a look at the ingredients used in our Climate Friendly menus in more detail.
Meat
As per the Flexitarian approach, some meat proteins are acceptable within this menu framework. Options with relatively low carbon footprints have been selected, and substitutions are not permitted. Recipes using red meat of any kind will not be permitted as part of this menu framework, including beef, pork or lamb.
We use: Organic chicken, organic turkey and MCS/ ASC fish that are considered under-used species and are locally available.
Dairy
Soft cheeses have a relatively low carbon footprint in the dairy category. As a staple ingredient in so many recipes, milk can be a critical component to a well-balanced menu. The use of plant-based milks can help to reduce the footprint associated with the production of plant-based milk.
We use: Goats cheese, brie, ricotta, feta, oat milk and soy milk.
Fats
The production of cooking oils can be environmentally volatile depending on where and how they are produced. But oil remains a critical ingredient in so many recipes, and so our inclusion is based on options that are less likely to contribute to further global deforestation. Focusing on sourcing oils that are produced in a manner that does not contribute to further deforestation means that animal-based cooking fats will not be permitted in our Climate Friendly framework. We chose versatile oils, whilst being conscious of a healthy nutritional profile.
We use: Rapeseed or sunflower oil.
Fruit and Vegetables
We selected common produce items that are grown around the world, increasing the opportunity to source them locally and thereby reduce the footprint associated with importing and exporting. Studies have shown that organic production, due to a reduction in energy-intensive inputs, can have a lower footprint than conventional crop production when no attempt at offsetting the drop in yields associated with organic production is made. We make every attempt to ensure that the items are sourced locally when is season and that the organic option of each item is selected when available.
We use:
All year around: Apples, beetroot, blackberries, cauliflower, carrots, garlic, ginger, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, radish, rhubarb, pak choi, parsley, pears, peas, peppers, potato, sweet potato and yam.
Spring/ summer: Asparagus, aubergine, broccoli, blueberries, celeriac, chives, parsnips, raspberries, spinach, strawberries and tomatoes.
Autumn/ winter: Brussel sprouts, cabbage, celery and turnips.
Grains
Grains are far less resource-intensive to produce than animal foods like dairy, eggs and meat. However some whole grains are more climate friendly than others. Whole grain options are generally more environmentally friendly and come with added nutritional benefits too.
We use: Amaranth, buckwheat, finger millet, fonio, Khorasan wheat, oats, quinoa, spelt, whole grain pasta and wild rice.
Beans and Pulses
As they work with bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into useful ammonia or nitrates, beans and pulses can actually improve soil fertility and reduce dependence on energy-intensive fertilisers, making them incredibly useful for the environment. Not only do they have a low carbon footprint, they also require a lot less water. Pulses therefore offer a viable source of protein compared to meat when looking to reduce carbon footprint.
We use: Black turtle beans, broad beans, butter beans, chickpeas, cowpeas, kidney beans and lentils.
Nuts and Seeds
One of the biggest factors in how environmentally friendly nuts are is their water footprint. Some nuts and seeds are more sustainable than others. We selected the ones that have a lower water footprint, have less impact on the environment through growing and are good for health.
We use: Chia seeds, flaxseeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and walnuts.
Other
Other ingredients have been carefully selected and used in our Climate Friendly menus:
We use: Algae (seaweed), dried herbs, nutritional yeast, spices, sugar (fairtrade) and vinegars (petroleum free).
Why not give Climate Friendly a go at home by trying our Mushroom Barley Risotto with Lemon Roast Cauliflower?
