Innovations for future orientated food consumption : the environmental impact of refectory meals

Goal: How can consumers be motivated to choose less environmentally impactful meals more frequently? How can those in the catering industry be motivated to offer more attractive, enjoyable, less resource intensive choices? A multidisciplinary project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) aimed at fostering innovation along the value chain to reduce the undesirable consequences of the production and consumption of animal foodstuffs was carried out by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) along with various project partners. Part of the project involved social experiments carried out in the campus refectories, which are operated by the SV Group. The objectives of the SV Group are in line with the goals of the SNF research programme: to contribute to healthy and environmentally friendly nutrition. The goal of this subproject was to assess the environmental sustainability of 93 refectory meals including vegan and vegetarian options as well as meals containing meat or fish. These results of the project will be used to help steer refectory-users towards more sustainable choices, provide guidance to those in the catering industry, and can contribute to a decrease in the environmental impact resulting from the production and consumption of food. Methods: We assessed the environmental impacts of these meals according to these indicators: - Total environmental impact according to a Swiss ecological scarcity method 2013 - Greenhouse gas emissions according to IPCC 2013 - Ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, ionising radiation, photochemical ozone formation, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, water depletion, and mineral, fossil and renewable resource depletion according to the recommendation of Joint Research Council of the European Commission. The following aspects were considered: the ingredients, including their origin, the composition of any ready-prepared components, the most relevant kitchen appliance energy and material flows, energy requirements for preparation, rinsing and frozen storage in the refectories, freezing and the transport of frozen products, as well as food waste from storage, preparation and serving. Results: In terms of total environmental impact according to the Swiss ecological scarcity method 2013, vegan meals are on average 32% below the average of all dishes, vegetarian meals 20% below the average and meals containing meat or fish are 24% above the average. In the category of dishes containing meat or fish, the overall environmental impact of meals containing veal or beef was higher than that of those containing chicken or fish. The carbon footprint of the meals analysed lies between 0.7 kg CO2-eq and 4.9 kg CO2-eq, with an average of 1.6 kg CO2-eq per meal. Vegan menus are on average 40% below the average of all meals, vegetarian dishes 15% below the average and menus containing meat or fish are 23% above the average. The environmental impact of meat- or fish-containing meals was also determined to be highest for almost all indicators of the ICLD evaluation. These results contribute towards the development of strategies and recommendations for a healthier and more sustainable Swiss food culture and for an increase in creativity and diversity on the plate