Sustainable

EU Standing Committee on Agriculture Research (SCAR) concluded in their latest report that:

Many of today´s food production systems compromise the capacity of Earth to produce food in the future. SCARs findings are that food production is exceeding environmental limits or is close to doing so in many regions, including Europe. The western diet, with abundance of meat, fat, and sugar, is a risk for individual health, social systems and the environmental life support systems. Catering businesses therefor have a great responsibility and can make good choses when it comes to resources. From sourcing ingredients to serving food, choosing seasonal, ethical, local food from reliable sources, along with designing menus accordingly and monitoring portion sizes, can make a great difference.

In addition to the diverse sustainability issues regarding the food chain the food wasted has big impacts on the earth. Food loss refers to the loss of food from the cultivation to distribution phase but food waste refers to the up to standard food fit for consumption but gets wasted from the retail to the consumption phase. Over millions of tons of food are wasted in the western world and decomposition of food in landfills produces methane (greenhouse gas) which contributes to global warming. “Worldwide, one-third of food produced is thrown away uneaten, causing an increased burden on the environment.” (Food Waste | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health)

“The food system – agriculture, food production, distribution and retail combined – releases more greenhouse gases than any other sector apart from energy. It is responsible for 25–30% of global emissions: a tally that dwarfs, say, the 3.5% contributed by air travel.”
The National Food Strategy - The Plan

The latest IPCC report, from 2022, recommends “a shift to diets with a higher share of plant protein, moderate intake of animal-source foods and reduced intake of saturated fats could lead to substantial decreases in GHG emissions. Benefits would also include reduced land occupation and nutrient losses to the surrounding environment, while at the same time providing health benefits and reducing mortality from diet-related non-communicable diseases.”

Denmark took action to combat food waste and has reached incredible results since the initiative Stop Wasting Food movement (Stop Spild Af Mad) in 2008. An estimation of over 300+ tons of food have been rescued from landfills, the movement has participated in 200+ projects and events internationally and is a partner of United Nations SAVE FOOD initiative, the EU FUSIONS project and is a Member of the European Commission’s EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste to name a few. The following video is a 20min introduction to the Danish Solution: The Global Food Waste Crisis and The Danish Solution - YouTube

SDGs in Catering

Introduction