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Supporting healthy, sustainable diets on your menu
Bringing the concept of healthy, sustainable food to your menu doesn’t mean starting over.
With a few changes, it’s possible to transform classic dishes into plant-based dishes, which can be as healthy, sustainable and appealing as the originals.
In fact, every category on your menu has multiple opportunities to enhance health and sustainability—often, without taking anything away from the dining experience your guests love.
Here are a few examples of changes you might make:
MAIN DISHES
- Offer at least one vegetarian or vegan option.
- Update popular dishes to let guests choose their own protein, including plant-based options.
- Shift toward smaller portions of meat and larger/more appealing sides and veggies on the plate.
SIDES & SALADS
- Choose local and seasonal products. You can also pick organic ingredients when possible.
- Include nuts and seeds to provide plant-based protein and additional nutrients.
BEVERAGES
- Offer plant-based alternatives to milks like pea, soy, oat and almond options. They are the preferred choice for vegans and those with milk allergy or lactose intolerance.
BEST-SELLERS
- Adapt your bestsellers into plant-based options and evaluate your menu regularly and update/replace dishes often left uneaten to prevent waste (and keep guests happy).
ADDING DATA TO THE MENU
Back in 2020, 57% of consumers in the U.E wanted sustainability information to be compulsory on food labels.1 Therefore, along with offering more options, some businesses are also giving guests the sustainability data they need to make informed choices.
A UK study reveals that 60% of consumers said an "eco-score" on a menu would likely influence their choice of food when eating out-of-home or ordering takeaway.2
In the US, it was shown that both high- and low-climate impact labels on menus encouraged guests to choose less carbon-intensive choices.3
That's why several large canteens and high-street chains have already started experimenting with sustainability or environmental footprint labels on their menus. While there’s currently no standard way to share this kind of information, regulations may require more transparency on the menu in the future.
If you're interested in trying this, consider partnering with a third-party organization to make sure the information on your menus is accurate and substantiated.
Sources:
1 BEUC, The European Consumer Organisation. One bite at a time: Consumers and the transition to sustainable food. 2020.
2 Footprint Intelligence. A transparent future for foodservice: How environmental data is greening supply chains and empowering the public. 2023.
3 Wolfson JA, Musicus AA, Leung CW, Gearhardt AN, Falbe J. Effect of Climate Change Impact Menu Labels on Fast Food Ordering Choices Among US Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36574248/
