The seventh PlantEurope members only meeting gave participants the opportunity to exchange on research about plant-based foods in public kitchens in three European countries (Sweden, Denmark and UK) with our guest Dr. Mark Stein from the University of Salford who also answered questions about his experience regarding sustainable public food procurement.

Find some of his answers here:

• Asked what an important driver for change is, he advised to incorporate tasting sessions with samples of different new foods/meals when changing the meal plan in schools to see how the students review the food. This enables kitchen staff to better react to the guests needs and likings so the meals are better accepted. 
• Talking about how to best approach that change, the speaker highlighted that sustainability can look different for different people. In many European countries there has been a strong emphasis on organic food – for example Sweden,  Denmark, France, Italy and Germany.
• Practices have changed in many public kitchens. The adoption of seasonal menus can play a role because local purchasing implies lower transport emissions compared to imported food. Seasonal menus can also be cheaper for the school caterers, just like cooking from scratch and reducing food waste. There is a great potential impact on emissions from reductions in the consumption of meat and other animal products which emphasizes the need for a focus on plant-based meals in schools and public catering.
• The speaker compared developments in different European countries. In both Sweden and Denmark the introduction of high percentages of organic food has been combined with large increases in plant-based cooking, making greater use of legumes as a plant-based source of protein.
• In Denmark the Danish Vegetarian Association has sought legislation to require public bodies to offer a plant-based option in their public kitchens and has commenced legal action against three public bodies arguing that their failure to provide plant-based options is illegal. The UK is an example of a country where school kitchens have for many years offered all children the option of plant-based meals without legislation having been passed to require this.
• Some other best practice examples mentioned include Berlin-based Kantine Zukunft and the Freiburg model in Germany, as well as Healthcare without Harm and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
• Dr. Stein sees a need for highlighting the importance of animal welfare and its importance for our society especially in terms of the risks posed by zoonotic diseases.

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The PlantEurope team would like to say thank you to guest speaker Dr. Mark Stein and the participants for joining and engaging.