Foodservice has emerged as a major growth opportunity for plant-based meats, according to Food Frontier’s State of the Industry 2023 report. Yet, as this panel discussion at AltProteins 24 makes clear, we still have a long way to go in integrating plant-based options, including plant-based meats, into the foodservice sector. In fact, some establishments haven’t started viewing food as an emissions problem! This is a critical oversight in an era where sustainability should be at the forefront of our food choices.
Below are the fascinating observations from the discussion, featuring insights from moderator Sonalie Figueiras of Green Queen.
• Mandatory reporting of scope 3 emissions will work favourably for plant-based meats. Large international and local businesses are being required to report scope 3 emissions, emissions created upstream and downstream from an organisation. Some Australian businesses will be required to start from January 2025. Making significant changes to scope 3 emissions in foodservice might not be as difficult as it first seems, as shown by LinkedIn which swapped out dairy milk for plant-based in its San Fransisco office—a change that received no backlash but reduced the business’s emissions considerably.
• Alternative protein manufacturers could take advantage of new scope 3 emission requirements. Public foodservice settings—like school cafeterias, hospitals, prisons, and corporate cafeterias—have significant potential to drive large-scale adoption of plant-based options by connecting public procurement practices to climate goals, particularly through scope 3 emissions.
• Strategic choices in menu design—such as fun naming, emphasising cultural culinary history, and making plant-based options the default—can greatly influence customer choices toward plant-based options in foodservice.
• Compass has been reporting on the Sustainability Reporting Standard (SRS) framework globally for the last five years. It has spent “truckloads of time reviewing” its scope 3 emissions, which includes 36,000 product items, giving them data to talk with clients about. Interest from clients in scope 3 emissions was minimal up until just six months ago; interest has increased dramatically, mostly due to the incoming regulations.
• Changing from beef and chicken significantly reduces emissions, and Compass is now having conversations with clients about shifting to different animal proteins, rather than moving away from animal proteins completely.
• Sites where food is provided, and personal food choices are important to staff [such as remote mining sites], pose unique challenges and require different approaches to emissions reduction, unlike sites where people purchase their own food. Sporting venues and stadiums are probably the largest opportunity for Compass in Australia now due to their willingness to reduce food emissions. Commonly eaten foods at these venues such as pies, hot dogs, sausage rolls, and tacos can be easily substituted.
• The lack of plant-based primal cuts in foodservice is a barrier to the uptake of plant-based foods. There is only so much mince, burgers, schnitzels, and sausages you can have on the menu—most people also expect roast products to choose from.
• Compass has observed that two or three main agricultural advocacy bodies in Australia influence culinary education curricula in TAFEs, focusing on putting more meat on plates. When it comes to topics like emissions and environmental impact, these bodies tend to avoid such discussions, which shapes how sustainability is taught in culinary education.
• Managing allergens in plant-based foods is a critical business risk for Compass.
• The University undertook an online experiment to see if priming environmental consciousness before food choice could influence more sustainable decisions. Inspired by a burger store’s charity coin practice, they asked consumers to choose a charity (one being an environmental organisation, WWF) before making their food choice. This led consumers to reflect on their environmental values, which then impacted their food selections. They want to try the experiment in the field.
• It can be effective to change the default, making plant-based options the easiest and most convenient choice. Rather than relying on motivational health messages or environmental appeals, focusing on taste and simplicity—like offering free samples—has a strong impact.
• Plant-based cooking rarely features in culinary school curriculums. This leads to a whole range of issues, including the perception that plant-based foods are boring and can’t be used to develop creative and signature dishes, which chefs like to do.
• Griffith University found it surprising that, despite discussing environmental sustainability, not a single chef mentioned reducing meat to lower the restaurant’s environmental footprint—highlighting a knowledge gap that culinary schools haven’t yet addressed.
• We need to decide how to address the focus on protein, especially in developed countries where fibre deficiency is a bigger issue than protein deficiency. While protein is essential, shifting the conversation toward fibre could be beneficial, starting with how we teach nutrition in culinary schools.
• Overcoming mental barriers by normalising plant-based meats in menus has got them the best results in Europe. This means working with outlets to position the plant-based options amongst the traditional meat options and not overemphasising it as ‘vegan’ or ‘vegetarian’. Steakhouses’ initial concerns about being shamed for putting plant-based steaks on the menu didn’t eventuate and in fact their customer base grew because it provided an option for the non-meat eater in the group, the one in 10.
• Education is key to helping the products appeal to meat eaters. Edwin cites an initiative done in collaboration with a high-end hotel chain which has added Redefine burgers to their menus in Europe, in conjunction with a tool called Klimato which showcases the environmental benefits of choosing plant-based over animal-based burgers. This has helped the hotel reduce its scope 3 emissions and encourages guests to make environmentally conscious food choices.
• Collaborate with chefs to educate them on how to use plant-based meats effectively, helping them understand how these options can fit into the profit and loss structure of a dish, ensuring that plant-based meat dishes are priced comparably to their animal-based counterparts.