{"id":2132,"date":"2013-05-31T15:13:04","date_gmt":"2013-05-31T13:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sustainable-everyday-project.net\/urbact-sustainable-food\/?p=2132"},"modified":"2013-10-28T11:57:57","modified_gmt":"2013-10-28T10:57:57","slug":"sustainable-canteen-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sustainable-everyday-project.net\/urbact-sustainable-food\/?p=2132","title":{"rendered":"Sustainable canteen programme"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 28, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contributor: Brussels Environment<\/p>\n

Workshop:<\/em>
\nGovernance, synergies and local systems\u00a0\/ Canteens\u00a0<\/em>
\nSocial inclusion, job creation, economics\u00a0 \/ Eating more sustainably within a limited budget<\/em><\/p>\n

Supporting institutional kitchens in a shift towards sustainable food in the Brussels-Capital Region.<\/strong><\/div>\n
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  1. WHY Focus on INSTITUTIONAL KITCHENS?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    270,000 \u2013 that\u2019s how many meals prepared in institutional kitchens in the Brussels-Capital Region are eaten every day. It\u2019s no small number, and represents a definite environmental impact. Yet institutional kitchens can potentially be used to raise the awareness of a large group of users about the theme of sustainable food. It is with this in mind that, since 2008, sustainable food in institutional settings has been one of Brussels Environment\u2019s priorities.<\/p>\n

    The various pilot projects already run by Brussels Environment have targeted kitchens at institutions, companies, schools, and care and other establishments, whether run in-house or by catering companies.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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    1. ENCOURAGING DEMAND IN INSTITUTIONAL Restaurants<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      2.1. SOME INNOVATIVE projeCts<\/p>\n

      1) Individual support for institutional kitchens<\/p>\n

      In order to obtain more concrete and lasting results, in 2011-2012 \u00a0twenty kitchens received individual, adapted support<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Following the partnership with the European GreenCook project<\/strong>, <\/strong>food wastage has been a subject of particular attention. The GreenCook project is an international partnership under the Interreg programme whose aim is to combat food wastage.<\/p>\n

      Some results of the support programme (20 kitchens)[1]<\/sup><\/strong><\/sup><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      <\/td>\n\n

      Before <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      After <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      Difference in %<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Seasonal produce<\/td>\n\n

      33.2% per meal[2]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      48.8% per meal[3]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      +15.60%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Meat portions:- schools- rest homes<\/p>\n

      – canteens for adults<\/p>\n

      – youth hostels<\/td>\n

      		\n

      115.3g\/meal<\/p>\n

      122g\/meal<\/p>\n

      149.5g\/meal<\/p>\n

      140g\/meal<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      92g\/meal<\/p>\n

      104g\/meal<\/p>\n

      142g\/meal<\/p>\n

      120g\/meal<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      -20.21%<\/p>\n

      -14.75%<\/p>\n

      -5.02%<\/p>\n

      -14.29%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Vegetarian meals<\/td>\n\n

      4 kitchens<\/p>\n

      1,305 meals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      15 kitchens<\/p>\n

      5,599 meals<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      +429%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Organic products<\/td>\n\n

      7 kitchens<\/p>\n

      organic food = average 16% of total purchase price<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      15 kitchens<\/p>\n

      organic food = average 15.6% of total purchase price<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      +208.93%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

      Food wastage[4]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a><\/td>\n\n

      136.6g\/meal<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      107g\/meal<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

      		\n

      -21.67%<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

       <\/p>\n

      Since the launch of the Sustainable Canteens programme in 2008, a total of ninety-three institutions have registered for the support cycles, representing 69,085 meals per day. Fifty-nine institutions<\/strong> have completed the guidance process and taken one or more actions in favour of more sustainable food. This represents 50,083\u00a0meals<\/strong> per day or 18.49% of the meals eaten every day <\/strong>in the Brussels-Capital Region.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      2) Raising the awareness of future catering professionals<\/p>\n

      In 2011, Brussels Environment also supported a project by CIRIHA (the Centre for Information and Research relating to Intolerances and Food Hygiene) for the introduction of sustainable food into the curriculum of two classes at hotel management school and one class in the dietetics department.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      3) Pilot projects with catering companies<\/p>\n

      Also in 2011, Brussels Environment devised a pilot project with the company Sodexo to calculate the impact of their menus on the environment <\/strong>and to adapt the menus accordingly.<\/p>\n

      In parallel, a pilot project was carried out in collaboration with the catering company TCO Service <\/strong>to measure food wastage <\/strong>in the municipal schools of <\/strong>Watermael-Boitsfort.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      2.2. A SUPPORT SYSTEM<\/p>\n

      1) Training courses<\/p>\n

      In 2008, Brussels Environment launched a first cycle of training courses for institutional kitchens, which was repeated in 2009-2010. During these first two cycles, the practical and thematic training courses were open to anyone \u2013 both kitchen staff and anyone else who was interested in the project within the institutions receiving support. Since the third cycle, the practical training courses <\/strong>have been reserved for kitchen staff in order to ensure that participants\u2019 knowledge and practices are at a more consistent level.<\/p>\n

      Several themes have been dealt with during the training courses, including cutting down on meat, vegetarian meals, seasonal produce, organic produce and food wastage.<\/p>\n

      At the same time, the thematic training courses<\/strong> were open to anyone involved in the running of the canteen or in the Sustainable Canteens programme: kitchen stewards, cooks, environmental coordinators, managers, teachers, etc., whatever their knowledge of sustainable food. The content of these courses was thus more general in nature, covering areas such as communication with the customers, food wastage, sourcing, the integration of sustainable food criteria in tendering processes, and so on.<\/p>\n

      At the end of the third cycle<\/strong>, a certificate<\/strong> was issued to the participating institutions and companies that had attended the training regularly. The prospect of obtaining the certificate seems to have encouraged more active participation, a critical point during previous cycles.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      2) Communication tools and equipment<\/p>\n

      Since the start of the project in 2008, various tools have been devised to help institutional kitchens manage the transition to more sustainable food. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n