Food awareness organization ProVeg International has launched a new catering guide designed to inspire the organizers of large-scale events to offer more sustainable, plant-based meals.
Called Future Plates, the guide includes best practices, case studies from large events, and recipes. It contains sections on the benefits of plant-based diets for consumers and the environment, along with the economic advantages; ingredients such as legumes and vegetables are often more affordable than animal products.
“Many of us have gone home from a major event with memories to last a lifetime. But the catering can leave a lot to be desired, not just where taste is concerned but also in terms of its climate-friendliness,” said Jasmijn de Boo, Global CEO of ProVeg International.
“Our catering guide will make it easier for caterers to host a more sustainable event that also delivers on health and taste. In particular, we hope that the organisers of this year’s UN climate summit, COP30, in Brazil, will find the guide useful to ensure that climate-friendly food is served at the biggest climate event of the year.”
“Easy first step”
The guide is primarily aimed at caterers preparing for United Nations events and climate change conferences. It was unveiled at the UN’s June Climate Meetings, which are currently underway in Bonn, Germany. Most of the food on offer at this year’s event is meat-free; the hot lunch menu is 57% vegan and 14% vegetarian, while the snack food offerings are 37% vegan and 46% vegetarian.
Other major events that have chosen a plant-forward menu in recent years include the UN climate summit COP28 and the Paris Olympics.
“Promoting sustainable catering at large-scale international events is an easy first step to showcase the benefits of sustainable diets to a large number of people,” said Lana Weidgenant, Senior UN Policy Manager at ProVeg. “Institutions such as the UN — which provides much of the science that bolsters the arguments for going plant-based — can lead from the top by making sure all their events, including this year’s COP30 in Brazil, provide a considerable proportion of plant-based food for delegates.”
