Learn nine practical, eco-conscious foodservice tips to reduce your environmental impact—in schools, restaurants, workplaces, and healthcare settings. Try these foodservice friendly eco-friendly recipe ideas, too.
9 Eco-Friendly Foodservice Tips from a Dietitian Sustainability Expert
Sustainable foodservice isn’t just a trend—it’s a responsibility. Whether you manage a school cafeteria, corporate kitchen, restaurant, or healthcare dining program, small changes can lead to a big impact. As a registered dietitian and sustainability expert, I’m sharing nine actionable tips to make your foodservice operations greener and more eco-friendly. From reducing food waste to choosing sustainable packaging, these ideas support both environmental health and wellness in the communities you serve.
After all, green is definitely the new black. If you want to stay on top of the latest consumer and business trends, then you need to add eco-literacy to your business plan. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 90% of Americans recycle, 83% reduce energy use, 83% use less water, 83% avoid environmentally harmful products, and 73% buy environmentally beneficial products. Thanks to a growing body of knowledge on the impacts our food system has on the planet, from overflowing landfills and pesticide residues to green house gas emissions, pollution, and climate change, more and more people are interested in doing their part to help heal Mother Earth. For those businesses and professionals working in the food system, there is ample room to make a difference by going green in food service. But people are expecting much more than simple green initiatives, like recycling aluminum cans. They want to know about an organization’s carbon foot print (the measurement of the impact of human activities on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced measured in units of carbon dioxide), food miles (the number of miles food travels to get to the dinner plate), and procurement policies. There’s a lot you can do to reduce impact with a few green initiatives in your foodservice, from farm to fork.
9 Tips for Going Green in Food Service
1. Draw up a Green Blueprint
Get together with your teammates and brainstorm to create a green agenda, identifying eco-friendly goals, mission, gaps, opportunities, and practices that are achievable over the short term and long term. Examine your menu, kitchen equipment, purchasing practices, labor policies, and life cycle of all goods.
2. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Cut down on food waste; about 20% of all commercially prepared foods go straight into the trash. Examine purchasing to avoid food waste—one of the biggest culprits is over-ordering or poor inventory control (foods go bad before you can use them up). If you use tight inventory control, include some fluid menu items (such as a soup du jour) that can use up those last minute items before they spoil. Favor reusable supplies whenever possible (think china and silverware over plastic). Avoid the use of Styrofoam, which experts say takes about 500 years to decompose in a landfill. If you must use disposables, try alternative bio-degradable supplies. Go paperless—provide a QR code instead of paper menus, for example. And recycle, recycle, recycle.
3. Reduce Energy and Use of Resources
If you’re in food service, you already know that it can be an inordinately energy and resource draining enterprise. Try to optimize practices and equipment to reduce energy and water use. Investigate new appliances that will reduce energy and water use, explore alternative transportation avenues, train staff in conservation, and delve into alternative energy sources.
4. Increase Plant Proteins on the Menu
You can get the biggest bang for your buck by putting more plant-based proteins on the menu, such as beans, peas, tofu, tempeh, nuts, and seeds. Research shows that you don’t need to call out these items as “vegan” or “plant-based” in order to woo over your diners (though menu legends are helpful to guests)—just make the descriptions sound absolutely appealing and delicious. Go big with spice profile, global cuisine infusions, and fresh flavors.
5. Support Local
From plugging the farmer’s market on your menu to buying from local, regional sources, make local your first choice. Not only might you support small businesses within your community, you can cut down on the number of miles goods and services need to travel to get to your business, and you’ll get the most delicious, nutritious products to boot!
6. Foster a Sustainable Food Supply
Commercial agriculture is a major contributor to air pollution, water pollution, land use, and habitat degradation. Support organic, sustainable, humane, and free trade practices at every opportunity through your procurement and kitchen practices. Plan menus seasonally and ask yourself if you really need to serve raspberries in January.
7. Eco-Smart Design
If you’re designing new construction for an upcoming facility project, or have the budget to replace worn equipment, turn to energy efficient and sustainable building materials, appliances, and systems.
8. Team Up
Join local eco-friendly groups such as the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (HEN), Menus of Change, Slow Food USA. List your services in green directories, such as Green Restaurant Association.
9. Promote Your Green-ness
Give yourself credit for your eco-friendly ways. List your green practices and affiliations on your website and organization materials. Promote the value of environmentalism to your community.
Creating Eco-Friendly Goals
Check out this method of creating environmentally friendly goals for your foodservice from Sustainable Communities Network.
- Save Trees
- Improve Soil
- Minimize Waste
- Create Community
- Improve Local Economy
- Conserve Water and Energy
- Support Local Farms and Farmers
- Reduce Contributions to Global Warming
10 Easy Sustainable Recipe Ideas for Your Foodservice Operation
Check out these easy ideas perfect for your green menu.
Hummus with Green Peas
Hearty French Wild Rice Vegetable Soup
Chickpea Tabbouleh
Vegan Kale Caesar Salad
Tuscan Kale and White Bean Savory Pie
Vegan Swedish Meatballs with Sauce
Healthy Buffalo Cauliflower with Ranch Dip
Mermaid Smoothie Bowl
Easy Vegan Tofu Scramble Wrap with Vegetables and Dill
Vegan Cowboy Cookies
More Sustainable Food Systems Information
Learn more about eco-friendly planning here:
[add more blogs that apply to this topic]
[add main image note here]
For other eco-friendly tips, check out the following:
Plant-Based Diets: The Path to Healthy Sustainable Eating
Sustainable Food Labels: What Do They Mean?
6 Effective Tips to Reduce Food Waste: Simple Strategies for a Sustainable Kitchen
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
How to Support Food Sustainability Organizations
Top 20 Eco Friendly Gift Guide for the Kitchen
What is Food Sovereignty?
Main Image: Green Goddess Bowl
