{"id":5560,"date":"2022-08-04T14:06:28","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T12:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eat-life.fundesplai.org\/restauracio-i-sostenibilitat-alimentaria\/"},"modified":"2023-03-14T11:25:24","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T10:25:24","slug":"restaurants-and-food-sustainability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eat-life.fundesplai.org\/en\/restaurants-and-food-sustainability\/","title":{"rendered":"Catering and food sustainability"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Surely at some point, you have heard that we need to reduce plastics because they pollute a lot!<\/em> Or that we must use all the food we buy<\/em>. Or that it is vital to buy local and seasonal food<\/em>, and if you don’t eat all there is on your plate, it is better to ask for it to take away<\/em>.<\/mark><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are very welcome practices that are gaining momentum in our society. What about restaurants?<\/em> The catering industry plays a major role in the current food system in our country, and they are also increasingly adapting to this reality, aware of the food and climate crisis.<\/strong> According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Spain is the country with the highest number of bars and restaurants per person in the world: one for every 175 inhabitants, totalling 277,539 gastronomic establishments. In addition, the catering industry employs 1.7 million people and accounts for 4.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The culinary collective is therefore shouting out to this<\/strong> revolution for sustainable food<\/strong>. We are all on the same team because taking care of food means taking care of the planet<\/strong>. To achieve such a milestone, the catering collective carries out the sustainable practices mentioned below. But first, it is essential to remember the definition of sustainable development<\/em><\/strong>. It is the ability to meet the needs of today’s society without compromising the resources of future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the environmental consultancy Te lo Sirvo Verde<\/em> puts forth the term more sustainable restaurant. <\/em><\/strong>This implies that a restaurant knows its environmental footprint<\/strong>, that it has integrated a philosophy of reducing environmental impact into its daily management, and is annually considering new goals to pursue<\/strong>. The non-profit organisation Ecovidrio<\/em>, adds that all this goes beyond serving healthy and ecological food. It is about having a social, environmental, and value responsibility<\/strong>: from waste management, through the origin and seasonality of food, to offering few fixed dishes to menus, for example as part of a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following is a compilation of ten<\/strong> sustainable practices<\/strong> in the field of catering proposed by<\/strong> Te lo Sirvo Verde<\/em> and Dr Francesca Allievi of the JAMK University of Applied Sciences<\/p>\n\n\n\n