BM introduces low carbon menus

BM has launched ‘Eat with the Earth in Mind’, a range of new low carbon menus which aim to raise awareness and understanding of the impact an activity or item has on the climate; from its creation, transportation and use, to its destruction or wastage.

By learning which foods have the largest and smallest carbon footprints, businesses can help reduce individual carbon footprints, and help to educate wider consumers who come into contact with their brands.

BM will be launching this initiative with extensive chef training and roadshows to educate and inform customers about how to eat with a lower impact. It will also form part of the reporting provided to clients.

A carbon footprint usually refers to the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) that something creates, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide. These gases can trap heat in the atmosphere, which causes global warming.

Statistics show that beef and animal products such as dairy generate the largest amount of food-related GHG. Lamb is also believed to have a large footprint. Foods with the lowest GHG emissions are plants and vegetables but how these crops are produced can create a huge variation in their carbon footprint.

Researchers from Oxford University found swapping just one red meat meal for a plant-based dinner every week could cut the UK’s carbon footprint by 50 million tonnes.

Eating ‘wonky’ produce can also cut your food carbon footprint. A 2018 study by the University of Edinburgh found over 50 million tonnes of misshapen fruit and vegetables are thrown away in the UK and Europe every year – the climate change impact is equivalent to the emissions of almost 400,000 cars.

Kevin Macey, BM Executive Chef, leading the project, said: “By educating our teams and customers about reducing the amount of emissions in the food we eat in a simple way, we can collectively contribute to tackling climate change.” 

Waste management will also form a major part of the new initiative. In the UK, 7.1 million tonnes of food is thrown away every year, and almost 70 per cent of that waste (five million tonnes) is food that could still be eaten. This food waste is associated with 14 million tonnes of CO2, so eating leftovers can cut carbon and food costs.

Lin Dickens, Marketing Director, BM, said: “We know that people want to make both dietary changes to improve their health, and do what they can to help tackle climate change. Our Eat with the Earth in Mind initiative absolutely addresses these priorities and I am really looking forward to rolling out the exciting customer engagement communications to support Kevin and the rest of BM.”