Climate Smart Chefs for LIFE: an evaluation of the Foodprint tool for reformulating menus

The food system is a significant contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, and foodservice has a substantial environmental impact. Chefs can drive the transition to sustainable and climate-resilient food systems by designing healthy and sustainable menus. The LIFE Climate Smart Chef project provides chefs with education and resources to reduce the carbon and water foodprints of their menus. This study provides a quantitative analysis of recipes by chefs before and after completing the first Climate Smart Chef (CSC) training course. The carbon and water foodprint of recipes were analysed using the SuEatable LIFE database and the Nutritics Foodprint system. Recipes created by chefs were batch exported from Nutritics and this was repeated once the recipes had been reformulated (n 63). The environmental impact of the recipes was analysed using the Nutritics Foodprint system and Excel. Reformulation resulted in an average carbon foodprint reduction of 1.34kg CO2eq/serving (mean 49%; range 0% to -99%) and a water foodprint reduction of 789.233L/serving (mean 34%; range -181% to -90%).There was a reduction of -232.19kcal/serving in energy, -15.79g/serving in fat (with saturated fat reduced by an average of -6.73g/serving), - 12.4g/serving in protein, - 8.84g/serving in carbohydrate, and - 0.68g/serving in fibre. The average reduction in salt was 0.07g/serving, while the sugar content increased by an average of 0.15g/serving. The CSC project used Nutritics Foodprint to reformulate 63 recipes, reducing carbon and water foodprints. Estimating the impact of reformulation can contribute to evidence based action. Impact on nutrients needs to be considered in reformulation. Further research is needed on affordability, scalability, and consumer behaviour. KEY MESSAGES: • Chefs reduced their carbon foodprint by 1.34kg CO2eq/serving (49%) and water foodprint by 789L/serving (34%). • Education and reformulation tools such as Foodprint may contribute to a sustainable foodservice.