Helping students to understand the carbon footprint of school meals
A trial initiative between Sodexo and Oasis Community Learning is encouraging young diners at two secondary schools to think about the power they have to make climate conscious choices at mealtimes. Read this case study to find out how students can help minimise damage to the planet by opting for low impact dishes.
The results from the trial are also helping to inform ongoing menu development. Across both academies, chickpea curries and white bean chilli dishes are proving popular, whilst popular high CO2e recipes such as beef jollof, cottage pie and beef lasagne are being reviewed to replace part of the meat content with high quality plant-based protein alternatives. As a result, we are able to lower the carbon impact of that dishes while encouraging students to make sustainable food choices in their daily lives.
*Against a UK average of 1.6.
**Based on a saving of 0.2 kgs CO2e per meal sold in the period (0.2 kg CO2e x 3110 = 622 kgs CO2e). Carbon saving comparison based on carbon footprint calculator http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
***Based on a saving of 0.1 kgs CO2e per meal sold in the period (0.1 kgs co2e x 2406 meals = 241 kgs CO2e). Carbon saving comparison based on carbon footprint calculator
Our journey to net zero by 2040
Sodexo UK & I has launched its roadmap to net zero by 2040. The targets were set after working in partnership with international experts, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), to ensure that our net zero strategy is thorough, impactful, and transparent.
We’re sharing our monthly reports with the teachers and posting them up for students so they can see the trends and positive impact this is having. The trial has been a big success. We have now rolled this out across a further ten secondary schools across our Oasis Academy portfolio and are looking forward to seeing further positive results.