SRA launches Foodprint campaign to reduce environmental impact of menus

A campaign has been launched to encourage restaurants to measure and reduce the climate impact of their menus.

The Sustainable Restaurant Association's (SRA) Foodprint campaign aims to speed up the rate of change in restaurants by supporting operators to reduce the use of meat and re-engineer menus to focus on more veg-based options.

It has teamed up with the Cool Food Pledge, a platform created by a group of environmental bodies, including the World Resources Institute (WRI), to offer tools to operators to create dishes with smaller climate footprints.

SRA chief executive Andrew Stephen said: "Realising the environmental costs and potential benefits of the food we buy is key to building a great restaurant business fit for the future.

"In recent years we've seen a move towards menus that are greener, including more veg and, significantly, reduced environmental impact. And while some operators like Zizzi, Leon and Wagamama are reaping the reward, the pace and depth of change has been insufficient."

The Cool Food Pledge is aiming to help foodservice operators reduce their food-related emissions by 25% by 2030.

Daniel Vennard, director of the Cool Food Pledge at WRI, said: "The Cool Food Pledge is showing that climate action can be delicious.

"Already, companies serving more than 100 million meals annually have signed on to Cool Food and are using science-based strategies like more appetising language to increase sales of climate-friendly foods.

"We are really excited that the SRA is working with the UK's smaller foodservice operators to join this movement of serving tasty food while slashing food-related emissions in line with the Paris Agreement."