Project encourages Leicester schoolchildren to eat lower carbon lunches
The Lower Carbon Lunches project aimed to get children to think about the impact of their food choices on the environment, focusing on the carbon emissions linked to packaging waste, energy use, food waste and meat-based meals.
Around 160 schoolchildren were invited to try some healthy planet-friendly meals that were developed by school meals provider City Catering. The meals included Moroccan rainbow tagine, traffic-light couscous and vegetable ball curry.
Anish Thomas, catering operations manager at City Catering, which provides meals at 41 city schools, said: “Animal agriculture and intensive farming are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, so – as part of the Lower Carbon Lunches project – we’ve reduced the amount of meat, fish and dairy on our menus by around 15% and have introduced more plant-based meals.
“Monday is now ‘Love Your Planet’ day, when meat is completely off the menu at 26 city schools. We’ve swapped a lamb pasta bake, for example, with a meat-free bolognese, and replaced a pork sausage hot dog with a jacket potato served with beans and cheese.
“We know that lots of children want to do their bit for the environment and choose food that’s not only delicious, but also as planet-friendly as possible, so we make sure that the plant-powered dishes are always clearly highlighted on the menu.”
Diets high in plant-based foods and lower in animal products are proven to be less damaging to the climate, with the Climate Change Committee recommending a 20% shift away from all meat and dairy by 2030 – rising to 35% by 2050 – in order to put the UK on the path to net zero.
Leicester City Council has worked on the project with ProVeg UK who are a non-profit organisation that joins forces with local authorities and school caterers to increase the health and sustainability of school food.
Colette Fox, programme manager for ProVeg UK, added: “We are delighted to be supporting City Catering and Leicester City Council to make school food in Leicester both healthier and more sustainable by reducing meat and increasing plant-based options for all children.
“It is really encouraging to see such positive climate leadership from Leicester City Council and we look forward to continuing to partner together to bring about positive change for our children and our planet."