Copenhagen opts for climate-friendly food to reduce its carbon footprint

The municipality’s kitchens will now serve more vegetables and less meat

On 9 November, the Danish capital announced that it is changing the food served in its kitchens to reduce its carbon footprint. More specifically, it is switching to more climate-friendly recipes that contain more vegetables and less meat. With this reform, the city seeks to reduce its carbon footprint by 25% (30,000 tonnes) by 2025. 

Currently, the municipality runs more than 1,000 kitchens in day care institutions, nursing homes and residences, among others. Together, these kitchens produce a total of around 70,000 meals a day. Therefore, reforming their menus and opting for more climate-friendly dishes will result in a significant reduction in the city’s overall CO2 footprint.

750 new recipes

To ensure that switching to a sustainable menu does not affect the quality of food, the city has initiated a collaboration with the DTU Food Institute and Meyers Madhus A/S. Together, the aforementioned bodies have worked to create 750 new recipes and a list of guidelines for the municipality’s kitchen staff.

Beyond this, the city will continue to serve the citizens’ favourite foods – but with a green and healthy twist. Taking a case in point, the kitchens will now serve vegetable lasagnas and quinoa burgers.

To begin working on the new project, the employees in the municipality’s kitchens have already received a climate communication package, containing basic information about sustainable diets and new recipes. Those who are interested in making changes to their own eating habits can also access the climate-friendly recipes online via madopskrifter.kk.dk.

Commenting on the initiative, the Mayor of Copenhagen Lars Weiss noted that the municipality is always eager to find new ways of reducing its climate footprint and becoming CO2-neutral. Making changes to the food served in the city’s more than 1,000 kitchens will now undoubtedly bring it closer to achieving these targets.