Combating Climate Change With Plant-Based Meals

Maintaining good physical health has always been important, but as we’ve worked to improve our health through nutrition and lifestyle changes, we’ve simultaneously been grappling with an equally pressing matter: the inescapable effects of climate change. The inseparability of these two issues is inspiring more and more consumers to explore the benefits of plant-based dining. 

Opting for plant-based ingredients is an easy way to live more sustainably. Livestock significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Cows are an especially carbon-emitting livestock, releasing a high level of methane gas, which is up to 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and thus causing more environmental harm. In addition, the raising of livestock often leads to deforestation to produce pastures, meaning there are fewer trees to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gases. Put in perspective, beef requires 20 times more land and emits 20 times more greenhouse gas than legumes per unit of protein consumed. 

In addition to the environmental benefits, plant-based dining offers myriad physical health benefits. According to the American Heart Association, consuming less meat decreases the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. Meat often contains high levels of saturated fat, and processed meats are high in sodium. Replacing meat with nutrient-dense plant-based ingredients reduces saturated fat and sodium intake and increases dietary fiber intake. 

Sodexo is committed to leading the movement toward plant-based dining. Our internal analysis has shown that at least 70% of Sodexo’s U.S. supply carbon footprint was related to animal-based food purchases in fiscal year 2020. Increasing the number of plant-based and plant-focused options on our menus is part of our plan to reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 34% by 2025. It’s also a vital part of meeting evolving consumer expectations, with 35% of Americans actively looking to eat less meat. 

Today’s college students are especially attuned to the environmental and physical benefits of plant-based eating. According to a 2020 GlobeScan study, 37% of Gen Z expressed an interest in eating more plant-based and meat-free foods. Currently, 15% of Sodexo’s entrées are plant-based, and we’re committed to greatly increasing that number to meet this growing demand. 

Our partner campuses are the perfect place to launch Sodexo’s Plant-Powered Challenge, an initiative I announced in 2022 to increase the number of plant-based dishes available at colleges throughout North America. The challenge includes a series of notable milestones on the journey to increasing the share of plant-based dishes on our menus to 33% by 2024. In support of this effort, we introduced a plethora of innovative new plant-based recipes, including 60 plant-based entrées, and 30 plant-based dessert recipes in the spring of 2022, followed by an additional 120 recipes that autumn.  

Sodexo is also expanding our collaboration with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to increase plant-based menu options. Sodexo and HSUS have been working together for over 17 years to develop responsible sourcing strategies. Together, we’ve increased the number of plant-based menu offerings through recipe development, menu ideas, nutrition advice and hands-on culinary training. 

Plant-Based Takeover events are a new element of the collaboration with HSUS. Sodexo chefs complete plant-based menu training led by HSUS and then prepare nutritious plant-based menu items for each station in the campus dining hall. Students, staff and faculty are invited to try each item and provide feedback. The events, which have been held at 140 campuses so far, have been extremely popular and are a great way to engage campus communities around this important topic. We will be hosting Plant-Based Takeovers at more campuses in the coming months. 

Sodexo’s team of dedicated culinarians, dietitians and other experts are constantly working to bring fun and exciting new plant-based dining solutions to consumers each day. We may not be able to solve the challenges of diet in combatting climate change ourselves, but committing to improving the availability of plant-based dishes is one part of a sustainable, long-term solution we can share in together.