What, when and who?
The 11-month long KlimaKitchen project, running until the end of 2023, is funded by the Climate Change Center Berlin-Brandenburg. Initiated by the Center for Technology and Society (ZTG) at Technische Universität Berlin, KlimaKitchen collaborates with the association for the promotion of organic agriculture (Fördergemeinschaft Ökologischer Landbau (FÖL) Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.) to address an issue, which is extremely relevant to climate change - reducing meat consumption in communal catering. It provides the necessary expertise for the increased use of regional plant-based organic meat alternatives such as Seitan and Tempeh. The project involves the student services (Studentenwerk) Frankfurt/Oder with its five canteens in Cottbus, Eberswalde, Senftenberg, and Frankfurt/Oder as well as the canteen of taz Berlin, Siemens Energy canteen, and the Brandenburg daycare and school catering provider Zwergenkantine.
Background and goals
The KlimaKitchen project supports canteens and caterers in Berlin and Brandenburg in offering plant-based dishes made from locally and organically produced Tempeh and Seitan. The goal is to increase the proportion of vegetarian dishes or plant-based components in communal catering meals, contributing to a healthier, environmentally-friendly, socially-just, and climate-friendly diet.
Furthermore, it encourages the establishment of regional organic value chains for the production of raw materials for meat substitutes and promotes collaboration among stakeholders along these value chains (farmers, processors, canteens).
Canteens receive support in conducting promotional weeks and testing new dishes. Peer to peer exchange between the participating kitchen managers is encouraged, and they receive guidance on offering an attractive selection of plant-based dishes in their menus as well as reducing CO₂ emissions. The results of questioning canteen guests and interviewing kitchen managers were for the most part positive.
Meat alternatives were well-received by both guests and kitchen managers. However, price plays a significant role in dish selection, as well as communication and information about dishes including meat alternatives, which are still unfamiliar to part of the guests. Plant-based dishes should ideally be significantly cheaper than meat dishes. Acceptance of meat alternatives varies among target groups, with younger individuals, women, and those with higher educational qualifications being more open to them. The evaluation strongly depends on the individual dish/recipe and the method of preparation.
Current routines and conditions focused on efficiency and cost saving measures make the transition to a high-quality offering in communal catering challenging. In the short term, motivated kitchen managers need support during the transition phase. In the medium and long term, a change in conditions is necessary, such as recognizing the common good contributions of communal catering (e.g. preventive health protection, contributions to a sustainable diet and agriculture).
Learn more about the project in this presentation (german language).
Learning together
What were the biggest difficulties in implementing the project and how did you deal with them?
Canteens are under high pressure to perform efficiently and suffer from time constraints, often having insufficient staff to participate more actively in the project and engage in discussions alongside their daily business. Therefore, planning for promotional weeks and surveys has been aligned with the canteens’ schedules.
Which support is (or has been) essential for the success of the project?
The support of motivated canteen and kitchen managers and staff who have participated in the project despite their busy schedules, since they are interested in making changes to their menu. The exchange among kitchen managers and staff is highly motivating and helps them to deal with new challenges.
What would you do differently if you had to start all over again?
Conduct blind tastings of dishes with meat alternative with guests, such as vegan currywurst and burgers, without disclosing that they are vegan.
Offer cooking workshops with professional chefs who are experienced in preparing plant-based meat alternatives and can provide inspiration for new dishes.
Conduct tests with different pricing for popular meat dishes and plant-based dishes to demonstrate that offering the plant-based dish at a significantly lower price is worthwhile.
In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle in promoting a plant-based diet in your country and across Europe?
The dietary habits of people in Germany are deeply ingrained in daily routines. As long as currywurst and schnitzel remain among the most popular dishes in canteens and canteens feel the need to meet the demands of their guests, there won't be much change. It requires courageous and innovative canteen managers who dare to use/include plant-based dishes and have the competence to prepare plant-based dishes, which are so delicious that guests won't miss meat. Additionally, it requires guidelines, such as those regarding meat offerings in canteens (DGE guidelines), and a changed subsidy policy which recognizes the public goods provided by large-scale kitchens.
How could scientific researchers support your cause? Which questions have not yet been answered?
The project has a strong practical orientation. It would be interesting to engage in interdisciplinary cooperation with psychologists and communication scientists to understand how successful PR efforts for the adoption of sustainable dietary practices could be designed. Furthermore, collaborating with researchers in the field of meat alternatives and alternative dairy products could yield valuable insights.
For instance, such collaboration could help determine how guest survey results on meat alternatives might differ if guests tried the dishes without preconceived notions. It could also shed light on how a revised pricing structure (where vegetarian and vegan dishes are more affordable) would influence food choices in canteens. These interdisciplinary approaches could provide a holistic understanding of the factors influencing dietary choices and inform strategies for promoting more sustainable eating habits.
Which scientific or political funding possibility would help your project?
A funding commitment of at least three years would allow the project to gather more insights and provide recommendations for a transformation towards plant-based communal catering.
How can political figures/bodies support your project on a local, national or EU-wide level?
Extending the funding for the project or securing new funding for a minimum of three years is essential for its long term success.
Setting specific framework conditions, such as requiring a higher percentage of organic and plant-based foods in communal catering, would also be beneficial.
Exchange and support
We are seeking support for:
A continuation of funding for the project or new funding, especially for canteens and cafeterias that are in the process of reducing meat offerings.
We are interested in insight about:
- Communication of sustainable dietary practices and carrying out tests, for example, during promotional weeks.
- Transition to offering a sustainable menu in communal catering;
- Production and use of plant-based meat and milk alternatives.
We are interested in shared activities with other initiatives/projects:
- Communication of sustainable dietary practices;
- Transition to offering a sustainable menu in communal catering.
Contact
Organization: Zentrum für Technik und Gesellschaft (ZTG), Technische Universität Berlin
Name of contact person: Prof. Dr. Dr. Martina Schäfer
Website: https://www.tu.berlin/ztg/forschung/projekte/laufende-projekte/klimakitchen
Address: TU Berlin, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin
E-mail: schaefer@ztg.tu-berlin.de
Phone: +49 (0)30 314-26854
This project presentation is licensed under the following CC license: BY-NC