Mastering sustainable food services

17 October 2023

Speakers:

• Iris van den Akker, Commercial Director at Museon
• Gonçalo Prata, Sustainability Manager at Ciência Viva

The Insights Live! event "Mastering sustainable food services" provided valuable insights from experts on more sustainable restaurants and catering.

Iris van der Akker's talk centers on the shift towards sustainable food services. She stresses a comprehensive approach, considering social, environmental, and visitor-centric impacts. Iris underscores the importance of aligning caterers' practices with the museum's sustainability narrative, focusing on waste reduction and vegetarian options. This strategic choice not only enriches visitor experiences but also integrates individuals from diverse labor markets. Importantly, she highlights the positive visitor feedback on the vegetarian offerings, indicating a clear demand for sustainable options. The talk offers valuable insights for Ecsite members seeking to enhance the sustainability of their catering and restaurant services.

Watch Iris’s talk on Ecsite's YouTube channel

Gonçalo Prata's talk outlines measures like banning single-use plastics, prioritizing local ingredients, and forming partnerships to reduce food waste. He advocates for a holistic approach, seamlessly integrating sustainability considerations into every facet of event planning and execution. This means sustainability isn't a mere checklist item but an integral part of decisions, from menu selection to waste management. By adopting this nuanced perspective, organizations can ensure that sustainability becomes a natural and fundamental component of their events, enhancing their overall impact. Gonçalo's examples, like teaming up with a vegan influencer and engaging a sustainable food expert for catering and workshops, provide practical strategies for implementation.

Watch Gonçalo's talk on Ecsite's Youtube channel (please note that the audio's quality isn't optimal, thank you for your patience).

Take action:

• Advance sustainable catering: Implement practices like banning single-use plastics, prioritizing local ingredients, and forming partnerships to reduce food waste.
• Integrate sustainability seamlessly: Embrace a holistic approach, embedding sustainability considerations into all stages of event planning and execution.
• Integrate sustainability into your procurement process: take a look at previous Insights Live! on this topic.
• Align caterers with your sustainability narrative: Choose partners who share your commitment to sustainable practices, ensuring their services align with your organization's mission and values.
• Promote experiential learning: Encourage visitor engagement with sustainable food options, potentially through interactive workshops or educational exhibits.
• Collaborate for innovation: Foster partnerships with influencers, experts, and sustainable food advocates to infuse fresh perspectives and innovative solutions into your catering practices.

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Contact details:

Iris van den Akker: ivdakker@museon-omniversum.nl
Gonçalo Prata: gpraca@cienciaviva.pt