Report finds food as single largest emitter of carbon in primary schools
The report is titled ‘Towards Net Zero: Measuring the Carbon Impact of Schools in England'. Both schools and caterers are under ‘huge pressure’ to increase their sustainability and the report offers advice on impactful menu changes.
The ProVeg UK School Plates programme is working with over 100 school catering partners to facilitate the increase of plants on plates and uptake of plant-based options on school menus.
Sophia Millar, co-executive director at ProVeg UK, commented: “This presents a huge opportunity for school caterers to lead the way in food system transformation. It proves that simple and delicious plant-based switches - like making beans the star of the show - could be of huge benefit for both health and environmental outcomes.
“The data speaks for itself. Making a strong case for what we’ve known for a long time, school menus need a plant-powered update, and we’re delighted to see further research confirming this.”