Calories, ingredients, origins ... by now on the restaurant menu, in addition to prices, there is more and more information to make us choose what we eat more consciously. Now for the first time ever from the Otarian restaurant chain in New York or London we can find a new indication: the Carbon Footprint of the dish we are about to order.
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Calorie, ingredients, origins ... now on the menu of restaurants, in addition to prices, there is more and more information to make us choose what we eat more consciously. Now for the first time ever since Otarian restaurant chain in New York or in London we can find a new indication: the Carbon Footprint o Carbon footprint of the dish we are about to order.
In fact, this very international chain of vegetarian restaurants is the first in the world to indicate on the menus the quantity of C02 emitted in the atmosphere for the creation of its foods.
The purpose is to push customers to think about the impact of their food choices on the planet and to understand the environmental benefits of reduction of meat consumption. In fact, for each proposal (vegetarian) of Otarian's menu, the customer will be able to know his carbon footprint,carbon footprint of a similar dish, but based on meat, and the difference between the two. For example, every time you order one of the proposed sandwiches you can “Save” over one kg of C02 compared to the choice to indulge in a snack a meat base.
The owner of the restaurant chain, Radika Oswal, says in this regard: “If choosing a vegetarian dish can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one kilo, or allow us to save a liter of water or fuel, the overall result of all our choices can certainly do a lot to help the planet ”.
The definition of the carbon footprint value of each food on the menu is was carried out by the English consultancy firm Sustain in collaboration with Eat England, a company specializing in the development of projects onsustainable nutrition.
To define the overall value of the carbon footprint of each dish, these organizations have analyzed le2 “> C02 emissions generated in the various stages necessary for the preparation of the foods present in Otarian's menu: from the collection of raw materials, to transport, to preparation, to cooking up to presentation on our table.
But to enter thecarbon footprint indication for each dish is just the last of the solutions of the Otarian chain to increase the sustainability of the catering sector; other important elements are the choice of local ingredients a km 0, food packaging è recyclable e compostable, restaurants built according to the principles of bioarchitecture and an overall rate of 98% recycling.
The choice of the Otarian chain joins that of many food companies or large-scale distribution that have entered or are organizing for insert labels relating to C02 emissions on the packaging of their products, but it also serves to remind us that all the small daily actions of each of us, such as choosing a dish at a restaurant, can affect the future health of our land.
Paola Valeri
