Tamara Steiner
In January 2022, the «Sustainable Gastronomy Project» replaced the previous «Gastronomy Climate Programme» at ETH Zurich. The Project has the purpose to make gastronomy at ETH sustainable and is based on several scientific findings. But what are this project’s exact goals, and are they sustainable enough?
Figure 1: Students in a refectory of ETH Zurich (source: ETH Zurich webpage)
Specific targets
The «Sustainable Gastronomy Project» includes seventeen different targets. They are separated into two types of importance and four topics. The four topics are Climate Protection, Resource Conservation, Social & Ethical Issues and Health. Four targets are of high importance and therefore mandatory. The other thirteen goals are not mandatory but rewarded with points which should be collected. ETH Zurich aims to emit net-zero greenhouse gases by 2030, which includes the area of food as well (ETH Zürich, 2022b).
To be more precise, within the topic of Climate Protection the goal is to reduce CO2-eq emissions. The topic of Resource Conservation includes the following goals: at least 20% fish from sustainable fishing, certified soy, at least 25% food out of sustainable production, certified palm oil, a maximum of 5 % food waste per menu and more reusable tableware. Within the third topic, which is called Social & Ethical Issues, the goals are to use meat, milk and eggs out of adequate animal housing. Furthermore, all products are supposed to be fair trade. The topic of Health includes having at least 75% unsaturated fats, 18.8g of protein within 75% of the menus, 180g of veggies per menu, at least 50% whole grain products, more nuts, seeds and fruit (ETH Zürich, 2022a).
Therefore, the main goal is to make gastronomy at ETH more sustainable while looking at several aspects of sustainability. The project should not only be sustainable for the environment, but also the consumers. However, the guest still has a certain choice. The individual is able to choose to contribute to a more sustainable planet with its menu choices. For the project’s success, it must match the demand of its customers (ETH Zürich, 2022b).
Looking at some impacts
Catering companies face a challenge due to all the necessary checks. Happily, projects like this are not new and catering companies are learning how to deal with them (ETH Zürich, 2022b). Despite the difficulties, sustainability can be a good business. Not only does it make sense environmentally, but also socially and economically. Additionally, it is a time in which the implementation of sustainable models regarding food is essential (EHL, 2022).
Many people know the common saying «We are what we eat», which infers that students can only perform well after receiving high-quality food (Florence et al., 2008). The food they eat at university influences their health and wellness (Swanson, 2020). Students are also informed and encouraged to participate in the movement toward sustainability. This means that they get educated a little about the fundamental topic of sustainable food (ETH Zürich, 2022b).
Our current food system is deteriorating the planet. If it continues in its current form, feeding the earth’s inhabitants will not be possible anymore by 2050 (Earth Day Network, 2022). Therefore, the most important effect of sustainable gastronomy is healing our food system and hence protecting the environment. To achieve that, it is necessary to create a market for healthy food. By buying and selling food from local, sustainable production this is possible (Greenpeace, 2021).
Are improvements necessary?
Food plays an important part in changing the world into a more sustainable one. With better food, we heal the planet and ourselves. We need to reconnect with food and the people who produce it. Industrial agriculture is no longer an option if we want to have a good future (Greenpeace, 2021). ETH Zurich is engaged in finding solutions for this problem. They are contributing to a long-term solution in form of global food security through a world food system (ETH Zürich, 2022c).
Once we refocus on the gastronomy of ETH Zurich, we now know that improvements are being made. These improvements are based on scientific findings (ETH Zürich, 2022b). But while looking at the percentage of sustainable fish or food out of sustainable production, I would argue that the percentages of certain goals are way too low. It becomes clear that the biggest amount is still not sustainable. This happens since they want to keep the prices low. Now we need to ask ourselves if this trade-off is really worth it. To find out more about this, it is necessary to look at the small percentage of food out of sustainable production as an example.
Destroying the planet starts with the destruction of the soil (Stigge, 2019). Therefore, it is fundamental to look after the soil. Organic production is designed to respect nature and enhance soil health, air and water. It is the leading way of sustainable farming, since it closes the cycles (Soil Association, 2022). Intensive agriculture on the other hand strongly accelerates the loss of fertile soil. The pumping in of pesticides and inorganic fertilisers makes the whole living system suffer (BBC, 2019). Therefore, we need to think about the following questions: Is gastronomy at Swiss universities such as ETH Zurich sustainable enough? Is a little lower price worth destroying the soil and our future? Do universities teach the right things if they do not focus on fundamental changes like these?
Bibliography
BBC. (2019). Soil erosion: Why fertile earth is being degraded and lost. https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/why-soil-is-disappearing-from-farms/
Earth Day Network. (2022). Our Food’s Impact – Earth Day. https://www.earthday.org/our-foods-impact/
EHL. (2022). Sustainable gastronomy: An opportunity for a green recovery. https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/sustainable-gastronomy-an-opportunity-for-a-green-recovery
ETH Zürich. (2022a). Projekt Nachhaltige Gastronomie: Ziele. https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/main/eth-zurich/nachhaltigkeit/Dokumente/Ziele_PNG_220210.pdf
ETH Zürich. (2022b). Sustainable Gastronomy | ETH Zurich. https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/sustainability/campus/environment/food.html
ETH Zürich. (2022c). World Food System | ETH Zurich. https://ethz.ch/en/the-eth-zurich/sustainability/research/world-food-system.html
Florence, M. D., Asbridge, M., & Veugelers, P. J. (2008). Diet quality and academic performance: Research article. Journal of School Health (Vol. 78, Issue 4). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00288.x
Greenpeace. (2021). The 12 Best Ways To Use Food To Help The Environment – Greenpeace USA. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/sustainable-agriculture/eco-farming/12-things-you-can-do/
Soil Association. (2022). Why Organic? https://www.soilassociation.org/take-action/organic-living/why-organic/
Stigge, J. (2019). Destroying the Environment Starts with Destroying the Soil – S3 Meats. https://s3meats.com/blogs/news/destroying-the-environment-starts-with-destroying-the-soil
Swanson, J. (2020). Sustainability: What are the True Impacts of Your Food Choices? | BestFoodFacts.org. https://www.bestfoodfacts.org/sustainability-what-are-the-true-impacts-of-your-food-choices/