The Sustainable Dish - 05/02

Welcome to The Sustainable Dish, your biweekly update from The Sustainable Restaurant Association.?

Plenty to savour this time around, with an in-depth chat with Hawksmoor ’s Head of Operations Patrick Urey about what it’s really like to switch to an all-electric kitchen, including both the challenges and benefits. Meanwhile, freshly finished their three-star Food Made Good certification, Restaurant Associates share their most successful strategies for reducing their environmental footprint.?

One particularly impressive story is how Wahaca has handled their ‘less, but better’ strategy when it comes to serving meat. Their approach has been incredibly effective, slashing the number of cows slaughtered each week from 420 to just 10 while creating some mouthwatering new menu items and supporting better agricultural practices at the same time. More of this, please! We created a video with Wahaca and Grassroots to explain this simple but smart strategy; you can check it out below.?

You’ll also find an overview of recent sustainability legislation in the UK and what’s on the horizon for 2025; inspiring sustainability wins in both MENA’s The World's 50 Best Restaurants and the Bocuse d'Or Social Commitment Award; a fantastic new resource from No Mise En Plastic; the release of the Beans is How 2024 Annual report; news bites from the world of sustainability; and three stellar new Food Made Good certifications.?

? Have a great week,?

– The SRA Team.?

BOCA wins Sustainability Award at MENA’s 50 Best 2025!?

Located in the heart of Dubai’s financial district and led by Omar Shihab and Chef Patricia Roig, BOCA is a modern Spanish restaurant with a strong commitment to sustainability — evidenced through its three-star Food Made Good certification! Our team of judges was delighted to select BOCA as the winner of this year’s Sustainable Restaurant Award at MENA’s 5 Best Restaurants, announced last night. From their transparent sourcing of local, native and heritage ingredients to their incredible waste initiatives, BOCA is leading the way for sustainable hospitality in the UAE. Read more about their win here!?

Wahaca shows us ‘less but better’ meat in action?

Wahaca is setting a powerful example of responsible beef sourcing with their smart ‘less but better’ approach. The ‘less’ part comes from reducing the number of beef dishes on the menu and – crucially – by buying half a carcass at a time, making use of multiple cuts rather than working with only the most popular. This means far fewer animals need to be raised and slaughtered to meet demand – in fact, they’ve reduced their number of cows from 420 per week to just 10! Their partnership with regenerative farming collective Grassroots Farms supports the ‘better’ side of things, allowing Wahaca to source beef from farmers working to restore soil health (essential for sustaining our food supply and addressing the climate crisis). This story is well worth telling, so we created this video with Wahaca to showcase their work – check it out!?

Bocuse d’Or?

Big congratulations to the Bocuse d'Or teams from Chile and New Zealand for both winning this year’s Social Commitment Award, which celebrates people using food to make a difference in their communities. Our Head of Global Certification, Julia Holiday, helped judge this award, and both teams are doing incredible things that made it impossible to choose one winner –– so the prize money is being split equally to help fund their projects. Team Chile works with Fundación Gastronomía Social to teach young people job skills, educate kids about healthy eating and support food programmes for people in need. Meanwhile, Team New Zealand is working with Buttabean Motivation (BBM) to help Pasifika and Māori communities stay healthy. They run free cooking classes to show people how to make affordable, healthy meals that help with diabetes, and donate extra food to BBM’s programmes.?

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Dates for the diary?

Planet Peach Sustainability Summit, UK, 4th March?

Join us at Peach 20/20 Sustainability Summit, where hospitality leaders and sustainability pioneers will come together for a day of inspiration, actionable insights and collaboration! This year's summit agenda will explore how embracing sustainability can deliver a tangible competitive advantage as well as long-term business resilience. Our own MD Juliane Caillouette Noble will be joining a panel called ‘Food Matters: Rethinking Menus’. This is a great opportunity to connect with peers, share insights, and take part in shaping the future of sustainable hospitality. You can even enjoy a 20% discount on your ticket as part of our network – just enter code SRA20 at the checkout! Book now.?

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Stories worth sharing?

Reduce your footprint: Restaurant Associates? Restaurant Associates are committed to bringing quality food and service into workplaces across the UK, and have recently completed the Food Made Good Standard for the third time — scoring an incredible 90%! We caught up with them about their sustainability work, especially when it comes to reducing their environmental footprint. Read more.

No Mise En Plastic launches new ‘Today’s Menu’ resource?

No Mise En Plastic has released a fantastic new collection of resources targeted at UK-based chefs who want to make delicious food while also creating positive change in our food system. “Chefs have the power to shape food trends, so it’s time we used it! By celebrating these ingredients on our menus today, we can shift the way we all eat for the better.” Here, you’ll find recipes, interviews and practical tips alongside deeper dive explanations on the climate issues behind your ingredients. Find it all here!?

Beans is How release their Annual Report 2024?

The 2024 #BeansisHow Annual Report is out! Together, 120+ Coalition Partners (including our team here at The SRA) are transforming food systems, championing sustainability and nourishing communities with the power of legumes and pulses. Let’s keep the momentum going in 2025! Read the report here (you’ll find us on p.13).?

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Stars of the FMG Standard?

Three stars: SEM, Portugal?

We’re delighted to announce that SEM in Lisbon is the first Portuguese restaurant to complete the Food Made Good Standard, earning a three-star rating with an impressive score of 85%! Run by George McLeod and Lara Prado Espirito Santo , SEM proves that running a restaurant with integrity at its core not only works, but sets an outstanding example for others. SEM collaborates with local suppliers, many of whom practice regenerative methods, and their micro-seasonal menu changes every six weeks. They minimise food waste using the Winnow AI system and take a circular approach throughout: tables and doors are crafted from recycled plastic, uniforms are designed using sustainable fabrics and surplus equipment is donated instead of discarded. Their ‘Remarkable Tablets’ provide diners with transparent access to detailed stories, policies and sustainability information. Congratulations to the team on this well-deserved recognition; their work is setting the gold standard for hospitality.?

Three stars: Wild Shropshire, UK?

A massive shoutout to the team at Wild Shropshire for earning an incredible three-star rating in their very first Food Made Good evaluation! This is such a well-deserved recognition of the passion and hard work they pour into every part of what they do. Some great examples include sourcing essentials at refill shops and cutting waste by using every part of their ingredients. Roots, stems and vegetable trimmings are dehydrated, fermented, frozen and preserved to be reused in stocks, oils and future dishes. Nearly all food waste is composted by their head horticulturist, who also happens to be a county Master Composter, teaching others about composting at festivals and events. They seek alternatives to traditional salt by using forest kelp — roasted and cooked for hours — and barley koji to add flavour without excess sodium. They’ve even developed a formula to calculate the CO2 emissions of their guests’ travel! Wild Shropshire is leading the way with transparency, sharing detailed information about their sustainability work on their website. Read more about their fantastic initiatives here!??

Three stars: Tadinda Anadolu, Turkey?

Congratulations to Tad?nda Anadolu on earning a three-star rating in its first Food Made Good Standard submission! Operating in several Turkish airports, Tad?nda Anadolu offers travellers a taste of authentic Anatolian cuisine. Highlights include planting a seed ball for every purchased item in partnership with Ecording, with 100,000 planted so far. Their menu celebrates traditional Turkish recipes, incorporating heritage ingredients and commonly discarded vegetable parts like spinach roots. Collaborations with TOFD and TEGV transform PET caps into wheelchairs, and single-use cutlery has been replaced with an innovative alternative made from bread waste. They also offer half-portion options to reduce plate waste. A huge congratulations to Melda Tuna and the team at BTA Food & Services for driving meaningful sustainability across their brands. We’ve already seen Tickerdaze in ?zmir and Tad?nda Anadolu in Ankara complete the Food Made Good Standard, with more to come this year. What an achievement!?

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Insights from The SRA?

What UK businesses need to know about the latest sustainability legislation?

We share the details of recent sustainability legislation in the UK and look ahead at what’s on the horizon for 2025. Read more.?

Real Talk: Is moving to electric really worth it??

Switching to an all-electric kitchen powered by renewable energy might seem daunting, but as Hawksmoor ’s Head of Operations Patrick Urey explains, it’s more achievable than you might think. With benefits like lower bills, improved efficiency and reduced emissions, making the switch is a smart move for both the planet and your business. Read more.?

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Sustainable Bites?

Your bite-sized round-up of hospitality, food and sustainability news?

Glasgow launches returnable cup initiative unique in the UK?

We were thrilled to see the launch of BorrowCup , a groundbreaking returnable cup scheme in Glasgow. This is a collaborative project among Costa Coffee , Caffè Nero , Burger King and local cafés, led by Hubbub and reuse start-up Reposit | Returnable Packaging Platform | B Corp , shocasing the power of working together for the greater good. Read more.?

Norway rules out a ban on farmed salmon?

Norway’s environment minister has ruled out a ban on open-net fish farming at sea, despite acknowledging that wild North Atlantic salmon is under “existential threat”. Instead, the minister said his plan is to seek an “acceptable level” of pollution for the wild salmon population. Read more.?

How Denmark’s plant-based food plan garnered major funding?

Denmark’s landmark agreement among farmers, politicians and environmental groups led to a €170m action fund for plant-based food –– earning support even from right-wing parties. Read more.?