Dishing up biodiversity: how does out-of-home catering affect biodiversity?

Peer reviewed / Manuscript (original) submitted: 10 January 2023 / Revision accepted: 7 July 2023

Assessment methodology and implementation in commercial kitchens

Introduction and research question

A healthy ecosystem depends on biodiversity and the associated diversity of ecosystems, animal and plant species, biotic communities and living organisms, as well as the genetic diversity of these organisms [1]. However, despite the pivotal role of agricultural landscape biodiversity in supplying ecosystem services (bearing in mind that food security depends on these services), the association between individual diets and the associated loss of biodiversity has received little scientific attention. According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the current food system is the main cause of global species loss. This can primarily be attributed to factors such as land use change, climate change, invasive species, pollution and contamination, and overexploitation of natural resources [2]. The Planetary Health Diet [3] is an example of what a diet that remains within planetary limits could look like. However, the menu plan for this diet can only be seen as a starting point for biodiversity conservation because it focuses on health-related aspects and only deals with food groups (such as fruit, vegetables or meat) rather than with meals as a whole.

There are both completed and ongoing scientific research projects and corporate research projects [4–6] that demonstrate the association between biodiversity and food production. The available data are often limited to snapshots of the status of individual species in specific production systems, habitats or geographical areas [7]. Various approaches [8–10] to assessing the effects of agricultural production on biodiversity and agrobiodiversity can be found in the literature, but methods for consistently measuring these effects along all stages of value chains and across all diets are lacking. ...

Abstract

Biodiversity is under threat all over the planet. Implementing sustainable out-of-home catering (OHC) is a key way to reduce the environmental impact of the agri-food sector. Thus far, there have been no studies that show the impact of food on biodiversity at the menu level in Germany. This means that neither commercial kitchens nor their patrons can record the biodiversity impact of the menus or dishes served there. This article describes the development of an assessment framework and some initial findings. The framework was developed on the basis of a systematic literature review and expert interviews. Taking this as a starting point, an indicator-based approach was developed with a focus on land use. The approach was then validated by assessing recipes used at OHC facilities. The results show that using the BiTe1 Biodiversity Index (BBI) that was developed, it is possible to assess the biodiversity impacts of meals and optimize them at the level of the dish. The article outlines the possible areas for improvement. Overall, it is clear that this approach can already be used in the OHC context today.

Keywords: biodiversity, biological diversity, agrobiodiversity, out-ofhome catering, sustainable commercial catering

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