Are top foodservice providers meeting their 50 percent plant-based commitment by 2025?

The latest science points to the need for a concerted shift to a plant-based diet to mitigate climate change, and some major food service providers seem to agree. Many of the nation’s leading providers are working with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to rethink their food offerings through their Food Forward program.

This toolkit provides food industry professionals with chef training, menu planning and other resources to help them reduce the number of animal products they serve while increasing plant-based options.

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“Food service companies can play a huge role in mitigating the harmful effects of climate change by reducing their animal-based offerings and increasing their plant-based offerings,” Carla Dumas, HSUS’ vice president of food service innovation, said in a statement.

Commitments from suppliers to increasing plant-based menus impact customers including hospitals, corporate cafeterias, event venues and schools, giving millions of people access to plant-based, environmentally friendly foods.

Over the past decade, dozens of providers have pledged to reduce carbon-intensive animal products on menus, with many pledging to serve 50-percent plant-based menus by 2025. As we near that date, HSUS conducted an analysis to determine whether food service operators were meeting their plant-based commitments.

Are companies keeping their plant-based commitments?

In its newly released Foodservice Industry Protein Sustainability Scorecard, HSUS sent surveys to 39 top US foodservice providers to inquire about their sustainability goals, giving them six months to respond. The objective was to establish transparency around each business’s sustainability goals by gaining insight into their plant-based commitments and whether they are meeting them.

Corporate foodservice company ISS Guckenheimer tops HHS, LLC, Fresh Ideas, Metz Culinary Management, and Southwest Foodservice Excellence—a K-12 provider that aims to serve 30 to 40-percent plant-based options overall by the end of 2024. Offer 10 percent.

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“As innovators in the K-12 nutrition space, we recognize that the need for plant-based menus has never been more important to students and staff,” said Monty Staggs, CEO of Southwest Foodservice Excellence, in a statement. “Our teams want to create moments where students feel supported to step outside their comfort zones, try new things, and discover their new favorite foods at school.”

One giant that is making good on its promise is Sodexo – a global food service company that serves 100 million customers daily in 53 countries. Its US arm aims to convert 33 percent of its menu to plant-based by 2025. Its college and university arm, Sodexo US Campus, recently increased its commitment to 50-percent plant-based menus from 42 percent during that period.

And it’s moving toward its goal by creating dishes with broad appeal, like the Impossible Creole Burger, which features a plant-based Impossible patty with jalapeño jelly, vegan pepper jack cheese and crispy onions.

Food service operators that graded average or below for implementing their plant-based commitments include MMI Dining, Epicurean Group, and Delaware North—all of which have made some plant-based progress but have yet to set company-wide targets. aim

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Of the 39 companies surveyed, 17 did not respond within the allotted six months or provide data to confirm whether they were implementing their commitments. With forewarning, HSUS used public information from their websites – most of which mentioned sustainability as a priority – to fill out the survey. The HSUS gave these suppliers an F grade for failing to implement plant-based food strategies to reduce their carbon footprint, especially in light of how much progress many of their peers have made.

“When companies make sustainability commitments without measurable strategies to increase plant-based menu items it raises doubts about their commitment to sustainability,” Dumas said.

“Consumers deserve to know which companies are following and which companies are falling short,” says Dumas.

HSUS plans to continue supporting the foodservice industry’s transition to more sustainable plant-based foods through its Forward Food program.

Plant Based Advances

While some food service providers are still working on implementing their commitment to increasing plant-based options, others are moving full speed ahead.

This is the case with ASM Global which last year partnered with Wicked Kitchen through its culinary arm SAVOR. The partnership has the potential to introduce vegan options in 350 top locations across the country.

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“With demand for plant-based foods at an all-time high around the world, there’s a gap to fill in the event venue channel,” Pete Speranza, Wicked Kitchen CEO, previously told VeggieNews. “Wicked not only brings 100-percent animal-free food to consumers attending event venues but also daily fare—menu items they already love and want to eat—and that’s made only with plants.”

This month, Wicked’s partnership with SAVOR hits San Antonio’s Alamodome, making it one of the first venues in the city to offer a wide array of plant-based options. Now, customers heading to the Alamodome for a Disney on Ice show, a boxing match and everything in between can enjoy a vegetarian menu of jalapeño burgers, meatball subs and three ice cream innovations.