Gains in Healthier, Sustainable Food Choices; Action Needed
on Climate and Water Concerns
Hyde Park, NY – The 2017 Menus of Change
Annual Report was released today at the 5th Annual Menus of Change
Leadership Summit by the chairs of the initiative’s two advisory councils.
Menus of Change®: The Business of Healthy, Sustainable & Delicious Food
Choices is a ground-breaking leadership initiative launched in 2012 by The Culinary Institute of America and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It works to realize a
long-term, practical vision integrating optimal nutrition and public health,
environmental stewardship and restoration, and social responsibility concerns
within the foodservice industry and the culinary profession. The conference is
held at the CIA’s Hyde Park, NY campus, where more
than 400 executives, experts, investors, and innovators in food, foodservice,
health and nutrition, and sustainability are in attendance.
Included in the 2017
Menus of Change Annual Report are updates on the latest nutrition science
and environmental issues, case studies, and a performance dashboard that
measures progress towards improving nutrition, sustainability, and
profitability in the culinary profession. Overall, the industry is making
substantial gains, good progress, or at least holding steady on 13 of the 16
key issues. Performance improved in efforts to shape consumer attitudes and
behaviors about healthy and sustainable foods, as well as the industry’s role
in improving animal welfare. But the industry took a step back with regard to
fish, seafood, and oceans, as well as diet and health, where progress slowed
compared to last year, primarily due to an alarming continued rise in adult
obesity rates. Garnering the lowest marks were water sustainability and climate
change, which remain the two areas of greatest concern for the foodservice
industry.
“Five years ago, the Menus of Change initiative called on
the culinary profession and foodservice industry to use menu and recipe choices
as a leading strategy for delivering healthier, more sustainable, and more
delicious food,” said Arlin Wasserman, chair of the
Menus of Change Sustainable Business Leadership Council and the founder and
partner of Changing Tastes. “We also called on them to reconsider the role of
protein as a primary area of focus and adopt plant-forward strategies. In just
a few short years, we have seen remarkable progress in many areas, due to the
efforts of so many in our industry to help guide and change what America eats,
particularly when we eat out. The foodservice industry also relies on the
harvest—and with the growing uncertainty around weather and water, we need to increase our efforts to manage these substantial risks.”
Today marks the celebration of the fifth year of Menus of
Change, whose thought-leadership includes making plant-forward dining a
mainstream concept among foodservice professionals and a burgeoning one among
diners. One of the most important new features in the 2017 report is a concise,
evidence-based framework around the term, which is informed by the 24
Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus. Menus of Change defines plant-forward
as: A style of cooking and eating that emphasizes
and celebrates, but is not limited to, plant-based foods—including fruits
and vegetables (produce); whole grains; beans, other legumes (pulses), and soy
foods; nuts and seeds; plant oils; and herbs and spices—and that reflects
evidence-based principles of health and sustainability.
“We are inspired to continue to advance plant-forward menus
because, while they may include delicious vegetarian and vegan options, they
are more about leveraging the flavor opportunities and tremendous diversity of
plant-based foods, rather than depriving anyone of certain foods,” said Greg Drescher, vice
president of industry leadership and strategic initiatives for the CIA. “Chefs
and foodservice leaders have already been displaying tremendous culinary
creativity, as they too see plant-forward as a way of eating that a large
percentage of consumers are likely to embrace and—unlike a diet—maintain across
their lifetime.”
Over the next two days, conference attendees will hear from
a world-class roster of presenters including foodservice executives, members of
the media, leading nutrition and climate scientists, corporate sustainability
leaders, investors, and some of the country’s top chefs exemplifying the tremendous
culinary potential and business opportunities surrounding plant-forward menus.
These include: Jonathan Farnell, CEO of the EAT
Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden; Scott Uehlein ’85,
vice president of product innovation and development at Sonic Drive-In;
researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Victor
Friedberg, co-founder of S2G Ventures; and many others. Breakout sessions
include topics from strategies for scaling regenerative agriculture to new
business models and case studies in shifting menus toward more plant protein.
There are also Q&A sessions and culinary presentations by renowned chefs
including Daniel Giusti ’94 of Brigaid and Dan Kluger of Loring Place.
“Dietary improvements over the last decade are already
contributing to better health of Americans, and the many positive contributions
of the foodservice industry are impressive,” said Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, chair of the Menus of Change Scientific and Technical
Advisory Council and professor and former chairman in the Department of
Nutrition at Harvard Chan School. “However, with the abdication of national
leadership in addressing climate change, our efforts to deal with this
existential issue must be redoubled. The food sector has a central role to play
by creating meals that delight diners and significantly contribute to those
efforts.”
All conference general sessions
are being streamed online and will be available for viewing and sharing at
any time. The full program schedule and biographies of all the presenters can
be found on menusofchange.org.
Throughout the year, Menus of Change continues to provide
cutting-edge insights on issues facing the nearly $800 billion foodservice
industry. Together, the CIA and Harvard are working to foster innovative
business ideas and delicious menu concepts that address the issues in the
report dashboard of greatest concern and lowest attention to date. While
obesity, climate change, and water scarcity can be daunting topics, by
improving consumer attitudes about healthy and sustainable foods, making great
strides around protein options in particular, and demonstrating progress in
many other key indicators over just a few years, the leaders of the American
foodservice industry have shown they are up to the task.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
The 2017 Menus of Change Annual Report was released on June
20, at the opening of the 5th Menus of Change Leadership Summit at the New York
campus of The Culinary Institute of America. (Image credit: The Culinary Institute of America)
View hi-res image >
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Manager
845-451-1372
jeff.levine@culinary.edu
About The Culinary Institute of America
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and
hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degree
majors in management, culinary science, and applied food studies; associate
degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts; and executive education
through its Food Business School. The college also offers certificate programs
and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences and consulting
services have made the CIA the think tank of the food industry and its
worldwide network of 49,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the
food business. The CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and
Singapore.
About the Harvard T. H. Chan School of
Public Health
Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated
experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health
leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people
everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students from
around the world, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory
to people’s lives—not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to
change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices to
create a healthier world. For more information, visit www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/.
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