The protein transition is an important research theme for WUR. To ensure that our food production and consumption remain within the ecological boundaries of the planet, we need to switch to sustainable diets with more plant-based proteins. Within its catering, WUR is therefore striving for less meat and a mainly plant-based menu. In this article, we show how WUR caterers achieve this.
In the Food & Beverage vision, WUR has set clear goals for the caterers. By 2025, the food and beverage offerings on campus must have a protein composition of at least 50% plant-based/alternative and 50% animal-based. In 2030, this should be 60:40.
These goals have already been amply achieved. 'WUR is at the forefront and achieves an above-average result in terms of plant-based choices compared to our other clients,' says Maj Mulder, Account & Hospitality Manager at Compass Group. And Dax Moens, Account Manager at OSP/Vermaat, has figures ready. 'At one of the WUR locations, 78.5 per cent of the consumption is now plant-based.'
Protein transition in the Food & Beverage vision
Positively stimulating and facilitating the protein transition has a positive impact on both our health and the environment. WUR is in line with the widely supported ambitions of a plant-based and animal protein balance of at least 50:50 in 2025 and 60:40 in 2030, following the Biomass & Food Transition Agenda. We want to make it easy and logical for all guests and customers of our Food & Beverage facilities to (more often) to make the plant-based choice. Adapting the food environment and responding to existing routines will structurally embed this healthy and sustainable choice in eating and drinking patterns. Plant-based proteins are therefore becoming the norm.
Freedom of choice
The caterers endorse the F&B Vision, in which freedom of choice is paramount. The caterers unanimously say that they are not striving for 100 per cent plant-based offerings. That is even independent of its possible commercial feasibility. 'Ultimately, people want to be able to choose for themselves. But we do tempt people to make plant-based choices with surprising dishes and by not making concessions to taste," says Jacco de Waal, Catering Manager at Hutten. A nice example of an innovative dish from the kitchen of Omnia is the smoked carrot on a brioche bun. 'It has a nice smoky flavour and is often ordered,' says de Waal.
Tuna salad half-and-half
With innovative product adjustments and smart communication, the caterers encourage customers to choose plant-based more often. The hospitality industry term 'hybrid' is regularly used here. De Waal: 'These are products that originally consisted mainly of animal proteins and have noen partly replaced by vegetable or alternative proteins. You can think of filet americain and tuna salad. Important: they are all products that taste good and have a good structure.' In the restaurants in the Compass educational buildings, the traditional meatball is very popular. This has now been replaced by a half-and-half variant. 'So based on about 50 percent vegetable protein, including from peas,' says Mulder. 'We're always looking at which product we can make the most impact with in terms of CO2 reduction. Carpaccio, for example, is very popular among students. That could be replaced by a partly plant-based grill sausage.'
This year's National Week without Meat and Dairy is from 3 to 9 March
As is shown in this article, you'll find a wide range of plant-based meals in the WUR restaurants and banqueting all year round. Would you like to know more about the positive impact on people, animals and the climate that you have when you don't eat meat, fish and dairy for a day? On the website of the National Week Without Meat & Dairy, you can find more background information and inspiring recipes to get started.
Moens gives another example. 'We work together with the Vegan Fishmonger and sell his plant-based fried cod (kibbeling in Dutch), which is in no way inferior to real fish in terms of taste and texture. The preparation options are also identical. This makes it easier for the real fish lover to choose plant-based.'
Smart communication
In addition to freedom of choice and product adjustments, good communication is important. And not only communication with their chefs - taking them along, training and supervising them - but certainly also with WUR staff and students. Mulder: 'We have now learned what works and what doesn't. Inundating people with complicated terms or long stories via QR codes doesn't work. You can achieve a lot with good labelling of dishes. Calling something vegetarian or vegan actually deters some people from choosing it. Calling something 'chilli sin carne' ditto. Name it 'tortilla with beans, corn, and peppers' and many more people choose it, in our experience. Then it's also vegan, but you don't explicitly call it that.'
Series of catering articles at WUR
This article is the fifth in a series on catering at WUR. In these articles, we show how each principle from the vision of Food & Beverage is translated into a different range of food and beverages in practice. See Catering for the articles about less packaging and a fresh, healthy and local offer in the catering industry on campus.
Letting people choose for themselves, making product adjustments, communicating smartly, it's all well and good. At the end of the day, it's all about high-quality products, which are above all tasty. Because if something doesn't taste good, you can make adjustments and communicate what you want, but people don't buy it. In that respect, the figures of the caterers speak volumes. De Waal: 'We still offer various croquettes, but we explicitly describe whether they are meat, vegetarian or vegan croquettes. We see that the vegan variant is the most sold. So people really like them the best.
Challenges for the future
Contract manager Marcha Sperna-Weiland is happy with the caterers' efforts to switch to a more plant-based range in the WUR restaurants and banqueting. The next challenge for her is to also enthuse more traditional consumers about plant-based dishes. 'Not everyone is equally willing to give up meat, there are big differences between different groups of employees and students, and this is reflected in both the banqueting orders and in the outlets'. Unknown makes unloved. To introduce employees and students to the plant-based offerings, there are regular tastings or product demonstrations.
Sperna-Weiland indicates that the caterers are explicitly looking for collaboration with researchers and students, to innovate catering together with them. She immediately appeals: "Do you have an idea for, for example, a new vegetarian dish or concept that you want to develop together with the caterers on campus? Then contact me!"
