Reducing the material footprint of meals

The global use of natural resources has been growing for many decades and has already exceeded a sustainable level. Nutrition is responsible for a significant share of the resource use of a society and results in considerable material footprints. In European consumption, the food sector accounts for a quarter of natural resource use. For the reduction of global resource use to a sustainable level, it is crucial to define a sustainable level of resource use for nutrition. Dissolution of daily routines, demographic change and increasing demand for flexibility contribute to the rising percentage of food consumption in the restaurant and catering sector. On average, every German eats already over 100 meals outside the home every year. One third of food sales in Germany can be ascribed to the out-of-home catering sector. The paper introduces the material footprint as a practical measure for assessing the resource use of meals. The material footprints of typical German meals and drinks are set in relation to the nutritional value (kcal) of the meals. Resource-conserving meals can be promoted by supply (e.g. catering) as well as by demand (e.g. event organizers or consumers). Suggestions for resource efficient and sustainable food consumption and preparation for Food Chain participants are highlighted.