David Rodrigo The COP28 catering team in Dubai has confirmed food at the event will be “two-thirds vegan and vegetarian” following months of collaboration with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s ‘Youth and Children Constituency’ and the organisation’s Food@COP campaign.
Supported by food awareness organisation, ProVeg International, the parties have sought to implement Food@COP’s vision that major climate conferences serve food that recognises planetary boundaries and are in line with the Paris Agreement.
Dubbed the “1.5°C aligned menu”, the COP28 Presidency hopes to set a precedent for future summits and events all over the world by demonstrating that climate conscious catering can be served up, even at a huge event like COP.
Many elements from this week’s announcement incorporate suggestions made in a letter sent earlier this year by UNFCCC’s Youth and Children Constituency (YOUNGO), and earlier requests made by Food@COP’s for climate-friendly catering at COP26 and COP27. Besides the high percentage of plant-based foods, the implementation for sustainable catering at COP28 will also focus on 1.5°C alignment, inclusivity, waste, packaging, emissions labelling, and carbon budgets.
As a young advocate from the Global South, it gives me great hope that youth are playing a vital role in shaping our future. I can’t wait to taste the food, knowing it’s a delicious symbol of our dedication to a climate-friendly tomorrow.
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“The Catering Letter Steering Committee has worked very hard with the COP28 Presidency to ensure that the food is predominantly plant-based at this all-important summit. By committing to plant-rich, affordable catering, the COP28 Presidency is showing leadership and acknowledging the impact of diets high in animal-sourced foods. It is really fantastic to see this happening”, says Lana Weidgenant, ProVeg’s campaigns and policy officer.
Food@COP and YOUNGO Food and Agriculture Working Group member, Gloria Agyare, adds: “In this moment, hearing young voices and seeing their ideas come to life fills me with immense joy. As a young advocate from the Global South, it gives me great hope that youth are playing a vital role in shaping our future. I can’t wait to taste the food, knowing it’s a delicious symbol of our dedication to a climate-friendly tomorrow.”
Members of the Climate-Friendly Catering Letter Steering Committee, who have led this engagement with the COP28 Presidency, include: Alexis Balimann (Switzerland), Aya Mounir (Morocco), Caroline Wimberly (United States), Falk Hemsing (Germany), Gloria Agyare (Ghana), Joseph Niyomukiza (Rwanda), Lana Weidgenant (United States/Brazil), and Sharon Gakii (Kenya).
Eating within budget
An estimated 250,000 meals will be served to more than 60,000 visitors every day across nearly 80 outlets including food halls, grab and go stations, and food trucks across the site.
The COP aligned 1.5°C menu is designed to enable delegates to eat within a daily food budget calculated to curb global warming to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius – the limit agreed under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) already recommends a shift to more plant-based diets to make the food system more sustainable. Globally, agriculture accounts for about one third of global greenhouse emissions, with nearly 20% of emissions coming from animal agriculture.
Food Systems at COP28
This year’s COP will have a strong focus on food with the first ever Food, Agriculture and Water Day and the publication of a “Roadmap to 1.5C” by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The COP28 Presidency is also calling on governments to sign a Leaders Declaration on Food Systems, Agriculture and Climate Action and integrate food systems and agriculture into national climate agendas.
ProVeg International and partners will be on the ground at COP28 with a Food4Climate Pavilion. There will be several other pavilions dedicated to food and agricultural issues where YOUNGO and Food@COP will be active, including the Food Systems Partnership and Children and Youth Pavilion. A food-related Presidency event will be held each day of the conference.
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