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Whether you’re planning a small three-person office meeting or a large 1,000-person conference, you’ll want to ensure you’ve got a caterer willing to work with you to produce thoroughly green meals. Finding an eco-friendly caterer will first involve evaluating food choices—the most obvious place to start. Three factors are key: location (local or imported), farming practices (conventional or organic), and the meat-to-veggie ratio.

Most produce is traded on a national (and international) scale, making "food miles" the first issue to consider. Researchers at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture found that non-locally grown produce travels an estimated 27 times as far as its homegrown counterpart.[1]

You’ll also want to mull over how the food was produced. Organic food is not only healthier for the planet, but also for your guests, and it must meet strict criteria set forth by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to be officially certified as organic. It must be grown in soil free of toxic pesticides and fertilizers and cannot be genetically modified or irradiated.[2] It's estimated that approximately 670 million birds are exposed to pesticides used in farming annually. Ten percent die as a result.[3]

While omitting chemical pesticides and fertilizers helps to protect human and animal health, as well as prevent soil and water pollution, organic farming may also be key in fighting global climate change. During a 23-season study of conventional versus organic farming methods, the Rodale Institute discovered that organic farming combats global warming through carbon sequestration. In agricultural applications, the more organic matter that is retained in the soil, the more carbon is sequestered. While conventional farming depletes organic matter through the use of chemical fertilizers, organic farming uses animal manure and cover crops, which actually build soil organic matter.

Organic farming further reduces atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) by using 37 percent fewer fossil fuels than conventional farming.[4] The Rodale Institute estimates that if all 160 million acres of corn and soybean farmland in the US were switched to organic farming methods, it would be equivalent to removing 58.7 million cars from the road, and would satisfy 73 percent of the proposed US Kyoto targets for CO₂ reduction.[5]

Finally, the amount of meat in any given menu should be considered. Global meat consumption has increased rapidly over the last several decades and with it the growing environmental problems related to an omnivore’s diet. Sixty percent of the recent growth in meat consumption has occurred in the developing world, which collectively eats half of all meat.[6] Production of meat is set to double from 229 million tons in 1999/2001 to 465 million tons in 2050.[7] As the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) recently noted: “The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”[8] From climate change[9][10][11] (livestock generate greater quantities of greenhouse gases than do all the cars on the road across the globe)[10] to water pollution and consumption (the grazing of livestock is the largest anthropogenic consumer of ice-free terrestrial land on the planet),[12] meat production is a significant cause of environmental damage.

Looking beyond food choice, there are the issues of waste and transportation. Individual portions and pre-packaged food options greatly contribute to an event’s overall waste production.[13] Opting to serve food “family-style” using large reusable trays and serving bowls rather than one-use, single-serving boxes at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce for 40 weeks resulted in 600 fewer boxes going to the landfill.[14] In America, more than one-quarter of all food is tossed every year, creating a waste pile that’s 96 billion pounds strong. This solid waste racks up a disposal bill of $1 billion annually.[15]

Far-flung deliveries also contribute to a catered event’s eco-footprint, especially if the food is carried to its destination in an ultra-polluting truck.[16] Diesel exhaust contains over 450 chemicals, 40 of them believed to be toxic to humans and detrimental to the environment.[17] Carbon monoxide from vehicle emissions accounts for 56 percent of total carbon emissions across the US[17] and, along with nitrogen oxide, contributes to air pollution.[18]

Questions to get you started...

1. Does the office buy snacks and/or other food for all employees? If so, do you have a policy for choosing bulk products rather than individually portioned items?
2. Is your coffee purchased organic or Fair Trade certified?
3. For special business meetings where catering is included, does the company have a policy to give preference to local, organic catering companies or restaurants?
4. Has your company participated or considered participation in a Community Supported Agriculture program for employees to receive local, seasonal produce?
5. Does your office opt for environmentally preferable plates, cups, and utensils?
6. For water consumption, does the company procure personal water bottles, bottle coolers, or water filters?

Glossary

• carbon sequestration: The process by which carbon is captured (in the form of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas) from the atmosphere and incorporated into soil, ocean, and plant matter.
• genetically modified organism: A GMO results from merging the genetic make-up of two organisms to create a desired byproduct that could otherwise not be found in nature. Engineering GMOs is a common practice in conventional farming, and studies have shown that GMOs pose significant environmental risks such as killing off living, natural organisms and becoming immune to pesticides.[19]
• food irradiation: The use of radioactive waste to eliminate bacteria and extend the shelf life of various food products.[20]

External links

• Grist - Green with Emmy
• The Green Office - Catering and Foodservice
• Nova Scotia Canada - Green Office Checklist: Green Meeting Spec Sheet
• WorldWatch Institute - Our Environmental Commitment: Catering and Kitchen
• US Environmental Protection Agency - A Guide to Commercial Food Composting
• American Water Works Association - Water Efficiency in Commercial Food Service