The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and COP28 have urged the country’s food and beverage (F&B) sector to switch over to ‘climate conscious catering’ at scale.
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment and Food System Lead at COP28, led a 4-day workshop last week designed to energise, inspire, and motivate the adoption of climate-conscious catering, and drive the success of its adoption by F&B vendors at COP28 taking place at Expo City Dubai in November.
Almheiri said the ministry and COP28 are also actively looking to partner with organisations and individuals who exemplify the sustainability principles of COP28 and stand with the Ministry to drive lasting change not only in the UAE but also globally.
“Our vision for COP28 is that it will provide delegates with a 360-degree understanding of the climate challenges the world faces. We know that our food systems are intrinsically linked to the fate of our natural world, and so we have made the progressive decision to ensure that we explore how the catering provided across the event can be responsible and climate-conscious, helping to echo the emphasis we have placed on the Emirates Declaration,” Almheiri said.
The ‘Sustainable Catering Strategy’ is intended to showcase the potential to deliver sustainable food and beverages at scale.
The ambitious strategy, which has not been implemented at a COP before, has a core commitment to deliver a 2/3 plant-based menu, limit the carbon and water intensity of food served, and ensure a focus on nutrition, portion sizes, affordability and minimising waste.
Almheiri said: “Our resolve to re-imagine the catering provided to COP delegates reflects the sustainability approach we follow in all sectors, especially in food systems. We want to demonstrate the UAE’s commitment to the COP process in every way we can.”
To support the delivery and legacy of this initiative, the four-day workshop featured high-profile local and global chefs from the Chefs’ Manifesto network.
The workshop featured talks and panel discussions from local food producers, scientists, nutritionists, sustainability experts and the COP28 team.
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