COP26 Strategy
Plant Forward Approach
We are taking a plant forward approach, using local and UK sourced in-season produce. Plant-based food products are one of the most effective ways for us to reduce emissions, so we increased the proportion of plant-based dishes, without compromising on variety, quality or taste.
Lower Carbon Menus
By increasing the percentage of plant-based produce across our menus and reducing the proportion of meat in non-vegetarian dishes, we’ve created a lower carbon menu. Carbon labelling on our menus will educate and inform guests about the carbon impact of their food. We will use our learnings from COP26 to further develop our sustainable ambitions.
Reusable Cups
At COP26 we are using the CORRETTO™ Cup which is both reusable and recyclable. We are encouraging delegates to deposit their used cups at drop points throughout the Campus so that we can collect the cups, wash them, and reuse them again and again. If every attendee at COP26 has two hot drinks a day in a reusable cup, we will have removed over 250,000 cups from our waste stream.
80%
At least 80% Scottish sourced, local and in season produce.
95%
At least 95% UK sourced produce.
40%
At least 40% of our dishes are fully plant-based.
60%
60% of our retail dishes are plant-based AND vegetarian
Key Initiatives
Food for Life
Our COP26 menus will be accredited by the Soil Association’s ‘Food for Life Served Here’ scheme. The programme focuses on making healthy, tasty and sustainable meals the norm for everyone to enjoy. These meals use ingredients traceable to farm, which are sourced locally and produced more sustainably.
Plant Forward Burgers
We have almost halved the meat content in our burgers and sausages and replaced this with vegetables and plant-based proteins. This plant forward approach significantly reduces the amount of meat required and therefore reduces the carbon footprint of every burger served. Grants of Speyside - who embrace a ‘field and hill to plate’ ethos - supply the meat for our burgers, which comes from Quality Meat Scotland Assured grass fed cattle.
Fruit Compote & Jams
We have been preserving our Scottish strawberries, raspberries and blackberries throughout the summer using Heather Hill honey, so whilst berries won't be in season in November, our visitors can be assured that where berries appear on our menu, they are Scottish sourced and - dare we say it - the best in the world!
Seaweed & Seasoning
Once a staple of the Scottish diet, Mara’s seaweed flakes are now a well-loved seasoning, which we are using as a replacement for salt in many of our dishes. Nutrient dense and packed with flavours, the flakes make the health benefits of seaweed accessible to a wider audience. Mara Seaweed’s bespoke seaweed factory is a fully accredited production facility, turning fresh seaweed into seasonings within twenty-four hours.
Pizza
Our pizza bases are made with Carr's Scottish flour, rapeseed oil, Mara seaweed and of course, Scottish Water. For our toppings we’ve got - amongst other things – Scottish mushrooms, Scottish chicken, Grants of Speyside black pudding, UK sourced tomatoes and even Buffalo Mozzarella from a Scottish Buffalo farm.
Food Waste
8-10% of green-house gas emissions are produced from food waste. We are taking steps to minimise our food waste, including ingredient replication across our menus. Our kitchen food waste will be redirected for composting so that it can be diverted back into the food system.