Vegetarian Bristol restaurant becomes first in Britain to add carbon emissions count to its menu – teaming up with vegan charity who challenge venues serving meat to do the same

• Vegetarian restaurant is first in UK to show carbon emissions of meals on menu
• The Canteen in Bristol wants to inform customers about impact of food choices
• They were asked by vegan charity Viva! to print the environmental impact menus
• Viva! states restaurants with meat dishes declined to take part in the scheme

A vegetarian restaurant is stretching its green muscles by becoming the first in Britain to add carbon emissions to its menu – showing the environmental cost of every meal.

The Canteen in Bristol says it has received an enthusiastic response from customers after informing them about the global impact of their food choices.  

Each meal is listed on its menu with its environmental impact – provided by carbon footprint calculator MyEmissions – as well as its ingredients and price.

The footprint includes the distance which ingredients travelled, seasonality of ingredients and emissions during production.

The idea was pitched to the restaurant by the UK’s leading vegan charity Viva! The charity says it was delighted to get the thumbs up from The Canteen, after being turned down by restaurants offering meat dishes.

Vegetarian restaurant The Canteen in Bristol is the first in the country to publish carbon emissions of meals on its menu (Pictured: Junior sous chef Penny Jane Hartley at work in The Canteen)

The restaurant says it wants to help their customers stay informed about the global impact of their food choices

The menu details the carbon footprint of each meal and categorises them into A and B based on environmental impact 

Currently the meal with the highest carbon footprint is vegan dish ‘Miso and harissa aubergine, za’atar brittle, courgette baba ganoush & tabbouleh’.  It costs £8.50 and measures 674g CO2.

The lowest on the menu is sharing plate of beetroot and carrot pakora with coriander yoghurt – measuring just 16g CO2.

Laura Hellwig, managing director of Viva! said: ‘We partnered with My Emissions [a food carbon footprint calculator], as well as The Canteen to understand just how much impact carbon labels on our menus can have.

‘Unsurprisingly, [restaurants] with meat on the menu have so far declined to take part which, we believe, is due to them knowing that meat-based dishes will have a considerably higher carbon footprint than vegan options.’

A study in May by the University of Würzburg in Germany found diners were likely to be influenced in their choices by the environmental impact of meals.

One diner was shocked to see the emissions of a vegan burger came in at 3 kilos, while the menu noted a real beef burger’s emissions is ’10 times the amount of its vegan alternative’.

Anna Blightman, from The Canteen, said: ‘The reception has been incredible and really positive, with many customers asking, ‘why doesn’t everyone do this!’

 The Canteen says it has received an enthusiastic response from customers after publishign carbon footprints on its menu (pictured)

Currently the meal with the highest carbon footprint is vegan dish ‘Miso and harissa aubergine, za’atar brittle, courgette baba ganoush & tabbouleh’ (Pictured: three vegan dishes prepared at The Canteen)

Anna Blightman, from The Canteen, said: ‘The reception has been incredible and really positive, with many customers asking, ‘why doesn’t everyone do this!’ (Pictured: inside The Canteen vegetarian restaurant in Bristol)

‘Our head chef Matt went through the whole menu and it was then sent off to MyEmissions – a food carbon footprint calculator.

‘We were all waiting in anticipation, and the results were a complete eye opener.’

The menu reveals striking comparisons between different dishes, stating at the top: ‘All dishes feature the total carbon emissions generated, per serving, in grams.

‘For reference, eating just one UK produced beef burger can generate as much as 3,050 g CO2 – the equivalent of driving the average UK car up to 10 miles – 10 times the amount of its vegan alternative.’

Penny Hartley, a chef at the restaurant, said: ‘We reuse everything here – from lemons to aquafaba – there is no waste.

Greg Picott, assistant manager, said having the carbon information available at the venue is getting people thinking in the right way (Pictured: a chef prepares a dish at The Canteen)

‘This is an incredibly important step given the climate crisis we are in and our initiative, from a local small business, is something I’m really proud to be a part of.’

Greg Picott, assistant manager, said having the carbon information available at the venue is getting people thinking in the right way.

Mr Picott, who has been vegan for seven years, added: ‘It helps people to consciously think about the impact their everyday decisions have on the environment, and ultimately inspire them to take positive steps forwards.

‘I wouldn’t want to work somewhere that doesn’t take sustainability into account – we are in a climate emergency, and there is no denying that anymore.

‘I really hope the initiative catches on – having this menu when it’s broken down makes it much more visceral to people, and our menu reveals the numerical value of why being vegan is best for the environment.’

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