Why more plants?

Because eating a greener and more colorful diet packed with fruits and vegetables is better for you and better for the planet. It’s that simple! Well…

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The world's food system is responsible for around a quarter of the planet-warming greenhouse gases that humans generate each year.

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That's a lot!

Source: WWF

Show me the foods this is based on

The environmental impact of different foods is significant. See for yourself!

Nuts
Beans
Tofu
Eggs
Poultry
Farmed fish
Pork
Cheese
Farmed shellfish
Lamb
Beef

Source: Science magazine

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• Small, medium, large: The impact of food
• Biggest: Red meat and dairy
• Middle: Pork, chicken and eggs
• Lowest: Plants of all kinds

The easiest way for us to reduce our environmental impact through food is to eat more plants.

Show me a plant-based recipe

Celeriac Mash with Chanterelles & Lingonberries

Serves Array

• 900 g (30 oz) celeriac root (about 750 g (26 oz) if peeled)
• 1 dl (3.3 fl oz) plant based sour cream, such as oat
• 1 heaping tbsp lemon juice
• Salt & pepper
• Dash of water

• 100 g (3.5 oz) cooked chanterelles or about 200-300 g (7-10 oz) fresh
• 4 tbsp plant based sour cream, such as oat
• 2 tsp tamari
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt & pepper

To serve

• Pickled cucumber
• Lingonberries
• Parsley

Instructions

1. Cut off any ugly part of the celeriac root. Then chop into 3-5 cm (1-2 inch) pieces and cook in generously salted water for about 15-20 minutes or until completely soft. Drain and discard the cooking water. Add back into the pot, along with sour cream, lemon juice, salt & pepper. Mix smooth with an immersion blender. Add a little water if it’s too thick. Set aside.
2. Clean the chanterelles and cut them into smaller pieces. Sauté in a skillet on medium heat with a little butter or oil until the excess water is gone and it has reduced to about a third. Add the sour cream, tamari, cayenne, black pepper, and salt if necessary. Cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes, just to let the sour cream melt and flavors combine. If you’re using pre-sautéed chanterelles, simply add to a heated skillet and proceed with the spicing right away.
3. Add the celeriac mash to a big bowl and make a swirl. Top with the sautéed chanterelles. Serve with thawed lingonberries, fresh parsley, and pickled cucumber.

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How does food contribute to global warming?

1. Fossil fuels

These big contributors to climate change are used to transport food around the world, to power farm machinery and make fertilizer.

2. Deforestation

This is a hot topic in terms of heating up the planet.  When trees are cut down, their surplus carbon is released as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

3. Toxic belching

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas burped up by cows, sheep, and goats. Animal manure is another big methane source.

Source: IPPC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

“Without action, the world risks failing to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, and today’s children will inherit a planet that has been severely degraded and where much of the population will increasingly suffer from malnutrition and preventable disease.”

Source: EAT-Lancet

We need to change

Global consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes will have to double.

Global consumption of red meat and sugar will have to be reduced by more than 50%.

This is what we need to do by 2050 to transform our diets.

Source: EAT-Lancet

The impact

The positive impact of a plant-based diet

Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 would mean huge steps forward. Adopting a plant-based diet can help:

Reduce food-based greenhouse gas emissions by at least 30%

Reduce agricultural land use by at least 41%

Reduce wildlife loss by up to 46%

Source: WWF

Frank Fol: The Vegetable Chef who has put plants center stage for over 30 years

He owns the trademark to his alter ego, The Vegetable Chef® and rightly so. Because this Belgian culinary magnate remains an ardent evangelist of a ‘vegetables-first’ approach to cooking.

In this Sustainability Around The World webcast, Feed the Planet Chairman Chef Chris Koetke chats to Frank, former chef and owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Sire Pynnock in Leuven, Belgium.  

He opened the restaurant back in 1989 with a commitment to elevating vegetables from a side dish to the star attraction. His philosophy was a forerunner to today’s on-trend, sustainable and plant-based menus from top chefs around the world. 

While he still includes meat, poultry and fish in his dishes, Frank is passionate about all produce grown on our planet and works as an international consultant, helping chefs and diners alike to think about their food from the ground up.

Read and hear more from Frank on Worldchefs’ World on a Plate podcast here. 

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Why more plants?

This is what we know

By eating more plants at mealtimes, we lessen the environmental impact food has on our planet. And more fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes are healthier for our bodies.

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