We live in challenging times: climate change, population growth, resource scarcity, world hunger, animal welfare, environmental disasters and social inequality raise big questions – including (or especially) in relation to our food. What we consume and how we consume it has a direct impact on our own health, the environment and the people along the entire supply chain.
Sustainable cuisine is complex and in most cases cannot be described in general terms. Is organic always better than local? Should we avoid imports or is it better to support fair trade companies? Is it justifiable to eat meat or fish? And if so, how?
In this article, we will explore different concepts and introduce you to actors who are rethinking sustainable nutrition. At the end of the article, you will find concrete tips on how to make your own diet more sustainable.
Table of Contents
Digression: Is a sustainable diet a healthy diet?
The big questions: What is truly sustainable?
Local vs. organic – which concept makes sense where?
Fair Trade vs. Import Bans – Global justice or local economic development?
APIPURA hotel rinner shows how to find the right balance
Animal Products vs. Plant Based Diets – Is veganism automatically more sustainable?
LA VIMEA created the vegan hotel industry in Italy
Seasonality, short supply chains and carbon footprint
Hotels and restaurants with their own agriculture
Ancient grains and heirloom fruits
Waste prevention in gastronomy
1.9 million tons of food waste annually
“Only 5 grams of food waste per guest”
Specialties and hot dishes to order
Sustainable Michelin-star cuisine – is it possible?
Sustainable culinary delights in Bavaria: 2-star restaurant Eisvogel
Vegan Fine Dining at OMNIA Plant-based Restaurant
Global Justice: Who pays the cost of our food?
Food justice and other fair concepts
Sustainable eating in everyday life – what can you do?
Conclusion: Small steps with a big impact
What is sustainable cuisine?
Sustainable cuisine means organizing food and beverage consumption in a way that minimizes environmental impact, conserves resources, reduces emissions and waste, preserves biodiversity, respects animal welfare, and ensures fair and social conditions for all people along the supply chain.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines its vision of sustainable food and agriculture as one in which food is nutritious and accessible to all, and natural resources are managed in ways that sustain ecosystem functions to meet present and future human needs.
This brief definition illustrates the complexity of sustainable cuisine. In addition, there are regional characteristics and – something we don’t want to forget here on our blog – it should also be healthy and taste good! Sustainability alone is not enough when it comes to food, whether at home or in a restaurant or hotel.
Digression: Is a sustainable diet a healthy diet?
Not necessarily. Living on nothing but vegan, fair trade chocolate and organic wine may be okay from a sustainability standpoint, but it won’t improve your health. However, there is a lot of overlap between sustainable and healthy eating.
The big questions: What is truly sustainable?
Local vs. organic – which concept makes sense where?
The question of local vs. organic is somewhat controversial. A survey of sustainable hotels and accommodations in the Green Pearls® network shows that most restaurateurs (88.3%) try to implement both, i.e. mostly using regional products that are certified organic. If this is not possible, 46% give priority to regional products, while 11.5% give priority to organic quality.
The benefits of local food:
- Virtually no CO2 emissions from transportation: Imagine that you can buy “FIJI water” in Germany, even though the Fiji Islands are 16,000 km away, or that a hotel in Hong Kong serves its guests VOSS water from Norway. Delicacies such as special figs (each individually wrapped in Styrofoam) travel around the world by air and refrigerated transport. The ecological footprint of such luxury goods is disastrous! Buying local food directly from the producer eliminates emissions, transportation costs and often storage.
- Freshness: Especially hotels with their own agriculture according to the “farm-to-table” concept can cut, process and serve lettuce immediately. This freshness guarantees not only an intense taste, but also the full preservation of nutrients.
- Trust: Many restaurateurs visit the farm and see for themselves how the chickens that lay the eggs live, how the vegetables are grown, and how the workers are treated. Most importantly, they know the personal attitudes and beliefs of the farmer. In many cases, this is more valuable than a label.
- Strengthen your local economy: A hotel, restaurant, or even you are part of a community. By supporting local businesses, you are maintaining good neighborly relations and helping the people in your area.
Disadvantages:
- Local food may come from conventional agriculture, where pesticides are used
- Local farms may be among those that use genetically modified seeds
- Local meat products may come from factory farming (animals are given antibiotics, live in unnatural conditions, unnatural environments, receive high-tech feed, and are tortured)
The benefits of organic food:
- Support for organic farming
- Organic farming works without pesticides: The absence of chemical pesticides is of enormous value, especially for:
- Your health: No pesticide residues in your food. However, there is no scientific evidence that organic fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins and nutrients. We took a closer look at the research in the article on whether organic food is healthier.
- The health of field workers by eliminating the need to work with chemicals and potentially harmful substances.
- Biodiversity: Organic farming has been shown to increase biodiversity. Pesticides not only kill pests, but also beneficial insects.
- Soil and groundwater protection: Pesticides and fertilizers leach from fields into the soil, entering the water cycle. In organic farming, both soil water and groundwater are measurably less polluted.
- Soil fertility: is measurably higher than on comparable, conventionally farmed areas.
Disadvantages:
- If organic food is grown on the other side of the world, it has traveled a long way, causing more CO2 emissions.
- The organic label tells us nothing about the working conditions.
We would categorize it as follows:
Best: Regional organic products
Second best: Regional products that may not have an organic label, but where there is a personal relationship with the producer and the conditions under which the animals are raised and the food is produced are known.
Third best: organic food from the wider region (e.g. Europe)
By far the worst: industrial mass production of food (keyword: factory farming) and export products shipped from far away when local alternatives are available.
Fair Trade vs. Import Bans – Global justice or local economic development?
The question of whether local is always best brings us directly to the issue of fair trade and the distribution of wealth through trade. Just as there are people and companies in the restaurant industry who buy Fair Trade products to offer their guests variety or a certain level (e.g. in Michelin-starred cuisine), there are also some who refuse to import. Which is the right way? For most, it is a compromise and a constant re-evaluation of the arguments.
No vanilla or coffee
One such chef who completely avoids imports is Ricky Saward of Seven Swans in Frankfurt. He was the first vegan celebrity chef and takes a number of radical approaches, including avoiding almost all spices. Not just vanilla from Madagascar, but pepper, lemon and olive oil.
Would you be willing to limit your diet to local products so consistently? And does it even make sense in terms of the global community? We see a parallel here with travel. If we all just vacationed in our (already quite rich) home countries and nobody traveled further, there would be less emissions from air travel, but an important (and for some countries the most important) economic factor would be lost.
Many people find well-paid, secure jobs in fair trade cooperatives, enabling them to provide for themselves and their families. This income allows children to go to school instead of earning money. It strengthens women’s independence and often supports small or family-run businesses and producers.
APIPURA hotel rinner shows how to find the right balance
We believe the best approach, shared by many of our partners, is to find a middle ground that works for each individual. For example, the APIPURA hotel rinner in South Tyrol is a hotel that is very committed to local organic food. They were one of the first businesses in the region to establish the “Bio Fair Südtirol” label in the hospitality industry. Chef and host Manfred Rinner uses organic meat, vegetables and fruit from the South Tyrol region in his kitchen. The hotel also serves coffee and desserts with chocolate. In this case, care is taken to use fair trade or organic products.
Animal Products vs. Plant Based Diets – Is veganism automatically more sustainable?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes. Meat and dairy products cause by far the highest CO2 emissions. According to a study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (ifeu) in Heidelberg, Germany, which compared the environmental impact of around 200 food products in 2020, beef is second only to pineapples shipped by air. According to the study, vegans who eat half an air-transported pineapple for breakfast every day could be committing a greater ecological sin than people who eat a beef steak once a week. But there are far more of the latter than the former. To be honest, we doubt that vegans even exist… What we do know is that there are many, many people who eat butter, cheese, and sausage every day – and who may even eat beef more than once a week.
Incidentally, the study shows something even more important than that flying pineapples have a worse environmental impact than beef: plant-based foods have, on average, a significantly lower carbon footprint than animal products. It is therefore undeniable that sustainable cuisine should focus on plant-based cooking and limit the consumption of meat, fish, milk and eggs. It’s best to cook fresh food as often as possible! Vegan convenience foods (and especially non-vegan convenience foods) also have a fairly high environmental footprint.
LA VIMEA created the vegan hotel industry in Italy
Due to the growing popularity of veganism, more and more sustainable hotels are offering vegetarian and vegan dishes as standard on their menus. However, there are few that consistently and exclusively use vegan products.
The adults-only hotel LA VIMEA in Naturno, South Tyrol, can claim to be the first completely vegan hotel in Italy in 2016. Not only the food, but also all materials and products used in the hotel are vegan. The hostess, Valeria Caldarelli, comes from a long line of hoteliers and discovered the vegan lifestyle herself. Almost the entire family lives a vegan lifestyle – and gently teaches it to their guests. Daughter Franziska opened the first vegan accommodation in Tuscany and sons Maximilian and Alexander opened the first vegan hotel on the Seiser Alm.
Seasonality, short supply chains and carbon footprint
The products with the smallest ecological footprint are the plant-based products that are in season where you live. So, eating sustainably also means eating seasonally.
Hotels and restaurants with their own agriculture
There are a few hotels and restaurants that use their own products in their kitchens. The ADLER Lodge RITTEN and the ADLER Spa Resort SICILIA are exemplary in this respect. During the planning and construction of the latter, agricultural fields and gardens were taken into account, from which the hotel kitchen can directly obtain products. A few years ago, a diversified cottage garden was created on the Ritten, tended by the young farmers of the area. They cultivate what is native to the area and grows well there. In Sicily, for example, they grow oranges and lemons, while in South Tyrol they cultivate tubers such as potatoes and beets.
The Pavilions Himalayas – The Farm in Nepal has even managed to convert the surrounding fields into certified organic farms. Local farmers have received special training and the resort provides them with a direct market for their organic produce.
Trend concept: Farm-to-Table.
There are now a number of terms that describe the concept of hotels and restaurants with their own agriculture, as explained above:
- Farm-to-table – This term, probably the best known, describes the direct link between agricultural production and gastronomy. Ideally, the chef picks up the produce directly from the field.
- Farm-to-Fork – Similar to farm-to-table, this term emphasizes an extremely short supply chain from the field to the kitchen to the diner’s plate (or fork).
- Field-to-Fork – is another expression for this.
- Zero-Kilometer-Food– This term, used primarily in Italy and Spain, means that food is sourced locally, which not only ensures it is seasonal and fresh, but also minimizes transportation emissions.
- Garden-to-Table – This is a term used specifically for hotels and restaurants that have their own garden or small farm.
- Pasture-to-Plate – Specific to sustainably raised meat and dairy products.
- Hyperlocal Food – A modern term for food that is produced and consumed locally, often on the premises of a hotel or restaurant.
Ancient grains and heirloom fruits
In this context, we would like to mention another trend in sustainable cuisine. For many people, it is not just a matter of using locally grown produce that is organically grown, but also of preserving and using natural ingredients
Benjamin Profanter, a natural baker from Brixen, uses and recommends baking breads from ancient grains. Heirloom grains are grains that were grown before industrial agriculture. According to Benjamin, heirloom grains are ideal for organic farming because they do not require pesticides and herbicides, unlike highly bred grains. From a nutritional and psychological point of view, heirloom grains are also better because they contain more nutrients.
The Bread Sommelier supplies his all-natural bakery to two of our sustainable Green PearlsⓇ partners in the region: My Arbor, a wellness hotel built on stilts in the treetops, and OLM Nature Escape, an energy-independent aparthotel in the middle of nature.
Nose-to-Tail and Root-to-Leaf.
Another interesting thing about sustainable cuisine is that, as far as possible, EVERYTHING is used from the slaughtered animal or food. Offal, for example, went out of fashion for a long time, but is now coming back with the idea of sustainability. One proponent of the nose-to-tail concept is chef Manuel Madei of Gut Sonnenhausen near Munich. In our culinary guide to Bavaria, he recommends classic Bavarian dishes like “Saures Lüngerl” and “Leberknödelsuppe”.
Modern chefs (who still prepare meat) are beginning to boil down bones for broth and turn the fat back into lard. The landlord of Gut Sonnenhausen, Georg Schweisfurth, is a trained butcher himself and gets his meat from nearby organic partner farms of the Herrmannsdorfer Landwerkstätten.
Root to Leaf is a similar concept for plants, using the leaves, stems and skins to create chips, vegetable broths, unusual garnishes and more.
Waste prevention in gastronomy
From root to leaf or nose to tail, it is not difficult to make the connection to waste management. After all, holistic recycling is part of the Zero Waste Cooking concept, which declares war on food waste in the restaurant industry. But packaging waste is also a huge problem. Preventing both touches every aspect of a restaurant, hotel, café, or even your home:
- Planning
- Purchasing
- Storage
- Training staff (or training other family members in the household)
- Presenting the dishes
- Involving guests
1.9 million tons of food waste annually
In Germany alone, 1.9 million tons of food is thrown away every year, according to the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband. According to the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA), food waste at buffets is a particularly big problem.
Zero Waste Buffets
Sustainable accommodations, such as those in the Green Pearls® network, have sophisticated concepts to avoid waste and wastefulness at the hotel breakfast buffet.
“Only 5 grams of food waste per guest”
The Hotel Luise in Erlangen, for example, has managed to ensure that each guest leaves an average of just five grams of food at the breakfast buffet. An “intelligent plate allocation with small plates” is particularly effective. At the end of breakfast, the trays are not automatically replenished, but the staff actively asks the guests what they would like. Another slice of cheese? Another slice of cheese. Whatever is left over from the buffet is distributed among the staff at the end.
Specialties and hot dishes to order
The combination of buffet and table service has proven to be a good solution for many restaurants and accommodations. The Lifestylehotel SAND at the Baltic Sea, for example, has a buffet and a front cooking station where egg dishes are freshly prepared on request. This also makes it economically viable to use high-quality organic eggs.
At the SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA in Bad Herrenalb, you can also experience an exemplary zero-waste buffet. For example, there is no disposable packaging. Instead of portions of butter, there is a butter machine, and instead of packaged jams, there are small jars. You won’t find any disposable plastic, only organic products. Food waste from the kitchen (even cooked food) goes to ReFood. The company uses the organic waste to produce electricity, heat, organic fertilizer, and biodiesel. Composting and recycling with subsequent reuse, for example, in vegetable growing, is also known as circular gastronomy.
Sustainable Michelin-star cuisine – is it possible?
Cuisine cannot be about sustainability alone. Taste and enjoyment are always part of it. However, to this day, there is a misconception in the fine dining industry that “exquisite ingredients” must come from far away.
South Tyrolean three-star chef Norbert Niederkofler, who has sustainably revolutionized Italian haute cuisine, proves that this is not true. With his “Cook the Mountain” concept, he pursues a philosophy based exclusively on seasonal and regional ingredients. He places great emphasis on respecting natural cycles and reducing waste to a minimum..
His consistent focus on sustainability has been recognized many times: in addition to the three Michelin stars, his former restaurant St. Hubertus also received a Green Star, which is awarded for special commitment to sustainability. Incidentally, Berni Aichner was Norbert Niederkofler’s sous chef for many years. He is now the executive chef at OLM Nature Escape.
The Michelin Green Star
The Green Michelin Star was introduced in 2020, recognizing restaurants that stand out for their environmentally friendly operations and respectful use of natural resources. Criteria for this award include using local and seasonal products, reducing food waste, and using energy-saving technologies.
“We wanted to give more visibility to restaurateurs who focus on sustainability and recognize them for their efforts” – Director of the Michelin Guide for Germany, Austria and Switzerland in conversation with Green Pearls®.
Sustainable culinary delights in Bavaria: 2-star restaurant Eisvogel
The Eisvogel restaurant, part of the 5-star Der Birkenhof***** Spa & Genussresort wellness hotel in Bavaria, also shows that sustainability and Michelin-star cuisine are not mutually exclusive.
Chef Sebastian Obendorfer – a member of the host family – runs the two-Michelin-starred restaurant with great devotion to the region and the seasons. His philosophy: modern German cuisine with deep roots in the Upper Palatinate and international influences.
The dishes are prepared with fresh ingredients from mostly small, regional producers, wild herbs that grow in the surrounding forests, or fish from nearby waters. Careful preparation and short transport routes are also consistently observed. Still, the hotel cannot do without imports. In some areas, guest expectations stand in the way. However, in combination with the resort’s overall sustainable concept – from renewable energy to regional architecture and plastic-free room furnishings – the Eisvogel is a prime example of what responsible gourmet cuisine can look like today.
Vegan Fine Dining at OMNIA Plant-based Restaurant
The Paradiso Pure.Living Vegan Hotel on the Seiser Alm has been home to the OMNIA restaurant since December 2024, a project dear to the hearts of Chef Aggeliki Charami and the two hotel managers, Maximilian and Alexander. There are only six tables and a special dining experience with nine vegan courses, each personally explained by the chef. Vegan cuisine is still rarely awarded with stars, but it doesn’t necessarily need them for an exclusive fine dining experience. What do you think?
Global Justice: Who pays the cost of our food?
Sustainable cooking does not end with the product – it also takes a critical look at the global context of food. Often, it is others who pay the price for our (cheap) food: people working in precarious conditions in agriculture or food production, often without fair wages or adequate occupational safety.
At the same time, many people around the world are denied access to healthy, sustainable food due to economic, geographic or social barriers. The massive food waste mentioned above, which occurs primarily in wealthy countries, is also an ethical issue: while we throw away tons of food, millions of people around the world go hungry.
More and more culinary concepts are addressing these challenges. The Planetary Diet, for example, focuses on a diet with the lowest possible carbon footprint. In the self-test of the Planetary Diet app, we found that, in addition to meat, chocolate bars are also big emitters. Regenerative Cuisine supports farmers who use regenerative methods to conserve and even restore soil, water, and biodiversity.
Food justice and other fair concepts
Sustainable cuisine also focuses on social aspects – or at least it should. Food justice advocates for fair conditions in food production and fair distribution. Other approaches to promoting global justice in the food system include:
- Slow Food – A counter-movement to fast food with a focus on local food and traditional craftsmanship.
- Ethical Eating – Eating with ethical considerations, e.g., fair trade, animal-friendly products.
- Blue Economy – Sustainable use of marine resources in the culinary arts.
Technological and practical solutions, such as solar cooking, also show how conscious cooking can be made more energy sustainable.
Sustainable eating in everyday life – what can you do?
As you can see, the issue is complex and not nearly as private or personal as we sometimes imagine. Sustainable cuisine and sustainable nutrition always take place in the context of our society and our planet. This may sound big and confusing, and like it might ruin your appetite, but don’t worry! There are some simple choices you can make in your everyday life that will make your culinary enjoyment a little more sustainable.
#1 Use leftovers creatively
Get creative with what you already have around the house. Use vegetable scraps to make soup, toast old bread, or turn them into breadcrumbs or dumplings. Plan your grocery shopping to minimize leftovers, and freeze leftovers before they go bad.
#2 Buy local and seasonal produce or grow your own
Locally grown food travels farther and often has a smaller carbon footprint. Seasonal calendars can help you buy local fruits and vegetables at the right time of year. Or you can go to the market and be inspired by what’s available. It tastes fresher – and you’re supporting local businesses.
You can also grow your own herbs and vegetables. Here are some tips for planning a raised bed. But be careful: urban gardening is not always better than its regional counterpart at the market.
#3 Look for seals – and understand them
Not every green label represents true sustainability. Learn what the organic, fair trade, or MSC seals mean. Choose products with credible and comprehensive certifications such as Demeter, Naturland, or Bioland.
For example, Utopia’s seal guide gives you a good overview.
#4 Explore alternatives
Sustainable living is an ongoing process, and you will always learn something new. Be open to new products. Try the soda or cola from the local brewery instead of the sugary varieties from the soft drink giants. Instead of orange juice, try other (local) fruit juices. And how about mushrooms instead of chicken?
#5 Boycott crazy luxury trends
Example: Voss or FIJI water. Such products come from far away, have a devastating impact on the environment, and in the vast majority of cases are completely unnecessary. Tap water in Germany, for example, is strictly controlled and usually of excellent quality. It’s better to invest in a water filter (if you live in an area with very hard water) and a nice, reusable bottle for when you’re out and about.
Likewise, you don’t have to try every ice cream flavor from Korea that goes viral on social media. Sure, it tastes delicious, but really, come on?
#6 Radically reduce meat consumption – or go vegetarian or vegan
From an environmental point of view, going vegan right away is definitely the best decision. However, we understand that this is not an option or possible for everyone. If you don’t want to give up meat or animal products completely, choosing to eat only local organic meat can make a big difference. Such meat (and other animal products of higher organic quality) is considerably more expensive, and for that reason alone, you will buy it less often and enjoy it more consciously. Find a source in your area. Avoid all meat products in the supermarket, as well as any meat whose origin you do not know (e.g. the salami on a pizza).
Conclusion: Small steps with a big impact
Sustainable food is more than a private project – it is a community effort. Restaurateurs, hoteliers, and producers have as much responsibility as we do as consumers. Every conscious purchase, every saved food item, and every plate without factory-farmed meat is a contribution to a more just and ecological food system. Of course, we realize that we as individuals cannot necessarily save the world. But every climate- and society-friendly decision is an important step in the right direction.
Our Green Pearls® partners demonstrate that sustainability and enjoyment are not mutually exclusive. Every day, they prove that respectful use of resources, fair conditions, and culinary excellence can go hand in hand. And that is exactly the kind of change we need – at all levels.
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