On Monday, 19 January 2026, the University of West London (UWL) hosted the launch of ‘Low‑Carbon Menus: Tools and Tactics to Empower SME Chefs’, a new sector-facing report authored by Andrea Zick and Amy Fetzer, produced as part of the UKRI Transforming the UK Food System Programme. The report distils five interconnected research studies — including industry interviews, participatory workshops, and a 52-week food‑waste and procurement‑emissions assessment — into practical guidance for small and medium-sized hospitality businesses.
Why this launch — and why at the University of West London?
Beyond sharing research findings, the purpose of the event was to bring people from beyond academia into direct conversation with the researchers who contributed to the work. Hosting the launch at UWL enabled a unique gathering of chefs, educators, industry consultants, sustainability leaders and the research team — helping build the “connective tissue” between evidence and practice that is essential for future progress in sustainable hospitality.
UWL’s Pillars Restaurant provided a fitting space: a professional training environment where students, lecturers, industry partners and researchers intersect daily. The venue symbolised what the report itself argues — that system-level change depends on collaboration across education, industry and policy, and that research must be brought to the people who implement it, not left to sit on academic shelves.
A panel representing the breadth of the food‑system ecosystem
To bring these perspectives into dialogue, the launch featured a panel that mirrored the diversity of actors needed to transform the UK food system:
- Kyla Bertrand, chef lecturer dedicated to developing the next generation of confident, creative culinary professionals.
- Sareta Puri, food justice advocate, plant‑based chef and facilitator whose work spans community empowerment and equitable food access.
- Patrick Hanna, chef, sustainability consultant, and advocate for practical, unapologetically flavour‑driven approaches to low‑impact food.
- Kate Page, sustainability lead, using evidence, behavioural insights and data‑driven tools to reimagine hospitality from the inside out.
- Amy Fetzer, sustainability consultant, author and co‑author of the report, specialising in behaviour change and practical carbon‑reduction strategies.
Together, this group reflected the report’s core insight: no single actor can shift menus alone. Effective change requires dialogue between those who cook, those who teach, those who design systems, and those who create the evidence base that guides action.
A report designed for real kitchens
The report highlights the essential role SME chefs play in reducing food-related emissions. Ingredients, rather than operations, account for the majority of emissions in hospitality, making menus one of the sector’s most powerful levers for climate action.
Key findings include:
- Chefs’ agency is a pivotal enabler of low-carbon transformation.
- Time, data and hands-on learning shape whether sustainability knowledge becomes practice.
- Participatory Action Learning (PALAR) and Theory U approaches help teams reflect, problem‑solve and redesign dishes at the system level.
- SMEs often operate without integrated emissions or waste data, despite the availability of tools such as WRAP’s calculators.
- Small but targeted menu adjustments can significantly reduce both carbon and cost while maintaining quality and guest satisfaction.
The report translates these findings into concrete actions SMEs can adopt immediately — from mapping decision‑makers to reframing language on menus, integrating simple emissions data, and building sustainability into daily routines.
A launch centred on connection, collaboration and future opportunity
Speakers and attendees emphasised how the report resonates with ongoing work across culinary education, sustainability training, and industry innovation — including the development of plant‑centric curricula, employer‑embedded learning, and waste‑reduction programmes.
By convening practitioners and researchers in one room, the event achieved what the report calls for: shared spaces where teams can reflect, explore tensions, prototype solutions, and learn from one another. This foundation of connection will help generate future partnerships, research collaborations, and applied training that support a more sustainable, resilient and delicious UK food system.
By hosting the launch at UWL, the team aimed to:
- strengthen partnerships between academia and frontline practitioners,
- ensure research findings remain accessible and usable by chefs, educators and operators,
- spark new collaborations for training, consultancy, and curriculum reform, and
- support a shared movement toward low-carbon, high-quality, financially resilient foodservice.
This reflects the broader intention behind the toolkit: not just to share findings, but to activate a community of practice around low-carbon menu design and food‑waste reduction — giving back to the chefs and professionals who contributed to the research.
If you wish to read more about the launch and see pictures of the event, read the press release.
Read the report: Low‑Carbon Menus: Tools and Tactics to Empower SME Chefs
