With the news that one-third of greenhouse gasses come from the food system, consumers are waking up to the fact that what is on their plate matters in the fight against global warming. A lot.

Recognizing that 49 percent of American meals—or about a half-billion per day— are produced in commercial kitchens, sustainable food service provider Bon Appétit Management Company isn’t leaving the responsibility up to individual consumers. The company’s 400 chefs, including Chef Robert Lavoie at Roger Williams University, are taking an active role in showing diners how small changes made by individual eaters can have a big impact on the health of the planet.

On Earth Day, April 22nd, the company’s second annual Low Carbon Diet Day, diners at Roger Williams University and all 400 Bon Appétit cafés in colleges, universities, corporations, and specialty venues will dine on dishes specially created to illustrate what low carbon eating tastes like. Cheeseburgers are out, because cows produce methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas. Expect instead creations like turkey burgers with molé sauce and roasted vegetable sandwiches livened up with vibrant herb pestos and flavorful bean spreads. At Roger Williams University diners will feast on cheese-less pizza with roasted vegetables, juicy turkey burgers, and sorbet dessert options.

The concept is easy to follow, both when dining out and cooking at home: seasonal vegetables, legumes, and whole grains are the stars. Beef and cheese are served less often in favor of lower carbon options such as poultry and seasonal salsa. And we’re reminded to minimize food waste. Turns out a low carbon diet is also easy on the wallet – an additional benefit in today’s economy.   And good for the waistline, too.

The Low Carbon Diet at Bon Appétit Management Company is more than a one-day event. The company has set measurable goals to reduce the carbon footprint of the highest impact areas of its business by 25% over three years. 

Specifically, Bon Appétit will implement these commitments at all cafés nationwide:

• Reducing beef by 25%
• Reducing cheese by 10%
• Sourcing all meat and poultry from North America
• Sourcing nearly all fruits and vegetables from North America, using seasonal local produce as a first preference and using tropical fruits only as “special occasion” ingredients
• Reducing food waste by 25%
• Reducing consumption of processed sweets, snacks and chocolate by 10%
• Eliminating air-freighted seafood
• Reducing the use of water and energy

Low Carbon Diet Day is a positive way to help consumers think more about the environmental impacts of their food choices by exposing them to a full gamut of flavorful foods that also happen to be low carbon. To supplement the program in the cafés, the company created a science-based, entertaining online food calculator to help consumers evaluate their choices.

The Low Carbon Diet Calculator http://www.eatlowcarbon.org/ is newly updated for Earth Day with more food options.

Also new to the Low Carbon Diet digital toolbox is a Facebook quiz that lets users test their knowledge of the carbon impact of different foods. The quiz, found at: http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=53394313680&ref=ts, includes common lunchtime favorites like burritos and turkey sandwiches. Users can compare and contrast the impact of meal choices as diverse as pepperoni pizza and lentil soup, and learn about the principles behind low carbon eating.

The unexpected bonus to the Low Carbon Diet: With its emphasis on plant-based foods, less beef and cheese, and minimal food waste, consumers who adopt it may end up with results few would turn down today - a thinner physique and a fatter wallet.

Members of the media are invited to see the Low Carbon Diet in action at Roger Williams University on Earth Day. Tour the site, taste the food, interview chefs and diners, and experience how diners react to menus and educational materials. Please contact Stephanie Colliton at (401) 254-3217 to arrange a visit.
 
About RWU: Roger Williams University is a leading independent, coeducational liberal arts university at which students live and learn to be global citizens. With 39 academic programs and an array of co-curricular activities on its Bristol, R.I., campus, RWU is committed to its mantra of learning to bridge the world. Under the leadership of President Roy J. Nirschel, Ph.D., the University has achieved unprecedented academic and financial successes. In 2008, U.S. News & World Report named RWU the eighth-ranked baccalaureate college in the north.

About Bon Appétit Management Company: (www.bamco.com) is an onsite restaurant company offering full food service management to corporations, universities and specialty venues. Bon Appétit is committed to sourcing sustainable, local foods for all cafés throughout the country. A pioneer in environmentally sound sourcing policies, Bon Appétit has developed programs addressing local purchasing, the overuse of antibiotics, sustainable seafood, cage-free eggs, and most recently, the connection between food and climate change. The company has received numerous awards for its work from organizations like Seafood Choices Alliance, The Humane Society of the United States, and Food Alliance. Based in Palo Alto, CA, Bon Appétit has more than 400 cafés in 29 states, including Oracle Corporation, American University and the Getty Center.