This was a question asked and answered by The Sustainable Restaurant Association (The SRA) on June 19th, in a short but impactful film that screened at the World’s 50 Best Talks. With powerful voiceovers from chefs around the world – including Ángel León, Elena Reygadas and Ana Roš – the film emphasised the multi-faceted nature of sustainability, making it clear that it’s time for restaurants (and, indeed, the wider food system) to broaden our mindsets when it comes to what is needed from the industry.
Throughout the video, a number of renowned chefs shared what they believe the idea of sustainability should mean in today’s world. “Kitchen styles don’t matter,” said Mauro Colagreco of Mirazur, France. “We must adapt to local products.”
Ángel León of Aponiente (Spain) stressed the need to cut food waste across the industry, calling this “a constant path and a daily challenge.” Meanwhile, Zachary Roy from Lowe Restaurant in Dubai called for better treatment of staff. “It is our responsibility to ensure that we can thrive as humans in this industry.”
The SRA was proud to judge the Flor de Caña Sustainable Restaurant Award at the World’s 50 Best award the following day; this year’s deserving winner was FYN Restaurant of Cape Town.
Juliane Caillouette Noble, Managing Director of The SRA, said, “This award is determined through a rigorous, evidence based questionnaire that is designed to capture the holistic nature of sustainability. We’re not just asking chefs to clarify about ingredients sourced and environmental targets, but also about things like staff treatment and social impact.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to give this award to FYN Restaurant. This is a fantastic example of how sustainability efforts must encompass how businesses interact with their communities: they give employment opportunities to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, raise money for local hunger relief programmes and treat staff like family. Furthermore, their deep connection to their locality and landscape is evident in every part of their operation.”
The Food Made Good Standard from The Sustainable Restaurant Association is the only global sustainability accreditation specific to the hospitality industry, and is designed to provide a holistic approach to this complex endeavour. Built on a 10-point framework across three pillars – Sourcing, Society and Environment – the Standard encompasses everything from carbon emissions, food waste and provenance to community involvement and treating staff well.
Watch the video above and, if your restaurant is ready to tackle sustainability in a way that’s truly comprehensive, transparent and measurable, find all the information you need about the Food Made Good Standard here.
