Climate change on the menu – Why future chefs need to understand extreme weather

From the field to the kitchen

Have you ever wondered why olive oil has become more expensive, why some vegetables are harder to find, or why menus increasingly feature seasonal and regional ingredients? The answer often lies far beyond the kitchen. Climate change is already affecting how food is produced, transported and prepared. For future chefs, bakers, restaurant managers and catering professionals, understanding these changes is becoming an essential part of their profession.

Every meal begins long before ingredients arrive in a restaurant, hotel or school kitchen. Farmers depend on stable weather, but climate change is making weather patterns more unpredictable. Heatwaves, droughts, storms and floods are becoming more frequent, reducing harvests, lowering food quality and disrupting food supplies. As a result, hospitality businesses face changing ingredient availability and fluctuating prices.

Heat and drought: When water becomes scarce

One of the greatest challenges is increasing water stress, which occurs when demand for water exceeds the available supply or when poor water quality limits its use. Hotter summers and lower rainfall are placing growing pressure on freshwater resources across Europe.

Agriculture is one of the largest users of freshwater. During the summer months, irrigation accounts for around 40% of Europe’s freshwater withdrawals. During droughts, farmers may struggle to grow crops such as lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, berries, grapes and olives. Water shortages reduce harvests and can also affect the size and quality of produce, making ingredients more expensive or harder to source.

Too much water can also be a problem

Heavy rainfall and flooding can be just as damaging. Floods may destroy crops, wash away fertile soil and delay planting or harvesting. Wet conditions also increase plant diseases, while damaged roads and transport networks can interrupt deliveries of fresh ingredients.

For hospitality businesses, this means menus and purchasing decisions need to become more flexible.

Extreme weather affects prices

When harvests are poor, supply decreases while demand often remains the same. This pushes up the prices of products such as vegetables, fruit, olive oil, cocoa and coffee, and some ingredients may become temporarily unavailable.

For professional kitchens, this creates new challenges. Chefs increasingly need to adapt recipes, review purchasing decisions and make greater use of seasonal ingredients.

Global supply chains are becoming more vulnerable

Modern hospitality relies on international food supply chains. Coffee may come from South America, rice from Asia, spices from India and cocoa from West Africa. Climate change affects many of these regions at the same time, reducing production and disrupting transport.

This shows how closely local restaurants are connected to global environmental changes.

What does this mean for future hospitality professionals?

Chefs and catering professionals can actively support more sustainable food systems. Their choices matter because, according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), agriculture, forestry and other land use account for about 22–24% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Working with seasonal and regional ingredients helps reduce transport impacts and improves resilience when supply chains are disrupted. Reducing food waste also saves the land, water, energy and labour needed to produce food.

Flexibility is becoming an essential professional skill. When one ingredient is unavailable, chefs can often substitute another seasonal product. Offering more plant-rich dishes can also reduce environmental impacts, as many plant-based foods require fewer natural resources than animal products.

Sustainability starts during vocational training

Vocational schools play an important role in preparing students for these challenges. Students can explore how climate change affects agriculture, compare seasonal menus, analyse supply chains and develop recipes using local ingredients.

Practical activities—such as redesigning a menu after a poor harvest or reducing food waste in a training kitchen—help students connect sustainability with everyday professional practice.

Looking ahead

Climate change will continue to shape agriculture and food production. Weather extremes, water scarcity and changing growing conditions will influence what food is available, when it can be harvested and how much it costs.

For future hospitality professionals, sustainability is becoming a core professional skill. The kitchen of the future is more than a place where meals are prepared – it is where culinary skills, sustainability and climate awareness come together. Every informed choice can help protect natural resources and build a more resilient food system, one meal at a time.

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The power of the network: synergies and stakeholders connected to GoodFood

Changing the way we produce, consume, and think about food is no longer just a choice, it is an urgent necessity. Today, sustainability ties everything together: protecting our planet, ethical responsibility, and our daily lifestyle choices. This is exactly where GoodFood steps in. Our project has a mission that is as simple as it is ambitious: to give future culinary and catering professionals the tools to become true change-makers in their communities and future workplaces. How? By bringing new skills into the classroom that combine sustainable choices, social sciences, and behavioural change.

However, a challenge of this magnitude cannot be tackled in isolation. One of the core strengths of the project lies in its ability to generate synergies with other initiatives and to activate a rich ecosystem of stakeholders revolving around it.

The impact of this network unfolds uniquely across the four partner countries of the project, adapting to each contest differently:

Italy

In Italy, the driving heart of the GoodFood project’s synergies is the strategic alliance between the project partner Castello di Padernello and the world of Slow Food (specifically the Condotta TerreAcque Bresciane of Slow Food, one of the chapters in the vast Slow Food network, responsible for promoting Slow Food’s values and principles throughout the province of Brescia). This collaboration is a profound convergence of values that anchors the entire local ecosystem. Castello di Padernello, a historic hub for cultural and social regeneration in the Brescia lowlands, serves as the ideal stage where Slow Food’s philosophy of “good, clean, and fair” food is translated into concrete action. At the center of this synergy is the Earth Market (Mercato della Terra) of Padernello, a monthly event hosted inside the castle walls. It is an international network hub reserved exclusively for small-scale local farmers and artisan producers who sell their goods directly to consumers at fair prices. Every product meets strict sustainability criteria, preserving biodiversity through the inclusion of Slow Food Presidia (Presidi Slow Food) and Ark of Taste (Arca del Gusto) products. The Castle and Slow Food uses this market as a living laboratory for community building, economic resilience, and educational outreach.

The Istituto Mantegna, the Italian school directly involved in the project, is also deeply rooted in the Slow Food philosophy. As an active member of the Slow Food Cooks Alliance (Alleanza Slow Food dei Cuochi), the school has a long-standing history of hosting educational events and dinners focused on biodiversity and seasonal local products. Through the Alliance, students are trained to develop a constructive critical sense, discover the real stories behind food supply chains and learn to champion the environment from the field to the table. For the students and teachers involved, GoodFood offers a double win for their growth: the benefits of the European project are naturally amplified and enriched by the direct, value-driven connection with the Slow Food movement.

Spain

Leioa School demonstrates a strong multi-stakeholder approach, where internal and external actors collaborate to promote sustainability in hospitality education. These stakeholders play complementary roles, generating value through cooperation and shared objectives.

Internal Stakeholders

At the core of the initiative are students, who act as key contributors to sustainable practices. They are actively involved through assigned responsibilities such as waste management, energy monitoring, and data recording during workshops. This direct participation transforms them from passive learners into responsible actors within the system.

Teaching staff represent another essential stakeholder group. They are responsible for embedding sustainability into training activities, guiding students, and monitoring their performance using structured tools such as sustainability checklists and evaluation systems.

The school as an institution also plays a strategic role, coordinating initiatives such as waste reduction plans, energy-saving measures, and the integration of sustainability modules tailored to different professional areas. It acts as the main hub connecting all stakeholders.

External Partners

GoodFood  benefits from collaboration with several external partners that provide expertise and innovation. For example, Forkprint (carbon footprint measurement tool developed with the University of Manchester) collaborates with the school in a pilot to integrate environmental impact calculations into recipes and ingredients.

GAP Spain (as a GoodFood Partner engaged in sustainability collaboration) also contributes to the development and implementation of project initiatives.

In addition, organized visits to organizations such as Mercabarna (central wholesale food market of Barcelona) offer practical insights into sustainable food systems, particularly through their Foodback initiative, which redistributes surplus fruits and vegetables to reduce waste and support social entities.

Other partners include Ekolurra (Basque organization promoting organic agriculture and sustainable food), which provides training sessions and awareness activities on ecological products, helping students understand sustainable sourcing.

Similarly, Waste Lab (research and innovation center focused on waste management and circular economy) offers exposure to innovative waste reduction practices and new sustainability models.

Finally, Baserri Kaiku (local producer of Km0 dairy products based on Basque farm traditions) connects students with local supply chains and sustainable food production systems, reinforcing the importance of proximity and traditional practices.

The Netherlands

In the Netherlands, two different campuses of Koning Willem I College are involved in the project, each adopting a different approach.

In Cuijk, students organise a Food Tour every year. This event takes place in the town centre and attracts around 1,500 visitors. The Food Tour offers four different routes, each with ten tasting dishes provided by local restaurants. Every year, the students contact local hospitality businesses and encourage them to take part. As part of the GoodFood project, the students wanted to change one of the four routes into a Dutch Cuisine (sustainable) route this year. To achieve this, the students sent a letter to more than 40 local businesses. The letter introduced the Dutch Cuisine route and explained the concept. After that, the students called every business to explain Dutch Cuisine again and asked if they would like to join the route. The businesses did not only have to say whether they wanted to take part. They also had to describe the dish they planned to serve and explain what made it sustainable. The students then used their critical thinking skills to select ten businesses for the Dutch Cuisine route.The Dutch Cuisine route was a great success and was the first route to sell out. The route also attracted a great deal of media attention. For the participating businesses as well as for the organisation, this was a valuable confirmation that they had made the right choice.The Food Tour organisers have already confirmed that there will be at least one Dutch Cuisine route again next year.

In Den Bosch, we chose to work together with Brabants Streekgoed, a cooperative of local farmers.The students were divided into small groups, and each group was paired with two local farmers. During a treasure hunt, the students looked for sustainable “treasures” on their farms. They explored questions such as: Who is the farmer? What is their story? How do they care for the soil, the animals, and nature? After the treasure hunt, each group selected a GoodFood theme. This was a sustainability topic that they considered important, and that they had to include in the dish they needed to create. The groups also chose a Good Life theme, because Good Food + Good Life = Good Chef. The Good Life theme guided the way the students worked together throughout the project. At the end of the project, the students invited their farmers to a networking lunch at one of the participating farms. During the lunch, where over 40 persons were present, each group served its dish and shared the story behind the farmer as well as the Good Food theme that had inspired it. For the students, it was both enjoyable and educational to get to know their own farmers and learn directly from them.

Germany

For the German school particular added value of the GoodFood project lies in the development of sustainable networks and the exploitation of synergies. The teaching concepts and recipes developed as part of the project, as well as topics such as the use of regional and seasonal food, reducing sugar and meat consumption, and the responsible use of food, are intended to have an impact beyond the school. Through close collaboration between project leaders at the local education authority and the provision of a GoodFood training course, teachers from other schools are reached, inspired and supported in implementing sustainable food education.

Pupils, too, put the project’s content into practice. Many of them work or undertake work placements in catering establishments, such as the Allianz Arena. There, they apply their knowledge of sustainable food processing, resource-efficient working practices and health-conscious cooking. This creates valuable multiplier effects that extend far beyond the classroom and contribute to a more sustainable future in education and the catering industry. The project thus builds a strong network between schools, teachers, pupils and the wider industry, and promotes the long-term exchange of knowledge, experiences and innovative ideas.

 

The analysis of these diverse national contexts demonstrates that the GoodFood project is far from a fixed, isolated format; it is an adaptable, living project that thrives on interaction with local and regional networks to drive real change.

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GoodFood in Progress

As the GoodFood program continues to take shape across Europe, each partner country is moving forward at its own rhythm—shaped by local contexts, school dynamics, and evolving teaching practices. In this overview, we take a closer look at how implementation is progressing in each country, highlighting the steps being taken, the challenges encountered, and the momentum that is steadily building as GoodFood becomes an active and growing part of catering schools’ life.

The Netherlands – Empowerment and Student Activation

GoodFood is progressing steadily in the Netherlands, though challenges remain in engaging students effectively. A guest lecture delivered on December 5, 2025, revealed that the instructional materials were still too complex and text-heavy, making it difficult to fully motivate learners. The central challenge is to develop a programme that activates students and can be replicated in other schools.

To address this, the Dutch team is leading a practical approach based on empowerment. They are developing a simplified card game designed to help students make decisions, strengthen motivation, and understand how habits can shift through conscious choice. The next steps include piloting this activity and refining the newly simplified factsheets.

Italy – From a Strong Start to a Phase of Reorganisation

Italy kicked off the project with one of the strongest launches, engaging around 150 students in the project presentation and 15 students in the Treasure Hunt: an interactive activity that challenged  participants to identify  opportunities for change within their school. However, progress slowed down when teachers stopped responding, creating a temporary implementation gap. 

The lack of a key teacher didn’t stop the Italian team and, thanks to the Principal’s collaboration, they are now working with few but motivated students that will focus on three of the five project areas: Food & Waste, Food & Environment and Food & Health. Students are now collecting fundamental data to develop their Action Plan and start their activities to make the school more sustainable.  

Spain – Gradual Progress Through a Growing Sustainability Framework

Spain is advancing step by step as schools continue to strengthen their sustainability module. Although integrating new content can be challenging in busy educational environments, teachers are increasingly incorporating GoodFood ideas into existing lessons. The team is actively collaborating with motivated educators, building momentum and laying the groundwork for deeper implementation throughout the year.

Spain is already in the study and the first steps of developing tasks that align with the central themes of GoodFood. 

Germany – Ethical Commitment with a Need for Methodological Clarity

Germany demonstrates strong teacher commitment to ethics and reducing meat consumption. However, teachers struggle to motivate students to work with new vegetarian recipes and step off the beaten track. Also, the local team faces difficulties when it comes to communicating the project’s behaviour-change approach as an effective starting point to develop actions together with students in comparison to executing prescritive lesson plans. Workshops to take place in April with teachers and students will focus on the GoodFood topic Food & Health, as it was marked highly relevant for students in the previous study, and on empowerment and behaviour change.

Germany is still defining its focus area and has reviewed and refined the project’s factsheets on GoodFood themes. This will help align expectations and ensure that the learning approach supports long-term behaviour change. 

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Uniting Diverse Needs for a Sustainable Food Future

Food is at the heart of the climate-change debate, and tomorrow’s chefs can drive real change. The Erasmus+ Good Food project shows how schools in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy are teaching sustainability—and where more support is needed. By giving students and teachers practical tools, training, and resources, the project aims to turn awareness into action, empowering future chefs to create fairer, more ethical, and sustainable food systems.

Easier said than done—especially when the target group is as diverse as it is. Students, teachers, and school staff come from different backgrounds, experiences, and skill levels. In addition, the students are of different ages and at different stages of life. Furthermore, future workplaces differ among households, retirement homes, hotels or restaurants. All of this means, a one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Creating materials and methods that engage everyone requires flexibility, creativity, and careful attention to individual needs.

United in Differences:

A good food choice requires thinking from a systems point of view: food is never about a single issue, but about multiple issues and the relationships between them. This is why Good Food uses an approach that integrates systems thinking, action research, empowerment theory, and clear impact areas into a practical, actionable plan. Future chefs learn not only how to make change happen in their own practice but also how to become change makers who can influence colleagues and stakeholders within their sphere of impact. This practical approach—rich in hands-on methods yet grounded in meaningful depth—is what makes Good Food unique.

Creating learning materials that bring together these different needs and perspectives remains a challenge, as students and schools vary widely in context, expectations, and prior knowledge. 

The German vocational school in Ansbach-Triesdorf trains 105 students in their teens in nutrition and alimentation. While sustainability is limited in the official curriculum, teachers run practical initiatives: using leftovers for home recipes, repurposing food scraps, waste separation, reusable bottles, and stock management. Lessons also cover vegetarian/vegan diets, seasonal/regional sourcing, and reducing transport and packaging impacts. What the school can be supported with the most is ways to integrate the topic of sustainable food production easily in the existing curriculum as well as shifting responsibility for change from teachers to students to support them in becoming change makers themselves..

Koning Willem I College, a large vocational school in the south of the Netherlands, serves over 18,000 students and integrates UNESCO values—global citizenship, sustainability, intercultural learning, and human rights—throughout its curriculum. The college promotes healthier canteens and is a national leader in sustainability education, especially in food and hospitality. Students work with seasonal products, apply the 80/20 plant-forward rule, assess meat and fish impacts, and compare farm and wholesale sourcing. Through the Herenboeren community farm, they gain hands-on sustainable food experience, following Dutch Cuisine principles, and contribute to real-world projects like improving hospital menus – demonstrating both expertise and practical impact in sustainable gastronomy.

Fondazione Castello di Padernello ETS (FCDP) manages Padernello Castle in Italy as a cultural hub and driver of local development, welcoming about 60,000 visitors per year through exhibitions, performances, markets, and community events. It runs educational programmes for guides, students, and young professionals, including artisan workshops, school–work alternation, and Erasmus+ projects such as NanoEYE. FCDP promotes sustainable food culture and local craftsmanship through food-waste cooking workshops and Slow Food Earth Markets, supported by an experienced leadership team. Through its strong local network, FCDP involved the Istituto Andrea Mantegna of Brescia, a leading and innovative hospitality, tourism, and catering school, with over 1,100 students. The Institute is strongly committed to sustainability, food-waste reduction, and the use of local and seasonal products. Participants are interested in reducing animal-based products, strengthening intergenerational exchange, and innovating traditions, while teachers aim to foster healthier and more sustainable food choices.

In Spain, the public vocational training centre Escuela de Hosteleria de Leioa with over 40 years of experience and a strong national reputation, trains around 540 students annually with a staff of about 70 teachers. Its alumni include leading gastronomy professionals who collectively hold 12 Michelin stars. Located on a university campus, the school serves around 800 menus daily. It has experience in projects related to digitalising seasonal menu planning and teaches first-year students about resource efficiency and waste reduction. The school also donates surplus food to local NGOs, and key project activities have been driven by individuals such as Nerea Díaz Prieto. The Good Food project supports the Leioa Hospitality School by integrating sustainability into daily culinary training, particularly through food waste reduction, menu planning, and full use of ingredients. It also helps students develop sustainable decision-making skills aligned with real hospitality practices and the evolving demands of the sector. 

Tackle the Challenge:

For the programme developers, the main challenge lies in designing learning materials that are flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of different schools while still conveying the depth and interconnectedness of sustainable food systems. They must balance practical skills with systems thinking, ensure relevance across varied cultural and regional contexts, and create tools that empower both educators and students to take meaningful action. Ultimately, they aim to build a programme that not only informs but inspires—one that equips future chefs and food professionals to drive sustainability from within their own practice and to spark positive change throughout the wider food system.

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Good Food LTTA in the Netherlands

In October, the LTTA training for culinary teachers took place at Koning Willelm I College in s’-Hertogenbosch. The central question guiding our days together was: “How to become a changemaker?”. After all, knowledge about sustainable food alone doesn’t automatically turn students into the changemakers the world urgently needs.

One of the highlights of the training was the Treasure Hunt, a playful yet powerful exercise where GAP partners and teachers explored different parts of the college in search of “treasures”: opportunities for change. In small groups we visited the storage area, the kitchen, the restaurant and even the waste collection point. At each stop, students shared how things work in their daily routines, sparking discussions, curiosity and reflection.

The hunt didn’t just produce a long list of actions with positive impact, it also revealed valuable insights into how behaviour change happens and the power of open, curious questions.

Building on these experiences, we then used an 8-step plan to start translating the findings into teaching materials, a process that will look slightly different in each participating country.

Of course, no Dutch experience would be complete without a bike ride! We cycled from the college to our hotel and while GAP NL was mostly relieved that everyone arrived safely, it made for a fun, authentic Dutch moment. Throughout the two days, we were spoiled by the culinary students of KW1C, who prepared delicious, sustainable meals for the group, a tasty reminder of the benefits of working in the food sector. Two days full of inspiration, connection, and joy and many new steps toward empowering our future changemakers.

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From classrooms to kitchen: a comparative look at how European catering schools are now shaping a sustainable future

In the kitchens of tomorrow’s chefs, something new is cooking. It’s not just about flavours and techniques anymore, but it’s about our planet. 

With this in mind, the Erasmus+ project Good Food – Sustainability in Catering Schools set out to discover how catering schools across Europe are teaching sustainability, and where more work is needed. 

Project partners in Italy, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands have completed an important preliminary research phase aimed at understanding how and to what extent sustainability topics are already integrated into the training of future chefs.

The team didn’t just collect numbers. They spoke with teachers, listened to students, and explored the school environments also assisting class activities. Through research, interviews and real-life observation a picture began to emerge: sustainability is on the table, but not in every recipe. 

 

What we discovered:

  • In the Netherlands, at Koning Willem I College (KW1C), students show curiosity and enthusiasm, especially in practical lessons. In the hospitality programme of KW1C, the Dutch Cuisine principles are part of the curriculum, but students have not yet linked them to their own values. While they enjoy practical cooking lessons and see sustainable food as important for their future and careers, their current choices are driven more by convenience and trends. Teachers emphasize the need to stay connected to the industry, suggesting regular internships to remain up-to-date with professional developments. More broadly, the findings stress the importance of building intrinsic motivation among both students and teachers. Despite sustainability being part of KW1C’s mission, there remains a gap between policy and daily practice, with many staff unsure how to translate goals into action. To address this, a practical, cross-disciplinary module on “making change happen” will be designed to give both students and teachers the tools to turn awareness into daily practices, not only on food related subjects.
  • In Germany, at BSZ Ansbach, students are putting a lot of effort into sustainability topics. With a strong focus on waste reduction, recycling, and the use of seasonal, local ingredients, student-led initiatives, and the work of the environmental club, have driven creative projects such as school gardens, bottle recycling, and swap events. However, sustainability is not yet structurally embedded across all subjects and the wider school community. Teachers express a need for ready-to-use teaching materials, support from external experts, and more interdisciplinary cooperation. Yet, challenges remain: limited budgets, varying student skill levels and language barriers are some of the few obstacles that school must face. Future development through the GoodFood project should focus on creating easy-to-use and visually rich materials that promote practical action and student ownership. The focus now is on nurturing essential skills like critical thinking, teamwork, and responsibility. Opportunities include expanding vegetarian and vegan options in the canteen, forming stronger ties with local producers, and involving future employers in sustainability initiatives. A shift in teaching roles—from instructor to facilitator—is seen as essential to empower students to lead sustainable change.
  • In Spain, at Leioa Catering School, the  Basque culture is deeply rooted and great importance is placed on local products. The school firmly believes that the way forward is sustainability in all aspects related to catering, and works with students on issues such as food waste. In fact, teachers have carried out a study on food waste at the school and have reduced the portions of bread, sugar and salt in the meals they serve. Moreover, the school also built strong bonds with the food bank, to which they donate any leftovers. The Leioa Catering School focuses on innovation and technology, where they are always striving to improve. This year, through the GoodFood project, they are looking to explore topics such as the importance of partnerships with local producers and seasonal products, areas that they tell us they would like to improve.
  • In Italy, the Istituto Mantegna shows how tradition can meet innovation. With a strong alliance with Slow Food, the school encourages good awareness among students, teachers, and management about food waste and sustainability. It promotes an entrepreneurial approach to empower future professionals to drive change. It pays close attention to cultural differences, and promotes the use of non-disposable products. But the journey is not over yet: sustainability education needs to be more practical and engaging, moving beyond just reducing food waste. Additionally, there is a need to focus more on healthy and balanced meals, reduce plastic use in labs, and improve visible communication about the Slow Food alliance within the school.  Here, students and teachers are eager, and want to reach a more practical and systematic approach to bring sustainability to a higher level. 

 

People involved in the change

Moreover, one of the main goals of the research was also to identify the key stakeholders in the transition toward sustainable education. Despite the country borders, four key actors stand at the core of the change:

  • Students, at the heart of the educational process and true agents of change;
  • Teachers, essential in delivering sustainable content and practices;
  • School management, crucial for implementing long-term and coherent sustainability policies;
  • Future workplaces, suppliers and food entrepreneurs, forming the bridge between education and the professional world.

 

What comes next

The data collected now serves as the foundation for developing the educational materials envisioned by the GoodFood project, including:

  • A methodological framework and a practical action framework that can be applied in any European catering school
  • Educational contents that address food sustainability from multiple perspectives: health, environment, ethics, culture, and waste
  • Teacher training resources, based on the train-the-trainer approach, aimed at promoting empowerment, awareness, and behavior change
  • Digital tools and resources to help integrate sustainability into both classroom and kitchen-lab activities.

The message is clear: European catering schools are ready for change. The GoodFood project now aims to provide concrete tools to schools, so that tomorrow’s chefs can become active change makers in their communities, contributing to a fairer, more ethical, and sustainable food system.

Stay tuned for more updates!

 

 

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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