Open Access

Julia Heinz, Melanie Speck (geb. Lukas)

• Global food production has critical impacts on ecosystems, climate change and planetary boundaries. The Out-of- Home Catering sector (OOH) is the second most important distribution channel for the food industry in Germany. OOH businesses form a link between production (food production) and consumption (consumption by guests) and are therefore an important area for real-world laboratory research. The aim of this study is to evaluate environmental impact of OOH businesses (n=4) show the chances and limitations in the transformation towards a sustainable OOH. For this purpose, weekly menus for lunch as well as the selection for breakfast and dinner will be assessed for their environmental impact by Life Cycle Assessment. Subsequently, in co-creation with the companies, an environmentally friendly target state will be worked on. Adjustments will be made to show how sustainable full catering can be achieved in the OOH. The work focuses on the recipe, menu and management level. Initial results show that breakfast and dinner menus in particular have a high animal product content and potential for improvement. This can be achieved mainly by changing the options available to customers. The first step in the companies' lunch menus is to replace or reduce resource-intensive ingredients.