Climate-Friendly Catering in Germany: Plant-Forward Menus, Transport, Energy and Carbon Labelling

Climate-friendly catering starts with the menu. Plant-forward dishes built on vegetables, pulses and grains, with little beef, butter and cheese, reduce the climate impact more than anything else. Next come portion planning that avoids leftovers, seasonal produce without air freight or heated greenhouses, and bundled deliveries with efficient energy use. Carbon values per dish can help but are voluntary. Since 27 September 2026, claiming “climate neutral” on the basis of offsetting is no longer allowed towards consumers in Germany.

Where catering emissions come from

Greenhouse gases arise along the whole chain: farming, processing and transport, cooking, chilling and hot holding, tableware and packaging, and food that ends up in the bin. For food, most emissions typically come from production rather than transport.

Animal products stand out. In the ifeu institute’s 2020 study on the environmental footprints of food in Germany, conventional beef comes to around 13.6 kg CO2 equivalent per kilogram and butter to around 9 kg, while most outdoor-grown vegetables are only a fraction of that. In 2024, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) included environmental aspects in its dietary guidelines for the first time. It recommends that adults eat no more than 300 g of meat and sausage per week, and that more than three quarters of the diet come from plant foods.

The levers at a glance

Lever	Climate impact	How to apply it
Menu composition	very high	vegetarian or vegan main line, avoid beef, go easy on butter and cheese
Food waste	high	confirmed headcount, realistic quantities, plan for leftovers
Season and growing method	medium to high	seasonal produce, no air freight, no heated greenhouses
Logistics	medium	local caterer, bundled trips, low-emission vehicles
Kitchen energy	medium	efficient equipment, green electricity, short hot-holding times
Tableware and packaging	low to medium	reusable instead of disposable
Organic farming	varies	important for soil, biodiversity and pesticide use, but not automatically lower carbon per kilogram

These ratings are rough guidance. The actual effect depends on the event.

Plant-forward menus

A climate-friendly menu does not have to be vegan:

• Vegetarian by default: make the vegetarian dish the main line, with meat or fish as an add-on.
• Replace beef: if meat is served, choose small amounts of poultry or pork rather than beef or lamb.
• Use dairy deliberately: cream sauces, butter and lots of cheese push the footprint up. Vegetable-based sauces, oils and pulse spreads are good alternatives.
• Pulses and grains: lentils, beans, chickpeas, spelt and oats provide protein and keep people full.
• Name dishes well: “roasted vegetables with herb polenta” sells better than “vegetarian alternative”.

Less food waste

Food that is thrown away has already caused its emissions. A confirmed headcount, realistic quantities and a plan for leftovers are climate protection. See our guide on food waste in catering.

Season, growing method and transport

Transport is a smaller share of emissions than production for most foods, with two exceptions:

• Air freight: flown-in food such as some berries, out-of-season asparagus or fresh exotic fruit has a much higher footprint than food shipped by sea or road.
• Heated greenhouses: out-of-season tomatoes, cucumbers or peppers from heated cultivation can have a poor footprint even when grown nearby.

Seasonal produce avoids both. Our seasonal menus guide has a German produce calendar, and regional catering explains why “regional” alone says little about the climate.

Logistics, energy and tableware

• Choose a caterer from your city and ask whether delivery, set-up and collection can be bundled into as few trips as possible.
• Some caterers deliver with electric vans or cargo bikes, especially in city centres.
• Efficient kitchen equipment, green electricity and good planning (not keeping everything hot for hours) reduce energy use.
• Reusable or hired tableware avoids waste. Our cost model puts it at 3 to 7 euros per person.

Carbon labelling on menus

More and more caterers and canteens show a carbon value per dish, for example grams of CO2 equivalent per portion, or use a traffic-light system. There is no legal obligation to do so. If you use such labels, check:

1. Data source: which database or study is behind the values?
2. System boundaries: do they cover ingredients only, or also transport, kitchen and waste?
3. Comparability: values calculated with different methods cannot be compared directly.

The rules on “climate neutral”

Directive (EU) 2024/825 restricts misleading green claims. Germany has implemented it in its Unfair Competition Act (UWG), and the rules have applied since 27 September 2026. Towards consumers, it is now prohibited to claim that a product has a neutral, reduced or positive climate impact if that claim is based on offsetting greenhouse gas emissions. Generic claims such as “eco-friendly” are also banned unless the trader can show recognised excellent environmental performance.

In practice, a caterer calling a menu “climate neutral” because it buys offset certificates is making a claim that is no longer allowed towards private customers. Specific information (“mainly vegetarian, no air freight, carbon value per dish calculated with method X”) is more meaningful, and the same applies to how you communicate with your guests.

What does climate-friendly catering cost?

It need not cost more. Our cost model uses these guide values compared with a conventional menu:

Option	Typical effect on price
Vegetarian	10 % cheaper to the same
Vegan	10 % cheaper to 5 % more
Around 30 % organic	10 to 15 % more
100 % organic	20 to 35 % more

A vegetarian menu with some organic ingredients can therefore land close to a conventional meat menu. Try your own scenario in the cost calculator, and find caterers focused on vegetarian, seasonal and regional food in our caterer directory.