As a market-leading canteen provider serving 100,000 meals daily across 350 canteens nationwide, Compass Group has a responsibility to drive the green transition.
To this end, the company has developed a training program designed to equip kitchen staff with the skills needed to make climate-conscious choices, focusing on plant-rich meals, CO2 reduction, 100% utilization of raw materials, and climate-friendly gastronomy.
“The training is fundamental to how we will work with sustainability at Compass Group. Our Climate Chefs will play a crucial role in their kitchens, acting as spokespeople and helping to ensure more sustainable meals for our guests,” says Kenneth Balieu Sørensen, Head of Gastronomy. He was involved in developing the new climate training along with Compass Group’s Food Excellence team, who attended an international Climate Chef training in 2023 to gather inspiration.
The first batch of Climate Chefs graduates
The first climate ambassadors have just completed the new climate training for kitchens. Their task now is to share this new knowledge with the kitchens and eventually involve the guests.
“We need to think about the climate every day, and it must not remain just a discussion around a table; there must be action behind it. The Climate Chef training is a great initiative to push everyone in the right direction for the climate agenda, which we must take seriously. It’s about taking care of where we live, and we must also be ambassadors for our guests in our canteens, bringing them along on our sustainability journey,” says Morten Rasmussen, Kitchen Manager at Compass Group in their canteen at Vila, Bestseller.
The transition happens in operations
At Compass Group, they understand that to succeed in accelerating the green transition, operational staff at the many canteen units must be on board.
“Our sustainability journey is about continuous development. Therefore, it is essential that our employees gain the latest knowledge and learn from each other. It is our ambition that with the new climate training, we create the right conditions for our employees to improve their skills and make more climate-conscious choices,” says Anne-Sofie Hattesen, Head of ESG at Compass Group.
Requires continuous updates
However, the work of educating kitchens on climate and sustainability does not stop when the new Climate Chefs receive their diplomas.
“This is an ongoing training program that will continue at multiple levels year after year, ensuring that our climate ambassadors are updated with the latest knowledge and tools that can be applied directly in the kitchens and experienced by guests as more sustainable meals,” says Kenneth Balieu Sørensen.