A Strong Partnership with the Customer
Meal Ambitions: A Shared Recipe for a Strong Partnership
The collaboration between Compass Group and the Danish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Lif) is a strong example of how a close partnership can drive meaningful change in everyday life and serve as a model for a more responsible food culture.
“Compass Group is a trusted partner that helps us grow and develop together,” says Louise Brünning Brøgger, Team Leader at Lif, who works closely with Jesper Olsen, Head Chef at the staff restaurant.
Louise and Jesper collaborate closely to continuously explore new opportunities for improvement, identify ways to do things even better and discover areas where they can innovate.
One of the key initiatives is an annual sustainability workshop with Compass Group, where new objectives are defined and future focus areas are identified.
Supporting the Customer’s Ambitions
Lif aims to maintain a healthy and responsible staff restaurant, with Compass Group supporting this ambition through shared objectives and a partnership built on trust. Having the flexibility to test and implement new initiatives is essential.
“It’s about aligning with the customer and knowing when they’re ready to take the next step—so that we’re ready too. Ultimately, our role is to support the customer’s sustainability goals,” says Jesper.
Bringing Everyone Along on the Journey
A successful partnership in the green transition of the staff restaurant is about more than just the customer embracing the journey—it is also about engaging the customer’s guests. At the same time, the kitchen team must have the right skills and capabilities to support the transition.
“That’s why it’s so encouraging that everyone in the kitchen is curious, eager to learn and truly passionate about our plant-forward dishes. We also have a great team dynamic and a shared understanding of what we’re working towards,” says Jesper.
Data at Your Fingertips
To track progress against their shared objectives, the kitchen team uses a digital Compass Group dashboard that provides daily insights into key sustainability metrics, including meat content, food waste, seasonal ingredients, animal welfare, and organic produce—both in real time and over time.
“I’m really pleased to have Compass Group as our partner. Their expertise makes my job easier and opens up new opportunities because they have such a strong understanding of sustainability, value chains and data,” says Louise from Lif.
Jesper adds that the dashboard does more than provide an overview—it also serves as a source of motivation and a practical tool for identifying new opportunities for improvement: Where can we do even better?
Rather less, but Better
One of the kitchen’s key priorities is to increase the share of certified high-animal-welfare meat on the menu—a commitment that is consistently reflected in its purchasing decisions.
“We’d rather serve a little less meat, but make sure it’s of the highest quality,” says the Head Chef.
Although the kitchen already has a high proportion of high-animal-welfare products, the team continues to look for ways to improve. Jesper emphasises that compromising on quality is not an option:
“We never choose cheap chicken pumped with water or non-organic eggs. Whenever we have the opportunity to choose higher animal welfare, we do—regardless of the price.”
The staff restaurant has also intensified its efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions per kilogram of meat as part of its sustainability targets for 2027. From 2023 to 2024, emissions were reduced from 2.1 kg to 1.5 kg of CO₂ per kilogram of meat. During the same period, the proportion of meat in the food served decreased from 7.8% to 5.1%.
“What I’m most proud of is how much we’ve reduced the meat content—that’s something I’m truly passionate about,” adds Jesper.
“It aligns perfectly with the ESG agenda – we reduce our environmental impact by cutting food waste and choosing high-quality ingredients (E), we promote wellbeing by serving nutritious, wholesome meals (S), and we take responsibility for the food we serve – both for our organisation and for our guests (G).”
— Louise Brünning Brøgger, Team Leader at Lif
But the journey does not end here. Taking the agenda even further requires continuous commitment and a willingness to embrace change.
“If we want to achieve real transformation, we can’t just keep serving the same food we’ve always served,” Jesper points out.
It is about challenging established habits and continuously finding new ways to do even better. With shared ambitions and a strong commitment to responsibility, wellbeing and sustainability, Lif and the kitchen are well positioned to shape the meals of the future.