Identifying Cool Food Meals
Synopsis
Cool Food is a global initiative that aims to help food providers sell dishes with smaller climate footprints. This technical note outlines the methods used by World Resources Institute (WRI) to identify a set of Cool Food Meals on a food provider’s menu. Drawing on the calculation methods established under the Cool Food Pledge, Cool Food Meals must fall under a maximum threshold of per-meal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions based on recipe data submitted to WRI. In addition, Cool Food Meals are subject to a nutrition safeguard to ensure they meet a minimum threshold of nutritional quality. Designation of Cool Food Meals is open to food providers that are Cool Food Pledge members, Cool Food “Heroes” who serve an especially low-GHG-emitting menu, or food providers for whom at least 20 percent of annual sales are dishes that qualify as Cool Food Meals. Publicly recognizing climate-friendly food providers, and steering consumers toward low-emitting menu options, can help accelerate the transition toward a sustainable food future.
For more on Cool Food, see www.coolfood.org.
Projects
Cool Food
Cool Food helps people and organizations reduce the climate impact of their food through shifting toward more plant-rich diets.
Part of Food