The Diet Unit of Södertälje municipality has had a key role in the development of this practice by successfully implementing the ideas broadly in the public kitchens under strict budget conditions.

A key part of the practice is that it has challenged attitudes around food and shown a potential to be a powerful tool for combating climate change and other global ecological challenges – and at the same time raise the general quality of the food served, promote health and empower personnel – within the same strict food budget. This makes public meals a driver for sustainable development.

Through the projects the Diet Unit has been involved in and through the continuous close cooperation with the BERAS Secretariat the development of the practice has had a continuous connection to research and global network resources and especially Baltic Sea Region. Thanks to this the Diet for a Green Planet concept stands on a solid ground.

The basic principles of Diet for a Green Planet are:

• Good and healthy food
• Organically grown and ideally from Ecological Recycling Agriculture farms
• Less meat, more vegetables and wholegrain
• Seasonal food
• Locally produced
• Reduced waste