A school in Carryduff has taken part in the first-ever ProVeg UK School Plates pilot in Northern Ireland, saving more than 700 kgs of carbon in just 10 weeks.
ProVeg UK’s School Plates programme has been supporting Carryduff Primary School for over two months to trial integrating more plant-based proteins into their recipes.
With guidance and support from the School Plates team, the catering team used the ‘blending technique’ to reduce the meat content of two dishes by substituting 25% of meat for plant proteins. They trialled this method on two meat-based main meals on their autumn lunch menu, aiming for a lower carbon footprint and increased nutritional value, while also ensuring the food remains delicious and familiar.
Changes to dishes were undisclosed to observe if the children noticed any difference in taste. The staff closely observed, and concluded that the children enjoyed the dishes as normal with the reduction in meat content undetected. A success!
Scott Graham, Food Development Manager for the Education Authority (EA), who manage school meals in over 90% of schools in Northern Ireland, was delighted with the pilot, “Janine and the team in Carryduff are fantastic caterers and they embraced the pilot fully. We in the Catering Service in the EA are always trying to incorporate innovation in our kitchens and this pilot gave us the opportunity to do just that. The results speak for themselves and the children, who are always the most important people in everything we do as caterers, continued to love the great food that Janine and her team made on a daily basis.”
What was the impact?
Over the 10 week pilot project, pupils at Carryduff Primary saved 720 kg of CO2e, the equivalent of driving around the whole of Ireland, or over 55,000 smartphone charges. Our data analysis shows that introducing two blended dishes a week over three school years could save carbon emissions equivalent to driving around planet Earth. Small projects like these have huge potential outcomes for the planet.
Sophia Millar, Head of Programmes at ProVeg UK said, “Carryduff Primary School and their catering team are leading the way in health and sustainability in Northern Ireland. By blending plants and plant proteins into their dishes, they are reducing carbon emissions, increasing fibre, and lowering saturated fat, all while maintaining a strong meal uptake. A true inspiration!”
The recipes reduced the meat content of two dishes each week, switching it instead for a combination of plant-based protein alternatives, beans, and extra lentils.
With 25% less meat in the recipe, there was a 110% increase in fibre, 24% reduction in saturated fat, and the same amount of protein maintained. With this small change, the total carbon footprint of the dish went from 2.9kg to 2.3kg, a reduction of 21%.
Janine Bowen, Catering Manager at Carryduff said, “Over the course of taking part in the ProVeg UK School Plates programme, it has really highlighted to me as a caterer how making such simple changes and adjustments to the ingredients we use can have such a profound impact on both the health benefits for the children, and climate sustainability. The results were beyond expectation.”
So, what’s next?
With the support of the School Plates team, Carryduff are going to continue with the changes they have made and make the blended dishes a permanent fixture on the menu.
Barbara Preston, Principal at Carryduff, added, “Our pupils were thrilled to discover the impact that the ‘Blended’ pilot had made, particularly when they hadn’t even noticed the changes to the meals. There has been lots of chat about the amazing environmental impact of increasing the content of veg, pulses, and meat substitutes in some of our meals. It was a pleasure to have worked alongside ProVeg during the pilot and we are immensely proud of what has been achieved collectively.”
After the success of this pilot, we’re excited to have the opportunity to continue our support to Carryduff with their plant-powered journey, and we look forward to giving more schools in Northern Ireland the opportunity and support to introduce similar schemes.
For more information on School Plates, visit our webpage or reach out to the team at [email protected]. Our programmes are fully funded, and available to local authorities, multi-academy trusts, individual schools, and contract caterers.
