Overview

ISS has introduced “protein swap recipes” across the over 350 schools we serve in the UK in alignment with three of our commitments—reduce environmental impact, encourage students to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and increase fiber in meals. To achieve this, we have reduced meat in our recipes and replaced it with primarily beans and lentils, providing meals prepared daily using fresh, quality, and seasonal ingredients.

As part of these efforts, we: 

• Reduced CO2 emissions by an average of 420g per meal and ISS emissions by 77,660kg CO2 per school term

• Reduced total fat by 8% and saturated fat by an average of 12% per portion

• Increased fiber by an average of 60% per portion

• Contributed toward children’s five fruit/vegetable servings daily plus essential vitamins and minerals

Alignment with the EAT-Lancet Commission 

Our efforts align with the 2019 Commission in emphasizing a planetary health diet and sustainability through greenhouse gas emission reduction (420g of CO2 per meal; 77,660kg of CO2 per school term). We’re also working to shift diets toward mostly plants, reduce food loss and waste, emphasize food equity, and adapting global guidance to local contexts.

Key actors

• ISS culinary teams

• ISS nutrition teams

• GENIUS (Generating Excellent Nutrition in UK Schools) network

• 350+ client schools