SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. As of September 10, you will be able to buy yesterday’s leftovers from Restaurang Lyktan at a discounted price. The initiative is receiving funds from the University of Gothenburg’s climate fund with the aim of reducing food waste.
Every day Restaurang Lyktan and the Wallenberg Conference Center prepare about 450 lunches. Since nearly 10 percent of these meals will not be sold, between 6,000 and 10,000 servings are composted or discarded annually. To make use of the leftover food, Henriette Philipsson and Johan Ehrnberg applied for funding from the university’s internal climate fund so that yesterday’s food can be sold at reduced prices.
Both employees and students
The food left over varies because it can come from a fancy dinner, a conference lunch or a buffet. Employees and students at the University of Gothenburg can buy yesterday’s box lunches at the reception in the Wallenberg Conference Center from 07:30 until closing while the supply of box lunches lasts. The price will be approximately SEK 45, depending on the ingredients included in the box, and you pay using Swish.
Tasty and nutritious food
“The leftover food is both tasty and nutritious,” says Henriette Phillips, program coordinator for the Dietitian Program and a member of the Sahlgrenska Academy’s Environmental Council. “It has been prepared from scratch using ingredients that are locally produced, organic and seasonal. It’s great food, even the day after it has been prepared.”
Restaurang Lyktan and the Wallenberg Conference Center are part of the university’s Conference Services. The restaurant serves about 70,000 people each year.
“Through the project, we want to educate the restaurant’s guests about food waste and its impact on the environment and our climate by showing in both word and deed how and what can be done to reduce your climate impact,” says Johan Ehrnberg, kitchen coordinator at Conference Services and Restaurang Lyktan. “We are convinced that we can influence how our guests manage their food waste in the home, too, and that we can also be a positive example for other restaurants.”
Emissions of greenhouse gases
Producing the amount of food discarded each year in Sweden corresponds to emissions of about two million tons of carbon dioxide, which according to the Swedish Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) is the equivalent of about three percent of Sweden’s total greenhouse gas emissions. In cooperation with the Swedish EPA and the Swedish Board of Agriculture, the Swedish Food Administration has been tasked with reducing food waste in Sweden.
“Swedes throw away on average 28 kg of food per person per year. Few people realize how many kilos are involved and what this means for the environment,” says Henriette Philipsson.
The climate fund awarded the project SEK 93,000 to purchase a food sealing machine and a refrigerated display case so the food can be packaged and stored properly. The project will be evaluated and fine-tuned annually.
TEXT AND PHOTO: ELIN LINDSTRÖM CLAESSEN
