Putting sustainability on the menu

Quorn Foods, the global market leader in meat-alternative foods, has found a way to reduce its impact on the planet while also delivering £1million plus savings - by working with Sheffield Hallam University on its approach to sustainability.

The partnership to help understand and reduce the company’s carbon footprint has resulted in the brand being certified by the Carbon Trust, after a project team identified that by taking simple steps to further address environmental impact, Quorn Foods can reduce costs by over £1million in the medium term.

Sheffield Hallam's Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), based at the University's Centre for Food Innovation, carried out Initial Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of the Quorn manufacturing process which identified that the core ingredient of Quorn contains less than half the embedded carbon found in beef.

Project leader, KTP associate and Quorn Foods’ sustainability officer, Louise Needham, said: "Carrying out this sophisticated level of carbon footprint analysis required the collection of high quality data, covering all stages of the lifecycle supply chain, including raw material input, product output, energy, waste and water use.

"This complex work paid off. Quorn is the first meat-alternative brand, and one of only a few food products in the world, to achieve this standard of Carbon Trust certification.  The proven health benefits of Quorn, combined with its lower levels of embedded carbon compared with meat, suggests that by swapping Quorn for meat in meals, people can feel confident that it’s not only better for them, but also better for the planet.”

The KTP began in March 2011 with a view to improving the quality of data captured as part of the LCA and ensuring the latest standard for carbon footprinting, BSI PAS 2050, was adhered to.

The findings of the two-year project have been summarised in an academic journal: The Life Cycle Analysis of meat-alternative foods – which highlights the carbon footprinting of Quorn as a best practice standard in the food industry.

Dr Martindale said: "Quorn was originally developed in the 1960s as a more sustainable alternative to meat, and as food security becomes more of an issue, the company was keen to take an even stronger stance on its planetary impact.   The partnership fostered with CFI will allow us to continue to build visibility into Quorn Foods’ environmental footprint and make its sustainability values part of how Quorn does business.

"The partnership has enabled the brand to lead the industry in its sustainability criteria and has helped Quorn Foods to establish a range of best-practice processes by which to produce existing ranges and develop new products. This, coupled with rigorous academic research, will provide a robust base to make further inroads into the healthy alternatives market."

Sarah Durkin, KTP Manager for Sheffield Hallam's Research and Innovation Office, added: "This partnership has brought together a successful business looking to increase its sustainability and security options, and a leading University with a reputation for innovation in this area. Through working together, savings of more than £1m have been identified, making it a highly successful piece of work."

For press information contact: Laurie Harvey on 0114 225 2621 or email pressoffice@shu.ac.uk