The Menus of Change Initiative
Menus of Change®: The Business of Healthy, Sustainable, Delicious Food Choices is a ground-breaking initiative from The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health that works to realize a long-term, practical vision integrating optimal nutrition and public health, environmental stewardship and restoration, and social responsibility concerns within the foodservice industry and the culinary profession.
Now in its seventh year, Menus of Change has established a compelling new agenda for the foodservice industry through an annual leadership summit at the CIA’s Hyde Park campus, an annual report on the state of the industry, and an ongoing series of tools and guidance for foodservice professionals. The initiative’s thought-leadership includes:
- Showing that changing menus is a powerful, and previously underappreciated, way to drive improvements in our health and our planet.
- Bringing attention to protein, both animal- and plant-based, to show how that macronutrient category has the largest impact on the environment including climate change.
- Making plant-forward dining a mainstream concept in the culinary profession and foodservice industry, with a clear vision for a new way to cook and serve food to others.
As published in the 2018 Menus of Change Annual Report, the initiative defines "plant-forward" as:
a style of cooking and eating that emphasizes and celebrates, but is not limited to, plant-based foods—including fruits and vegetables (produce); whole grains; beans, legumes (pulses), and soy foods; nuts and seeds; plant oils; and herbs and spices—and that reflects evidence-based principles of health and sustainability.
To help you communicate the many terms in the plant-forward family (from "flexitarian" to "vegan") with fellow industry professionals, we invite you to use this new slide deck, "What's in a Name?" For inspiration about the future of plant-forward dining, check out the CIA-EAT Plant-Forward Global 50, a must-know list of chefs who are innovators and leaders in elevating plant-based foods and experiences.
The Culinary Institute of America
June 18-20, 2019
Hyde Park, NY
Sustainability & Health: Making Change Happen.
Learn how Menus of Change sponsors drive innovation in their own companies.
Read the EAT-Lancet Commission for Food, Planet, and Health to learn about the first-ever scientific targets for global diets and sustainable food production.

New Resource! What Builds Strong Evidence on Diet and Health?
Together, the CIA and Harvard Chan School have developed a toolkit for discerning fact from fiction when it comes to studies on diet and health. Use this resource to understand what can go wrong and what quality markers to look for when evaluating scientific information about food and nutrition. Learn more.

Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus
The Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus provides unique guidance for the foodservice industry, and bring together findings from nutritional and environmental science perspectives on optimal food choices, trends in consumer preferences, and impacts of projected demographic shifts. Learn more.

Menus of Change Annual Report
Read the 2018 Menus of Change Annual Report for insights into and analysis of issues that relate to the future success and sustainability of the food and foodservice industries at the convergence of public health, the environment, and the business of food.
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Register now!