About Coolfood: Shaping the Future of Food

Making a significant impact on global emissions starts with the food on our plates. Discover the science, people, and vision behind our mission.

Coolfood’s Mission

We can’t build a sustainable future without a sustainable food system. With food accounting for over 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions we need to drive change at scale.

Our mission is built on a powerful idea: by helping the food industry create dining environments that support healthier, plant-rich offerings, we can harness the collective power of millions of diners to drive down global emissions.

We provide organizations with the science, data, and strategies to reduce GHG emissions, making healthier and sustainable food accessible for everyone. From our open-access tools and research to tailored support through our membership program and services, we have a solution for every organization looking to make a difference.

mountain_flag

Our Vision

A global food system that nourishes people and the planet.

briefcase_meal

Our Purpose

Helping organizations that serve food to shift diets at scale, making climate-friendly dining available and accessible for everyone.

favorite

Our Values

We are driven by science, with every recommendation rooted in rigorous, peer-reviewed research, and we empower others through collaborative, simple, and actionable solutions.

Our Journey: Visionary collaboration, powered by science

2019

The Foundation
When World Resources Institute released Creating Sustainable Food Future, a landmark report, it was one of the first to map a clear, science-based path for feeding 10 billion people by 2050 while staying within planetary boundaries. It changed the way governments, institutions, and businesses thought about food — not just as a personal or cultural choice, but as a global lever for climate, health, and sustainability. 

The Spark
Coolfood was born from a World Resources Institute ideas incubator that brought together industry leaders and researchers to answer a single question: How can we make climate-friendly eating the easy choice for everyone? We recognized that to translate big ideas into operational change, we had to go beyond publishing reports and actively engage with food providers to put research into practice.

The Coolfood Pledge
We launched the Coolfood Pledge, a first-of-its-kind commitment for major food providers to reduce their food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. Pioneering organizations joined, committing to a collaborative model where they set a target, measure emissions data, and use proven strategies to drive down their climate impact. This proven strategic framework underpins our work and is a key component of a Coolfood membership.

2020

The Operational Changes
We launched the “Playbook for Guiding Diners Toward Plant-Rich Dishes in Food Service,” a research paper unique for turning cutting-edge academic research into actionable strategies in dining environments. While the Coolfood Pledge gives companies a target to aim for, this playbook provided a guide for how to get there. It identified proven strategies across different operational areas—from menu design and marketing to kitchen operations and procurement—that all contribute to a company’s ability to reduce food-related emissions.

2022

The Consumer
The Coolfood Certification Mark was launched to give organizations a powerful tool to communicate their climate commitments directly to sustainability-minded diners. Appearing on menus, the mark allows consumers to easily identify and choose low carbon dishes, while showcasing an organization’s climate commitments.

2024

The Scale
We’ve expanded across continents, influencing over 10 billion meals in 2025. Our data confirms a powerful truth: our 90+ global members are successfully reducing emissions at a global scale.

2025 & Beyond

Accelerating Impact
Today, we are deepening our impact by expanding our research and our tailored support to Coolfood members.  Our horizon is clear: to make healthier, sustainable eating a fundamental part of the global food system.

Support a Cooler Planet

Your donation empowers Coolfood to drive real climate action in the food service industry, creating healthier menus for people and the planet.

Donate to Coolfood

Featured Resources

The city of Milan at the forefront of driving change

Filippo Gavezzeni, Head of Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Secretariat, discusses the purchasing power of cities in shifting food culture and reducing emissions. So far they have achieved 42% reductions in their carbon footprint through their eco procurement strategies and are working to bring more cities along with them.

Coolfood’s Alignment with Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Science Based Targets Initiative

An overview of the alignment between Coolfood; the draft Greenhouse Gas Protocol Land Sector and Removals Guidance (GHGP); and the Science Based Targets Initiative Forest, Land, and Agriculture Guidance (SBTi FLAG).

Creating a Sustainable Food Future

It’s possible to feed 10 billion people by 2050 without destroying the planet, and this report shows you how. Discover a “five-course menu” of 22 researched and quantified solutions that offer a clear path to a sustainable food future.

Environmental Messages Promote Plant-Based Food Choices: An Online Restaurant Menu Study

Food production accounts for a quarter of all greenhouse gases. This study finds that displaying thoughtfully framed environmental messages on restaurant menus can significantly increase customers’ uptake of lower carbon, plant-rich dishes.

23 Behavior Change Strategies to Get Diners Eating More Plant-Rich Food

For restaurants and food service businesses, one way to cut greenhouse gas emissions is to nudge diners to eat their vegetables. New research shows there’s a whole host of strategies the food service industry can borrow from behavioral science.

Ready to champion healthier, more sustainable dining?

Connect with us to explore opportunities to reduce your organization’s food related GHG emissions.

Name(Required)
Consent