What makes a Cool Food Meal?

What is a Cool Food Meal?

Cool Food Meals have a low carbon footprint, already meeting the level of food-related emissions the World Resource Institute’s research say we need meals to have by 2030. Cool Food Meals are a simple and delicious way for you to help the planet.

Cool Food is run by the World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research non-profit organization that builds solutions to urgent environmental challenges.

How is a Cool Food Meal identified?

Using an ingredients list, WRI calculate a dish’s carbon footprint by analyzing the agricultural supply chain and land used to produce the meal. If the carbon footprint falls below an established per-meal threshold and meets nutritional standards, it is certified as a Cool Food Meal. In the United States, the threshold for breakfasts is 3.81 kg CO₂e/portion and for lunches and dinners it is 5.71 kg CO₂e/portion. Learn more about the details of our Cool Food Meals identification process in the FAQs or read our technical note here.

What if I don’t serve meals?

You can still support the Cool Food Meals cause by becoming a Cool Food Meals Ambassador. Our Cool Food Meals Ambassador programme allows food manufacturers to feature their climate-friendly products in complete meals which can then be badged Cool Food Meals.