Make Sustainable Food the Default
in Your Community
We encourage Jewish communities to serve plant-based meals by default, an approach that centers the Jewish values of protecting people, animals, and the planet. This is one of the most effective ways to shift our communal food culture to be inherently more sustainable and inclusive while preserving individual choice.
What Does it Look Like to Serve Plant-Based Meals by Default?
Communities can subtly design their dining settings to encourage or “nudge” people toward a preferred behavior. One of the most effective nudges is to make meals plant-based by default.
With this strategy, plant-based foods are set as the main, most appealing option, with the option to offer diners a choice to order or request animal-based foods. This is in contrast to most settings, which normalize meat, fish, dairy, and eggs as the main option, with plant-based items sometimes offered as an alternative.
The goal of this evidence-based strategy is to make the more sustainable choice the easiest, go-to option for diners, since most people stick with the status quo.
Benefits of Plant-Based Defaults
Serving plant-based meals by default can help communities achieve their sustainability goals and create a more inclusive dining culture—with savings on cost and waste, and without draining resources or requiring an operational overhaul.
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Food production is responsible for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The types of food we buy and serve have an outsized impact on our dietary carbon footprint, greater than only sourcing local food or eliminating single-use plastic.
Research shows that events serving plant-based meals by default can save up to ⅔ of food-related greenhouse gas emissions and water use, along with up to ¾ savings in land use, when compared to typical event foodservice.
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Plant-based meals work for more people, by default, while preserving individual choice to opt into eating animal products.
A default strategy creates an inclusive communal dining setting, ensuring that those with food allergies, intolerances, and cultural or religious dietary needs are respected and accommodated.
Plant-based options also resonate with shifting sociocultural values and can draw in a younger, more diverse crowd. A 2024 report shows that 68% of people worldwide want to eat more plant-based foods, especially those of younger generations like Gen Z and Millennials with young families.
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There are a variety of budget-friendly ways to shift defaults that are effective for influencing consumption behaviors without requiring massive resource investment or operational overhauls.
Plant-forward menus and behavioral nudge interventions have been shown to improve diner satisfaction and help reduce food cost and waste.
To set your institution up for long-term success, we can work together to develop menus and dining setups that work for your community.
“The RA-CJFE Partnership for Sustainable Dining has profoundly shaped how Emanuel Synagogue approaches communal meals. This program has helped us integrate sustainability into our food practices in a way that honors Jewish values while making tangible environmental and ethical impacts.”
Bringing Sustainable Dining to Your Jewish Community
A sustainable dining program can apply nudge strategies, including plant-based defaults, to any communal setting where food is served, whether it’s a coffee bar and snack station, school or camp meal, or a plated Shabbat dinner.
Some nudges are subtle and may be implemented in the background, which can go unnoticed by most diners. Others can be more successful when celebrated with intentional signage or announcements to demonstrate a commitment to Jewish values and motivate buy-in from community members.
“Ohavay Zion Synagogue has adopted a multi-faceted approach targeting several food-centered programs within our community. Our strategy includes subtle substitutions of plant-based proteins, maintaining a ratio of two plant-based options for every animal-based option and listing plant-based entrees first as the default option for community meals.”
Examples of Plant-Based Nudge Strategies
It’s important to implement nudge strategies that align with your community’s resources, goals, and dining structure. We will work with you to make changes that are attainable and realistic so you can sustain and build upon them over time.
SUBTLE SUBSTITUTIONS
Swap common ingredients–like mayo, butter, or milk–for plant-based versions.
Try this—For refreshments or catered meetings, offer oat milk for coffee, egg salad made with plant-based mayo, and bagels with plant-based cream cheese.
CLIMATE-FRIENDLY RATIOS
Make plant-based foods the most plentiful option. Consider offering, at least, a 2:1 ratio of plant-based to non-plant-based main dishes.
Try this–Instead of serving main dishes of egg salad, tuna salad, and bagels with cream cheese, offer a pasta salad with roasted veggies, chickpea salad, and bagels with cream cheese and a dairy-free spread.
Pair this ratio technique with strategic placement for maximum impact. For a buffet-style meal, offer plant-based items, like lentils, dairy-free cheese, or beans, at the beginning of the buffet line to encourage people to fill their plates with these first and take smaller quantities of meat or dairy items.
TASTY TITLES
Instead of using labels like “vegetarian” or “meat-free” as the headline for an item, focus on flavor, ingredients, and texture. Just as icons can be used to indicate something has or is free of allergens, you can use a ‘v’ or leaf symbol after the dish title to denote that the dish is plant-based.
Try this–Instead of adding a “vegan hummus wrap” to your menu, call it a “creamy roasted red pepper hummus wrap (v).”
Note: Always provide allergen information and be clear and consistent in the menu or signage language you choose.
Check out the Edgy Veggies Toolkit for more helpful tips.
Plant-Based Defaults Promote Jewish Values
TZA’AR BA’ALEI CHAYIM
(PREVENTING UNNECESSARY SUFFERING TO ANIMALS)
Pursuing justice for humans, animals, and our planet.
BAL TASHCHIT
(AVOIDING WASTEFUL DESTRUCTION)
Serving resource-efficient meals helps us steward water, land, and energy.
OSHEK
(PROTECTING WORKERS)
By making more compassionate food choices, we contribute to a kinder world for all living beings.
TZEDEK
(JUSTICE)
Plant-forward menus lessen reliance on the exploitative industrial animal agriculture sector.
Learn more about how Jewish values relate to our food system.
“Introducing whole food plant-based options at our synagogue luncheon was a true success... A meaningful first step toward mindful eating, promoting wellness, and embodying compassion and sustainability within our community!”
Ready to Make Your Community Meals Sustainable by Default?
CJFE is here to support your Jewish community in aligning your food practices with Jewish values. Contact our expert staff for practical strategies, hands-on guidance, and educational resources for Jewish institutions and events of all types and sizes.
You can also fill out this interest form, which will help us understand your community’s readiness and interest in developing or formalizing a food policy, and to provide helpful context for a potential conversation with our team.