Proposal for a public catering regulation to allow plant-based meals

In July, the Ministry of the Interior initiated a public consultation on the amendment of the EMMI Decree 37/2014 (IV. 30.) regulating public catering. NÉGYOSZ also submitted its comments to the Ministry of the Interior, drawing attention to the challenges of our times and the benefits of a plant-based diet.

In our petition, we asked for the amendment of the Regulation to be considered, given that the proposed amendment text, as before, does not allow the daily intake of protein without animal foods, i.e. from plant sources only. We added that, in our view, ignoring the optional nature of a plant-based diet at the beginning of the 21st century, when we are having to redefine the concept of social well-being for a range of sustainability and health reasons, puts our country at a competitive disadvantage.

The following material has been sent to the Deputy Secretary of State for the Home Department:

Proposals for a public catering regulation to allow plant-based meals

In addition to setting out the arguments, the authors also suggest the first steps needed to start the transformation process.

The document, submitted on behalf of the National Association of Plant-Based Food Producers and Distributors (NÉGYOSZ), aims to call for a sustainable transformation of the Hungarian public catering system. This summary presents the main points and justification of the proposed amendment, with a particular focus on the public health, environmental and ethical benefits of the shift to a plant-based diet.

The current functioning of global food systems is unsustainable and significant changes are needed to achieve the Paris climate goals and ensure sustainable food supply. Agriculture has a significant environmental impact: it is responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions, 70% of freshwater use and 33% of land use. While Hungary is better placed among EU countries in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, food waste and increasing resource use remain a concern.

Sustainable diets include not only nutritional and environmental aspects, but also socio-cultural dimensions. According to the FAO, sustainable diets favour plant-based nutrition, reduce the consumption of animal and processed foods and favour local and seasonal products. The EU’s Green Deal and Farm to Fork strategy aim to achieve a more sustainable food supply in Europe, create a legislative framework and promote healthier, more sustainable diets.

Domestic public catering reaches millions of people every day and has a significant impact on the health and eating habits of the population. According to the OTÁP 2019 survey, the nutrition of the Hungarian population is far below recommended levels, especially in terms of fruit and vegetable consumption. Obesity and chronic diseases are widespread, which is a major public health problem. The reform of public catering can have a significant positive impact in the short term.

There is no choice in the current public catering regulation, so only on medical and religious grounds can a vegetarian or a vegetable diet be requested. It is also problematic that animal protein sources must be included in all main meals. These restrictions do not promote sustainability and do not support the long-term health of the population.

The introduction of plant-based diets is not only beneficial from a public health and environmental perspective, but also takes ethical considerations into account. It also promotes respect for animal rights, while promoting the right to food and social equality. Many European and international examples show the successful introduction of plant-based diets in public catering, with significant environmental and health benefits.

In the light of the above, we call for the review and amendment of the proposed law on public catering to take into account sustainability and health concerns.

In support of our position, we submit the following:

Proposals
We believe that the first step should be to organise a professional conference where recognised experts would present the benefits of plant-based nutrition, with a particular focus on young children, their needs and the long-term health and environmental benefits of a whole-food plant-based diet. A similar conference was held by NÉGYOSZ in November 2023 under the title Conference for Sustainable Food Systems and more are planned.

The second step will be the establishment of a civil society expert panel with broad stakeholder involvement. The aim of the panel will be to identify and converge views, gather professional arguments and then develop a package of proposals for action (legislative environment, trade policy incentives, education programme).

The third step is to present the package of proposals to government stakeholders, in cooperation with the relevant NGOs, and to propose a revision of the legislation and the food environment constraints.

Our professional supporters who contributed their expertise to the proposal:

• Boglárka Lengyel paediatrician
• Szilvia Magyarvári dietician, nutritionist
• Dr. Zoltán Szabó, Dietitian (BSc), Nutritionist (MSc), researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Pécs.
• Dr. Ádám Márky Lifestyle physician
• Hungarian Association for Health Promotion and Lifestyle Medicine (MOTE)
• Hungarian Vegan Association (MAVEG)
• Katalin Laczkó, lawyer

We have attached the following to our submission:

• Summary of plant-based diet research
• Sample diet
• Consumer research – NÉGYOSZ, October 2023
• English and Hungarian translation of the Portuguese public catering decree
• The Health Save Movement’s international guide to plant-based feeding for children
• DBU – Options for the implementation of sustainable public catering in Hungary – mini-conference summary

Response from the Ministry of the Interior

We have received a kind response, endorsing many of our suggestions and supporting them in principle, but without any promise to amend the regulation, so we will continue our work.

The response sent on behalf of the Deputy Secretary of State is that the Home Office agrees that a plant-based diet has a number of health benefits. It was added that the purpose of the Regulation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management No 37/2014 (IV. 30.) on the nutritional health standards for public catering (hereinafter: the Regulation) is to establish mandatory and recommended public catering standards to ensure a healthy and acceptable diet, while not imposing excessive burdens on public caterers and facilitating official controls. It is intended to reflect emerging societal expectations, such as the growing societal expectation for meat-free days.

The letter of response also pointed out that the draft regulation submitted for public consultation was also the result of a series of technical consultations, and that the legislator always takes a decision on the incorporation of the proposals received during the public consultation after careful consideration.

Our commitment to constructive dialogue is greatly appreciated, and we are thanked for our participation in the professional fora and for our expertise in helping them to contribute to future results.

Let’s continue! Catering training, conference

NÉGYOSZ is of course also at the disposal of the Ministry of Interior for further consultations.

We will reflect on the suggestion that the optionality of plant-based diets in public catering is hampered by excessive burdens on caterers by presenting the experience of the 1st Plant-Powered Perspectives Public Catering Catering Courses, including how the attitudes of cooks changed during the two-day training. On the morning of the first day of training, even experienced chefs did not believe they could cook well without meat, but even without milk and eggs, and by the end of the training they were amazed at the results and satisfied with the quality and taste of the food they had prepared.

Increasing the knowledge base of catering chefs is therefore a goal that would make a major contribution to making catering more sustainable without imposing unrealistic additional burdens.

We will report on this training and our experience to the Ministry of the Interior, hoping for cooperation that will lead to the authorisation of plant-based meals in the public catering regulation.

We will report separately on the 1st Plant-Powered Perspectives Public Catering Specialist Training.