Since switching to a plant-based menu in January 2020, Jigsaw Day Nurseries in Chester has managed to dramatically reduce its environmental impact.
With global food production the leading driver of natural habitat loss around the world and responsible for roughly 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and 70 per cent of freshwater extraction, owners Stuart and Claire Taylor felt they could make a real difference by changing children’s diet at their two nurseries.
A plant-based diet is one that solely or primarily consists of plant foods, and usually excludes processed and packaged foods. In the Taylors’ case, they decided to take meat, fish, dairy and all other animal-based products off their menus entirely.
A report published by Foodsteps, a sustainable food consultancy based at the University of Cambridge, calculated that the two nurseries had achieved:
- a 56 per cent reduction in carbon footprint, equivalent to 160 return flights to Malaga
- a 47 per cent reduction in land use, equivalent to seven football pitches.
- a 31 per cent reduction in water use, equivalent to 45,000 baths.
PLANNING
The Taylors consulted a variety of documents to ensure their approach would provide children with the necessary nutrients, but were surprised by the lack of concrete rules and regulations.
Mr Taylor says, ‘The Statutory Framework guidance is open to interpretation. In a nutshell, providing that meals are healthy and nutritious, children with allergens are catered for, drinking water is available, your team is trained to handle food and your preparation areas are hygienic, you have the ability to move forward in whatever direction you choose.
‘However, all the guidelines we referenced did acknowledge that a well-planned plant-based diet was capable of meeting children’s nutritional requirements.’
The nursery owners then consulted several dietitians to perfect their new menus. ‘We provided a detailed list of ingredients, quantities and cooking methods,’ Mr Taylor continues. ‘This information provided us with an incredibly detailed micro- and macro-nutrient analysis, which highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each dish. It was important to acknowledge that no single dish or day would ever be perfect. Instead, we took a view over the course of a week with the aim of ensuring the menu was as well-rounded as it could be.
‘If a dish was low in protein, we needed to add beans; if another was low in iron, we added greens. It took months of tweaks to get a full menu of nutritious meals.’
The owners chose 18 of the most popular dishes from the nursery’s original menu to develop for the new plant-based meals.
‘Prior to the switch, 40 per cent of the meals we served were vegetarian, so children were already comfortable eating dishes which did not include meat and fish,’ Mr Taylor explains. ‘To minimise the change further, we simply adapted the most popular dishes on our menu to plant-based versions, which meant that although there might be a slight variation on the texture, the sight, smell and taste of the dishes were still familiar.’
Foodsteps’ report found simple substitutions made by Jigsaw, such as a ‘shepherdless pie’ (see panel, right) instead of a minced beef pie, generated a carbon footprint which was 77 per cent smaller. A mixed bean chilli sin carne had a reduced footprint of 75 per cent.
PARENTS
The owners ran an informal consultation process with parents and announced the change through the parent app in November 2019, giving parents two months’ notice to allow them to find alternative providers if they wished. They also produced a 15-page brochure on the new menus and organised two parents’ evenings to discuss them.
However, not all the parents were happy, and one contacted a local paper to voice their concerns. The story was soon picked up by national media and the Taylors were invited to appear on Good Morning Britain and the BBC’s Breakfast.
‘We had a rough ride for a week, peaking with a death threat,’ says Mr Taylor. ‘But while the negative voices got the greatest attention, behind the scenes we received an overwhelming amount of support from across the globe which far outweighed the negativity.’
In the end, five parents terminated their contracts with the nursery due to the changes, but 20 new families registered. Four doctors and three dietitians were among the parents who stayed on.
Recipes are sent home to parents and staff to recreate at home if they choose, and while relatively few follow a solely plant-based diet themselves, several have reported regularly dropping meat or fish for a day a week at home.
STAFF
Many of the 70 staff members working across the two nurseries have also adapted their diets based on the menu changes.
‘One of the most interesting things to observe has been that while almost all our staff are traditional meat, fish and dairy consumers, lots have started to try the new menu,’ Mr Taylor reports.
‘We have a young demographic across our team who, like many, enjoy easy access to fast and tasty, but not necessarily healthy, food options. While they haven’t gone full plant-based away from the nursery, many have started to embrace the cleaner options a plant-based diet focuses on and do drop meat, fish and dairy on certain days using our recipe cards.’
COST BENEFITS
From a financial standpoint, the Taylors say the nursery is not significantly better or worse off.
‘Cost was never a consideration for this project,’ explains Mr Taylor. ‘Our overriding motivation was to make a meaningful change for the environment while ensuring children’s nutritional development was not detrimentally impacted.
‘We are not a million miles away from where we were before. Although we no longer carry the costs of meat, fish and dairy, these costs have been replaced by finding plant-based alternatives. We buy organic where we can, which comes at a premium, and as a result of serving plant-based milks we have lost access to milk funding.’
According to the Foodsteps report, by replacing dairy milk with oat milk, Jigsaw has more than halved the carbon footprint of the nursery breakfast.
Overall, the Taylors feel the benefits of their switch have far outweighed any negatives. ‘An ever-growing number of consumers are making purchasing decisions based on a company’s sustainability credentials,’ says Mr Taylor. ‘Although there are many other factors taken into consideration by parents, we see no reason why this won’t also become a growing concern for nurseries.
‘The switch felt like a huge risk, and people might fear a backlash like the one we experienced, but that passed almost as quickly as it arrived. You can be fearful of change and any negativity that comes with it, but there can be huge positives if you get the process right.
‘Not only have we made a change that benefits our environment, but we are establishing healthy food habits and behaviours which impact our children, parents and team in a very positive way.’
TOP TIPS
The Taylors advise:
- Plan carefully. Do your homework and get to know the area in which you are working. The guidelines available are not quick or easy documents to read, but they are easy to access.
- Access external knowledge. Speak to experts such as dietitians to gather evidence to aid conversations with parents.
- Provide parents and staff with information and set up discussions. Take the time to build confidence.
- Play it cautiously. We went to 100 per cent plant-based from day one, but we were already 40 per cent vegetarian and had been around for 20 years so had a solid customer base. We appreciate that eliminating all animal products may be too much for some. Just one plant-based day per week can reduce your food carbon footprint by up to 11 per cent, with a further 11 per cent for every additional plant-based day you introduce beyond that. We truly believe that you are never too small to make a difference and no difference is ever too small.
