Abstract
Legumes are essential to agrifood sustainability transition. Their nutritional values contribute towards healthy diets, a reduction in animal-based protein consumption and in nitrogen fertilization in crop rotations, therefore meaning a reduction in agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. However, legume consumption remains low in Europe, and institutional food services (IFS) could be an important lever for fostering new eating habits. This study aims to investigate legume use in IFS and identify brakes and levers in their promotion. We built a socio-technical framework to analyse: frequency and diversity of legumes served; cooking practices and uses of legumes in dishes, including alternative (vegetarian/vegan) dishes; and legume-sourcing strategies through supply chain organisations and eco-labels. We addressed a wide survey to IFS kitchens in France, the largest IFS sector in Europe. Based on 383 complete answers, we have revealed heterogeneous IFS practices through clustering methods. This first and original study demonstrates how even if they are few in number (16%), kitchens that develop legumes the most are also those with the strongest sustainability profile (more alternative dishes, local and organic sourcing). Moreover, our clustering analysis revealed that self-managed and medium-sized kitchens are more committed to sustainable practices regarding legumes. Legumes are least served in the Education segment. We discuss ways to foster legumes through the IFS sector, based on cooks’ training, recipes and technical infrastructures, and consumer recognition of legume benefits.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and materials
The survey used is free available on INRA/DATA repository.
Code availability (software application or custom code):
Not applicable
Notes
As explained by Edwards (2013:223), “food services” (UK spelling and “foodservices” for American spelling) or “catering” terms describe “the serviced provision of food and beverages (meals) purchased out of the home but which may be consumed both in and out of the home”.
Whichever the model, IFS concern a wide variety of guests, both in number and in type: from over 10,000 meals per day for metropolitan schools or major administrations to few meals in rural retirement homes.
By alternative dishes, we consider both vegetarian and vegan dishes. As underlined by Dagnelie and Mariotti (2017), there is no clear definition of such dishes in the literature, and we adopted the following: vegetarian dishes refer to the exclusion of meat, fish and seafood but not eggs and dairy products; vegan dishes refer to the exclusion of all animal-based products.
In France, see the legislation NOR: AGRG1032380A.
From Kantar World Panel: https://www.kantarworldpanel.com/fr/A-la-une/flexitariens-nl48 [Accessed 10th December 2020]
Estimated data from COSELAG project: https://www6.inrae.fr/coselag/Livrables
From French Organic Data: https://www.agencebio.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DP-AGENCE-BIO-CHIFFRES-2019_def.pdf
Note also that those frequencies are similar to the whole sample based on n = 568.
References
Bourlakis, M. A., & Weightman, P. W. H. (Eds.). (2003). Food supply chain management. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470995556.
Dagnelie, P. C., & Mariotti, F. (2017). 1 - Vegetarian diets: definitions and pitfalls in interpreting literature on health effects of vegetarianism. In Vegetarian and plant-based diets in health and disease prevention (pp. 3–10). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803968-7.00001-0.
De Boeck, E., Jacxsens, L., Vanoverberghe, P., & Vlerick, P. (2019). Method triangulation to assess different aspects of food safety culture in food service operations. Food research international, 116, 1103–1112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2018.09.053.
Decataldo, A., & Fiore, B. (2018). Is eating in the school canteen better to fight overweight? A sociological observational study on nutrition in Italian children. Children and Youth Services Review, 94, 246–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.10.002.
Derqui, B., Fernandez, V., & Fayos, T. (2018). Towards more sustainable food systems. Addressing food waste at school canteens. Appetite, 129, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.06.022.
Edwards, J. S. A. (2013). The foodservice industry: eating out is more than just a meal. Food Quality and Preference, 27(2), 223–229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2012.02.003.
FAO. (2012). Sustainable diets and biodiversity: directions and solutions for policy, research and action. FAO.
Figueira, N., Curtain, F., Beck, E., & Grafenauer, S. (2019). Consumer understanding and culinary use of legumes in Australia. Nutrients, 11(7), 1575. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071575.
Fusi, A., Guidetti, R., & Azapagic, A. (2016). Evaluation of environmental impacts in the catering sector: the case of pasta. Journal of Cleaner Production, 132, 146–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.074.
Garnett, T. (2011). Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)? Food Policy, 36, S23–S32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.10.010.
Graça, J., Godinho, C. A., & Truninger, M. (2019). Reducing meat consumption and following plant-based diets: current evidence and future directions to inform integrated transitions. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 91, 380–390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2019.07.046.
Hallström, E., Carlsson-Kanyama, A., & Börjesson, P. (2015). Environmental impact of dietary change: a systematic review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 91, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.12.008.
Jaenicke, H., & Virchow, D. (2013). Entry points into a nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Food Security, 5(5), 679–692. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-013-0293-5.
Jones, K., Pfeifer, K., & Castillo, G. (2019). Chapter 2—trends in the global food system and implications for institutional foodservice. In S. E. Thottathil & A. M. Goger (Eds.), Institutions as Conscious Food Consumers (pp. 21–46). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813617-1.00002-2.
Lang, T., & Rayner, G. (2012). Ecological public health: the 21st century’s big idea? An essay by Tim Lang and Geof Rayner. BMJ, 345(aug21 1), e5466. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e5466.
Lascialfari, M., Magrini, M.-B., & Triboulet, P. (2019). The drivers of product innovations in pulse-based foods: insights from case studies in France, Italy and USA. Journal of Innovation Economics Management, 28(1), 111–143.
Le Velly, R., & Bréchet, J.-P. (2011). The market as a meeting-place for working out regulations: initiatives and innovations in the supply of organic and local produce to institutional catering businesses. Sociologie du travail, 53(4), 24–492. https://doi.org/10.4000/sdt.10082.
Magrini, M.-B., Anton, M., Cholez, C., Corre-Hellou, G., Duc, G., Jeuffroy, M.-H., Meynard, J.-M., Pelzer, E., Voisin, A.-S., & Walrand, S. (2016). Why are grain-legumes rarely present in cropping systems despite their environmental and nutritional benefits? Analyzing lock-in in the French agrifood system. Ecological Economics, 126, 152–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.03.024.
Magrini, M.-B., Anton, M., Chardigny, J.-M., Duc, G., Duru, M., Jeuffroy, M.-H., Meynard, J.-M., Micard, V., & Walrand, S. (2018). Pulses for sustainability: breaking agriculture and food sectors out of lock-in. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2018.00064.
Marlow, H. J., Harwatt, H., Soret, S., & Sabaté, J. (2015). Comparing the water, energy, pesticide and fertilizer usage for the production of foods consumed by different dietary types in California. Public Health Nutrition, 18(13), 2425–2432. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980014002833.
Martin-Rios, C., Demen-Meier, C., Gössling, S., & Cornuz, C. (2018). Food waste management innovations in the foodservice industry. Waste Management, 79, 196–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.07.033.
Melendrez-Ruiz, J., Buatois, Q., Chambaron, S., Monnery-Patris, S., & Arvisenet, G. (2019). French consumers know the benefits of pulses, but do not choose them: an exploratory study combining indirect and direct approaches. Appetite, 141, 104311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.06.003.
Meynard, J.-M., Jeuffroy, M.-H., Le Bail, M., Lefèvre, A., Magrini, M.-B., & Michon, C. (2017). Designing coupled innovations for the sustainability transition of agrifood systems. Agricultural Systems, 157, 330–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2016.08.002.
Morgan, K., & Sonnino, R. (2007). Empowering consumers: the creative procurement of school meals in Italy and the UK. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2006.00552.x.
Niva, M., Vainio, A., & Jallinoja, P. (2017). Barriers to increasing plant protein consumption in western populations. In Vegetarian and Plant-Based Diets in Health and Disease Prevention (pp. 157–171). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-803968-7.00010-1.
Orlando, F., Spigarolo, R., Alali, S., & Bocchi, S. (2019). The role of public mass catering in local foodshed governance toward self-reliance of Metropolitan regions. Sustainable Cities and Society, 44, 152–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.10.013.
Peoples, M. B., Hauggaard-Nielsen, H., Huguenin-Elie, O., Jensen, E. S., Justes, E., & Williams, M. (2019). Chapter 8—The contributions of legumes to reducing the environmental risk of agricultural production. In G. Lemaire, P. C. D. F. Carvalho, S. Kronberg, & S. Recous (Eds.), Agroecosystem Diversity (pp. 123–143). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811050-8.00008-X.
Pérole, G. (2017). À Mouans-Sartoux, une restauration collective issue intégralement de l’agriculture biologique depuis 2012. Agronomie, Environnement & Sociétés, 7(1), 119–124.
Poux, X., & Aubert, P.-M. (2018). An agroecological Europe in 2050: Multifunctional agriculture for healthy eating. IDDRI-AScA.
Praly, C., Chazoule, C., Delfosse, C., Saleilles, S., & Miehe, A. (2012). Chapitre 8. Repenser l’échelle d’approvisionnement des cantines. In A. H. Pringent-Simonin & C. Hérault-Fournier (Eds.), Au plus près de l’assiette (Editions Quæ ed., pp. 169–186) 264p.
Sabaté, J. (2019). Environmental nutrition: connecting health and nutrition with environmentally sustainable diets (354p). Academic Press Elsevier.
Solagro. (2019). Le revers de notre assiette. Changer d’alimentation pour préserver notre santé et notre environnement, Bionutrinet/INRA.
Stahlbrand, L. (2016). The food for life catering mark: implementing the sustainability transition in university food procurement. Agriculture-Basel, 6(3), UNSP 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture6030046.
Tsui, E. K., & Morillo, A. (2016). How cooks navigate nutrition, hunger and care in public-sector foodservice settings. Public Health Nutrition, 19(5), 946–954. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015002086.
Vainio, A., Niva, M., Jallinoja, P., & Latvala, T. (2016). From beef to beans: eating motives and the replacement of animal proteins with plant proteins among Finnish consumers. Appetite, 106, 92–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.03.002.
van der Weele, C., Feindt, P., Jan van der Goot, A., van Mierlo, B., & van Boekel, M. (2019). Meat alternatives: an integrative comparison. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 88, 505–512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2019.04.018.
Vieux, F., Dubois, C., Allegre, L., Mandon, L., Ciantar, L., & Darmon, N. (2013). Dietary standards for school catering in France: serving moderate quantities to improve dietary quality without increasing the food-related cost of meals. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 45(6), 533–539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2013.02.004.
Vieux, F., Dubois, C., Duchêne, C., & Darmon, N. (2018). Nutritional quality of school Meals in France: impact of guidelines and the role of protein dishes. Nutrients, 10, 205. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10020205.
WWF. (2017). Vers une alimentation bas carbone, saine et abordable. https://www.wwf.fr/sites/default/files/doc-2020-11/MAJ201905_Rapport_Vers-une-alimentation-bas-carbone_Volet1_WWF.pdf
Xerfi. (2015). La restauration collective. Réf. 4SCO09.
Acknowledgements
Authors acknowledge all the participants in the elaboration of this study and the respondents to the interviews and the survey. Particular acknowledgements are addressed to Muriel Gineste from CISALI, and Marie-Joseph Amiot-Carlin from INRAE, the French Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and everyone who helped us to diffuse it, and Alice Thomson-Thibault for her helpful comments and English editing of the manuscript.
Funding
This work was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 727672 for the LEGVALUE (Fostering sustainable legume-based farming systems and agrifeed and food chains in the EU) project 2017-2021.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Conceptualization: M-B. Magrini, H. Fernandez-Inigo, A. Doré
Data curation: M-B. Magrini, H. Fernandez-Inigo, O. Pauly
Formal analysis: all authors
Funding acquisition: M-B. Magrini
Investigation: M-B. Magrini, H. Fernandez-Inigo
Methodology: M-B. Magrini, H. Fernandez-Inigo, O. Pauly
Project administration: M-B. Magrini, H. Fernandez-Inigo
Resources: all authors
Supervision: M-B. Magrini
Validation: all authors
Visualization: M-B. Magrini, O. Pauly
Writing — original draft: M-B. Magrini, H. Fernandez-Inigo
Writing — review and editing: all authors
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval
The authors addressed a survey with legal mentions concerning the fact that the collected data were for the exclusive use of researchers; the analysis respects data anonymization; and that in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Informatics and Liberty law, respondents had the right to access, rectify, oppose and delete the information provided.
Consent to participate
The survey was freely answered by voluntary participants
Consent for publication
Authors consent for the publication of this article
Conflicts of interest
The author declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
ESM 1
(DOCX 84 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Magrini, MB., Fernandez-Inigo, H., Doré, A. et al. How institutional food services can contribute to sustainable agrifood systems? Investigating legume-serving, legume-cooking and legume-sourcing through France in 2019. Rev Agric Food Environ Stud 102, 297–318 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41130-021-00146-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41130-021-00146-y