A Catalan initiative by Fundació Coma de Meià shows what happens when hospitality gets serious about waste and about people
What if a single dish could tell the whole story of a product with nothing left behind? That question is at the heart of the Green Recipe, a methodology born out of a genuine need in the restaurant sector and one that is already proving its worth in kitchens across Catalonia.
The premise is simple but demanding: design every menu and every à la carte dish around 100% use of each ingredient. No offcuts quietly discarded. No vegetable peel thrown away. Every part of every product finds a purpose on the plate.
Rooted in the land, driven by a mission
The Green Recipe was created by Fundació Coma de Meià, a foundation nestled in the heart of the Vall de Meià in Catalonia. Their mission reaches across ecology, agriculture and culture at once: to preserve and share the eco-agro-cultural and gastronomic heritage of their territory while driving sustainability and rural development. They build bridges between nature, gastronomy and Catalan culture and, with this project, they have built one of the most compelling bridges yet.
This project did not emerge from a boardroom. It arose from what restaurateurs were already living: the daily reality of food waste, rising costs and growing pressure to operate more responsibly. With funding from the Government of Catalonia and a network of committed partners, a dedicated team spent a full year working side by side with restaurants to develop, test and refine the methodology.
The results speak clearly. Across the establishments involved, food waste dropped by 30%, meaning that ultimately only what was truly unusable was discarded. Beyond the environmental impact, that reduction translated directly into a 25% decrease in food-related costs, with a measurable effect on the bottom line.
Six restaurants, one shared commitment
The project united six restaurants, ranging from the world-renowned El Celler de Can Roca to the Fundació Coma de Meià itself, all committed to the same cause. A practical guide was developed and rolled out across different types of establishments and food businesses, proving that the Green Recipe is not a concept reserved for fine dining. It works wherever people cook with intention.
The initiative also reached further: training was delivered to the network of cooks from the agricultural schools of Catalonia, planting seeds for a generation of professionals who will enter the industry with sustainability already built into their practice.
Cooking as a social act
The Green Recipe goes beyond the kitchen. A training restaurant was established as part of the project, one that has already provided meaningful work and real futures to two students at risk of social exclusion. Awareness-raising sessions on organic farming and its consumption rounded out an initiative that connects the food on your plate to the land it came from and the community it feeds.
Changing minds, one conversation at a time
Was it all straightforward? Not entirely. A handful of restaurateurs were initially hesitant, a natural reaction when asked to rethink processes that have long felt fixed. But the response from diners was immediate and warm. Guests did not just accept the new approach; they embraced it. And for those who needed more convincing, a calm and honest conversation about the project's purpose was enough to bring them on board.
The Green Recipe is not a pilot programme or a one-off experiment. It is a transferable, scalable methodology with proven results, ready to travel to any kitchen willing to ask the same question: what if we used all of it?
Watch the story
Is your restaurant ready to take the next step?
Green Key certified restaurants are already leading the way on sustainability. The Green Recipe shows just how far that leadership can go: less waste, lower costs, stronger community ties and a story your guests will want to hear. If you are a Green Key certified establishment, you have everything you need to bring this kind of thinking into your kitchen. What will your version of the Green Recipe look like?
Share your own sustainability story with us at Green Key International and inspire the hospitality community worldwide.
Global Action Days
This is what Global Action Days 2026 is all about: turning practical solutions into shared momentum. Initiatives like the Green Recipe show how sustainability can be embedded into everyday operations, delivering tangible environmental, economic, and social impact. As part of Global Action Days, we invite Green Key establishments and partners to take inspiration from this approach, whether by reducing food waste, rethinking resource use or engaging staff and guests in more responsible practices. Small, practical actions, taken together, are what drive meaningful change across our