Introducing Food Made Good to Portuguese Hospitality with Nova SBE and Visit Cascais

Last month in Portugal, we delivered a three-part training programme designed to encourage sustainable practices among hospitality operators, providing the insights and guidance they needed to take action in a number of key areas. 

This project came about for a few reasons. While much of what we would call ‘sustainable practice’ is very aligned to traditional Portuguese culture and ways of working (for example, the practice of building strong relationships with suppliers and producers), there is a distinct lack of joined-up, collaborative thinking and practical frameworks for sustainability in hospitality. Businesses often work in silos without any shared language or structured guidance, and — as Western food culture becomes increasingly homogenised and supply chains grow more complex — there is a risk that these positive cultural ‘norms’ will be lost over time. What’s more, Portugal ranks among the top five producers of food waste per capita in Europe; since we know F&B is responsible for a large proportion of food waste, tackling this through the hospitality sector is likely to make a significant difference. 

The Cascais region also has the potential to become a leading destination for sustainable food tourism but, to accomplish this, operators need both practical guidance and a strong, evidence-based framework for what ‘good’ looks like in hospitality. To provide this, we partnered with Nova SBE’s Westmont Institute of Tourism & Hospitality to develop and deliver a collaborative, tailored three-part training programme, with welcome support from Visit Cascais. 

Developing the training programme 

We developed three sessions to support Portuguese restaurants, hotels, caterers and events facilities on their sustainability journey, providing education and training with tangible, practical solutions and toolkits for them to take away. The sessions focused on: 

These were delivered during Nova’s Universidade Excelerator Week, in which MSc students tackle real-world business challenges and pitch sustainability-driven ideas to a panel of experts. We engaged a cohort of hospitality businesses from across Portugal with over 100 F&B units represented, ensuring a significant impact for the sector. 

The programme featured two guest speakers: James Hacon, founder of Think Hospitality, and Lara Espírito Santo of SEM, Lisbon, a three-star Food Made Good certified restaurant. Using the Food Made Good Standard as a framework for understanding, action and improvement, we provided participants with helpful tools and peer learning to embed sustainability into day-to-day operations. We also took part in the judging panel for the students’ final presentations. 

Meanwhile, alongside the training programme, Nova SBE’s canteen served food waste-based dishes and opened its kitchen to showcase sustainable practices, and we even took part in filming a national documentary on restaurants and hotels working toward Food Made Good certification. 

Programme impact 

These sessions were highly successful, helping to shift local hospitality mindsets from abundance to purpose, quality and sustainability and accelerating restaurant engagement with environmental and social sustainability goals. Several operators left feeling ready to launch a food waste audit or start measuring their plate waste, and the seafood session, in particular, prompted people to dig deeper. We know from follow-up discussions that a number of tools and resources we shared have already been put to use. Many operators also expressed interest in completing the Food Made Good Standard, which will help to embed a robust and evidence-based approach to sustainability within the Portuguese hospitality sector. 

The programme supported a growing community of certified and sustainability-focused restaurants in Portugal and strengthened ties among the tourism, education and F&B communities in Portugal. It also sparked interest in future events and wider sector engagement. 

A follow-up survey was distributed to provide a snapshot of current practices and identify future focus areas, and carbon footprint data for the sessions is currently being collected to model the programme’s environmental impact. 

For us at The SRA, the experience really helped to confirm our working theory that practical, localised training supports meaningful change at business level. We found that there is a strong appetite in Portuguese hospitality for continued support, shared learning and community-led transformation, and that collaboration between education, tourism and sustainability networks unlocks momentum. This type of work feels impactful and incredibly rewarding, and we hope to replicate the format elsewhere. 

 
Our new waste training programme is delivered by our team of Sustainability Consultants, either in person or virtually for those outside the UK. Front- and back-of-house teams will get practical strategies to cut waste, with clear actions, real examples from our network, and resources tailored to help you waste less and save more.  

If your HR or L&D teams need to update digital training modules with the latest guidance, we can provide expert input to ensure your staff gets up-to-date advice — delivered in a way that works best for your team. Whatever the shape or size of your operation, we’ve got you covered! Email hello@thesra.org to book your session. 

Want our help in organising a specific, bespoke training programme to support sustainable hospitality? Reach out at hello@thesra.org.