S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy: What Makes a Sustainable Dish?

Open to chefs aged 18-30, the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition seeks to identify the best young chefs around the world, showcase their talent and accelerate their professional development. Through the Social Responsibility Award, The SRA and the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy aim to encourage, support, recognise and celebrate sustainability practices within the next generation of influential chefs, driving positive change and leveraging the power and influence of chefs to build a better food system for everyone. 

How do we judge the SPYCA Social Responsibility Award? 

Across the span of their careers, chefs have the power to accelerate the pace of change towards a more sustainable food system and combat some of the most pressing issues of our time. With this in mind, the Social Responsibility Award serves to encourage young chefs, early in their careers, ‘to lead as well as feed’. 

Based on our work over the last 15 years, the team at The SRA has developed an understanding of what sustainability within foodservice looks like – we know there are many ways in which every chef and every dish can contribute to creating a better food future. Using our expertise and insights from creating our Food Made Good Framework, we developed a unique judging framework for the Social Responsibility Award. To ensure that our process remains up to date and relevant, we reviewed and updated the judging criteria for the SPYCA Social Responsibility Award in 2024.  

So what actually goes into creating a sustainable dish? To judge the submissions for this competition, we developed eight criteria spanning three pillars – Sourcing, Society and Environment. These criteria are: Resource Use, Climate Impact, Biodiversity, Food Waste, Nutrition, Collaboration, Advocacy and Innovation. 

THE CRITERIA

1. Resource use 

Does the dish use resources responsibly and avoid the use of disposable materials? We look for recipes that minimise the use of sous-vide methods, piping bags, tin foil, plastic and single use wrappings, and that seek innovative ways to employ reusable or edible materials for preparation. We also reward cooking methods that maximise energy efficiency (e.g., using ovens during warm up/cool down) and/or use renewable energy sources, and those that conserve and reuse water from preparation.  

2. Climate Impact 

Does the dish use ingredients with a low climate impact? Here, we’re looking for local and seasonal produce, veg-led ingredient lists and dishes that avoid (or reduce) the use of resource-intensive ingredients that cause land use change. Dishes should align with Planetary Health Diet recommendations in terms of food groups, prioritising vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins like legumes, beans and pulses. 

3. Biodiversity    

Does the dish use a diverse variety of ingredients and species beyond the mainstream? This could mean using sustainable seafood options, indigenous varieties and heritage breeds, ensuring that no endangered species are included, and avoiding deforestation across the supply chain. We also reward dishes with ingredients sourced from organic or regenerative farms and those certified by Fairtrade, the Rainforest Alliance, RSPO or RTRS. 

4. Food waste    

Does the dish reduce preparation and spoilage waste by using up or repurposing uncommon parts of the ingredient? Here, we’re on the look-out for recipes that are developed with minimising waste in mind. This can mean using every part of an ingredient, unusual cuts and/or surplus produce, utilising preservation techniques like pickling and fermenting, and making use of commonly wasted items such as stalks, bones, skins and offal. We’re also looking for chefs who are aware of best practice disposal methods for food waste. 

5. Nutrition      

Does the dish cater inclusively for the health and wellbeing of all diners? For example, we’re looking for dishes that do not contain excessive amounts of salt, saturated fats or sugar, and instead favour nutrient-dense whole foods, such as leafy greens and seaweeds. We reward dishes that cater to allergies and align with Planetary Health Diet recommendations in terms of nutrients. 

6. Collaboration    

Does the chef recognise that nothing can succeed in isolation? We’re eager to reward chefs who are conscious of training and working closely with suppliers, producers and growers – those who forge connections across the broader industry and seek opportunities to nurture their own network. 

7. Advocacy     

Does the chef wear their sustainability credentials with pride and aspire to influence the wider industry, colleagues and diners? We’re out to find chefs who share their knowledge, skills and tips, and who shout about their sustainability efforts publicly. 

8. Innovation  

Does the chef bring something new to the sustainability challenge and think outside the box to minimise the impact of the food they’re serving? In this final section, we’re looking for chefs who are using new practices that help to overcome sustainability challenges with creativity: for example, making use of uncommon ingredients, adopting techniques that extend shelf-life or designing a dish that tells a story. 

You can learn more about our Project work here. Technical guidance on how we score submissions to the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Competition Social Responsibility Award is available on request.