Connecting local food system actors for climate-friendly public catering in Germany: Lessons learned from a transformative and transdisciplinary research project
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Climate-friendly nutrition is a pivotal subject for the future. The Climate-friendly Cafeterias (CliCa) project was initiated as a one-year transformative and transdisciplinary initiative to support the Karlsruhe (Germany) Climate Protection Concept 2030. Linked to this, the transformation goal of CliCa was to implement climate-friendly and sustainable measures (referred to as ‘levers’) in local cafeterias. These measures included increasing the share of organic, regional, seasonal, vegetarian, and vegan food, along with reducing food waste. The research goal (research question) was to identify the barriers for implementing levers. This was accompanied by the educational goal aimed to raise awareness among cafeteria staff and guests. The article presents the transdisciplinary design, addresses the research question, and evaluates the transformational goal by presenting outcomes (changes within the project duration) and impacts (changes after the project duration). Within the CliCa project, a heterogeneous network consisting of up to 40 actors was established, with a core group of 11 institutions engaging in regular participation. Two open questionnaires (N = 10 and N = 9) were conducted during the project’s duration, and eight follow-up interviews were conducted two years after the project’s conclusion. The data analysis revealed 10 key barriers to implementation and several measurable changes related to the identified levers. The most frequently cited barrier was ‘Guest acceptance,’ followed by ‘Missing/unclear framework conditions,’ ‘Lack of money,’ and ‘Higher price.’ The majority of barriers were mentioned in relation to the lever ‘Increasing the use of organically produced food.’ The findings of this study indicate that individual levers and barriers are interrelated and should be addressed in combination. With respect to the transformation goal, we conclude that establishing a stakeholder network with a focus on peer-to-peer counseling is particularly effective when participants encounter similar challenges and operate under comparable systemic conditions, such as infrastructure, acceptance by cafeteria guests, and economic frameworks.
Institution: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $500
OpenAlex ID: W7204475879