7 Tips for Choosing a Sustainable Wedding (or Any Event) Menu

As promised, here are tips for choosing a sustainable wedding (or any event) menu, whether you do the cooking or have someone do it.

What is a Sustainable Wedding or Event Menu?

Loosely defined, it's a menu that uses local and/or organic ingredients so that the Earth's resources are sustained more than depleted or contaminated. Local food can be, or not be, organic (grown without pesticides or other chemicals), and organic food can be, but often isn't, local, as it's often shipped from far away. This is changing as increasing areas of the country and the world grow organic and an increasing number of food businesses of every type are turning to sustainable food due to increasing numbers of people becoming more aware of the food they put in their bodies.

It's Too Much

The issue seems overwhelming, especially if you already have to plan an event. But it's better to do even ONE thing to make your wedding or event more sustainable than to do nothing at all as the Earth's resources have been tremendously depleted already. What can you do? Read on.

7 Ideas for Making Your Menu More Sustainable

Use or ask your caterer if you can use local/organic/seasonal/sustainable food. An increasing number of food professionals are willing to do so. It's up to consumers to begin demanding fresher, healthier, and better-tasting food.

Find out what's seasonal for your event date (see www.sustainabletable.org and www.about.com on local food for your area). Many areas with warm climates can grow produce all year-round.

Request antibiotic-free meat, chicken, or pork. Some meats are local and that's good too. Grass-fed is also great, lower in fat than corn-fed, and has immune-building and other health benefits.

If you serve fish, check out www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx for a list of sustainable fish (fish that hasn't been overfished or hasn't been contaminated, such as with mercury). We use mostly tilapia, mahi mahi, and wild-caught salmon. If you want to serve shellfish or other seafood, avoid farmed as their water is treated with antibiotics, and also avoid seafood imported from Asia as it is often treated with substances and is flown in from very far away.

Use or ask to use hormone-free or organic dairy, and check out any local cheesemakers as these often use hormone-free and/or organic operations.

If you serve coffee, tea, or chocolate desserts, you can use fair-trade, which ensures they weren't produced in terrible slave labor conditions in developing countries.

Price?

Organic produce is more expensive because it's more expensive to grow. Local produce can be cheaper because it's not shipped from far away (gasoline prices), so check out farmers' markets; but for lowest prices and excellent quality. the farmers' restaurant outlets in many cities that also sell to the public are your (or the caterer's) best bet. Organic, antibiotic-free, and grass-fed meats are more expensive; grass-fed is the less expensive of the three (but many grass-fed operations are organic too as the owners don't want to contaminate the livestock with anything). Organic and hormone-free dairy is more expensive than regular dairy. Fair-trade sugar and chocolate is not much more than regular (but fair-trade coffee is pricey).

As more people demand fresh and healthier food, more food businesses will turn to these foods and more local operations will be able to provide to caterers, hotels, restaurants, and other food businesses.

If you can only do one thing, buy or have catered with local produce as this can actually lower your event cost and encourages sustainable farming and local business. But do whatever your budget and time will allow. Your taste buds and the Planet will thank you.

Warmly,

Kristina

Kristina Ríos de Lumbreras, Ph.D.
Director of Sales and Operations/Event Manager
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
info@fandango-catering.com
www.fandango-catering.com