Sustainability / Environment

160 NGOs Urge Egypt to Serve Plant-Rich Food at COP27

Food awareness organisations ProVeg International and 50by40 are leading a group of 160 NGOs which is calling for Egypt to serve plant-rich food at COP27.

The NGOs have sent a joint letter to the Egyptian COP27 steering group suggesting that delegates attending the ten-day climate conference should be served plant-based meals throughout. They emphasise that Egyptian cuisine would be ideally suited because it is rich in plant foods.

“In a time of climate crisis and growing hunger, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, it is a moral imperative to serve food that has the least climate footprint and allows for global equitable food distribution,” said Lasse Bruun, CEO of 50by40.

COP27 Food Systems Pavilion
Image: UN

Food pavilions at COP27

For the first time ever, this year’s COP summit will feature pavilions dedicated to food system change. ProVeg will host a pavilion called Food4Climate under the banner Diet Change Not Climate Change, promoting plant-based food systems as a form of climate policy.

A coalition of 15 other food organisations, including Clim-Eat, Coalition of Action for Soil Health (CA4SH), and GFI, will host the Food Systems Pavilion. This pavilion will suggest solutions that span the entire food value chain, aiming to transform food from a cause of climate change to a solution.

“Egypt will be setting a fantastic example for future COP events by serving more plant-based meals to delegates. With the country’s culinary heritage, Egypt also has the advantage in that its diet has always been anchored in legumes, vegetables, and grains, out of which come delicious and nutritious meals,” said Raphael Podselver, Head of UN Advocacy at ProVeg International.

COP27 will take place in Sharm El Sheikh from November 6–18.

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