ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
This article is part of the Research TopicFood Systems for Nutrition: Converging Economic, Social, and Environmental SustainabilityView all 24 articles
Engaging Chefs in Sustainable Practice Using Theory U to Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Food Waste
Provisionally accepted
- 1Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
- 2Brunel University London College of Engineering Design and Physical Sciences, London, United Kingdom
- 3Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom
- 4St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom
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This paper presents the findings of a pilot study that applied Theory U as a framework for a participatory workshop with chefs, focusing on changing menus to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and food waste. The primary aim of the study was to present findings from a workshop applying Theory U and evaluate the feasibility of collecting and analysing chefs' perspectives on barriers and opportunities for sustainable menu transformation. A secondary aim was to assess whether the workshop facilitated evidence of transformational learning loops among participants. The study suggests that rich data can be analysed and linked to other academic work in this space. For example, which other stakeholders influence menu transformation, how chefs currently prioritise menu decisions, and the frames of 'sustainable' and 'good' food. Evidence for transformational learning loops was found, but not for transformational change. The workshop, therefore, is conceptually practical as an entry point for working with chefs to increase their awareness of food systems and cocreate an understanding of the opportunities and barriers to menu transformation. Follow-up workshops are necessary to validate this pilot and to refine the data and analysis.
Keywords: Participatory action learning and action research (PALAR), menu engineering, Food system actors, sustainable transformation processes, Organisational Change, Hospitality and Food Service
Received: 05 Jun 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zick, Lawes-Johnson, Schmidt Rivera and Reynolds. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Andrea Zick, andrea.zick@brunel.ac.uk
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