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Beverages and snacks

Why

They can be easy, accessible sources of nutrition to provide sustenance between meals. Beverages and snacks can complete your clientele’s nutritional needs for the day. However, these foods provide little nutritional value and require a lot of energy to produce. In addition, they are often individually packaged in plastic, which is a large source of waste. Switching to more sustainable snacks and beverages that are sourced and served in bulk could not only allow for nutritional satiety, but also reduced environmental impact.

How can I change?

The sustainable choice is often the healthy choice: for example, raw, seasonal fruits and vegetables have minimal packaging and provide good nutritional value. Ideally, a sustainable snack or beverage can be a source of protein along with fibre (if tolerated) to sustain clients until their next meal. It is easy to introduce new kinds of vegetal protein as snacks, which can help reduce the quantity of protein you need to provide in main meals.

Beverages

Beverages
water, tea, coffee, flavoured/sugar sweetened beverages
Plant-based water
maple, coconut
Juice
homemade with fibre, 100% fruit and/or vegetable, no sugar added
Smoothie
100% fruit and vegetable, no sugar added, with plant-based protein, with animal protein (egg, dairy)
Fermented drinks
kombucha, kefir, kvass
Milk
plant-based (soy, oat, rice, almond, cashew), dairy

Prepare

Avoid single-use individual plastic and cartons. Instead of serving plastic bottles, fill a pitcher or dispenser with tap water.

Choose

  • Look for labels such as Canada Organic or USDA organic, which guarantee that the product is organically produced.
  • Sugar should not be the main ingredient, and salt should not be among the main ingredients.
  • Beverages that use whole ingredients.

Did you know

Simply cut up local fruits or vegetables such as strawberries, watermelons, cucumbers and place in a large water dispenser. Sliced oranges, lemons and limes are other good options.

Recipe idea!

Discover our infused water!

Download the recipe

Snacks

Fruits
raw, blended, frozen, dried
Dips for vegetables
hummus, nut butters, baba ghanoush, labneh, etc.
Quick snacks
popcorn, crackers, nuts, pudding and yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, cheese slices or cubes, protein sandwich
Dried/roasted beans
roasted chickpeas, edamame, fava beans
Sweets
homemade, outsourced

Prepare

Serve in bulk. When possible, buy in large quantities and serve in smaller portions on re-usable serving trays.

Cook

Add protein to increase the nutritional value. Prioritize plant-based sources of protein, such as soy powder, nuts and seeds. This will sustain your clientele until their next meal.

Choose

  • Products made with whole ingredients.
  • Avoid products that contain unsustainable oils. Palm oil is particularly damaging for the environment.
  • Avoid 0% fat products. Fat-reduced products usually contain additives such as thickening agents, artificial sweeteners, and higher amounts of salt and sugar to enhance flavour.

Did you know

Dips are relatively simple to make: this allows you to control the nutritional content and reduce plastic waste.

For instance, mix yogourt with herbs and spices (such as dill, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper) for a quick and easy dip.

Recipe idea!

Discover our hummus!

Download the recipe

Toolbox

See our appendices for more information on the beverages and snacks chapter

Download appendices

DOWNLOAD THE CHAPTER!

Choose sustainable beverages & snacks

Download Chapter 10: Beverages and snacks

Download the guide

This document aims to support the creation of sustainable menus in the food service sector, a step by step approach. It offers relevant tools to reduce the environmental impact of the food served and contribute to socio-economic development.

Next chapter

Supplements