Wagamama today launches its ‘Plant Pledge’ a campaign to encourage guests to eat more plant-based dishes in response to helping tackle climate change.
Following the UN’s recent IPCC report, which demands urgent and collective action globally, and in the lead up to the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow this November, the pan Asian restaurant has announced the initiative to empower the nation to eat more plants - dubbed one of the most powerful actions to tackle climate change.
Research at Oxford University (Poore & Nemeçek 2018) found that reducing meat and dairy could be the ‘single biggest way’ to reduce our environmental impact on earth, lessening an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73 per cent.
An Attest survey commissioned by Wagamama has also revealed eighty per cent of us acknowledge eating more plants is important to curbing climate change. However, many of those questioned said there remain obstacles to switching to a plant-based diet including not wanting to give up favourite meat dishes (36.1%), the taste is not as good (29.8%) and there’s not enough choice (26.4%).
In line with the publication of the Wagamama survey results Global Executive Chef Steve Mangleshot and his team have devised innovative plant-based menus over the years and are proud to announce that from October 6, 50 percent of the menu will be officially plant-based; a commitment made during Veganuary 2021.
Wagamama is urging guests to pledge a ‘small choice for big change’, whether that’s trialling plant-based for the first time or making one meal a week plant-based. As part of the Plant Pledge, wagamama will encourage trial and get people started on their journey by offering a free vegan side when they join.
CEO Thomas Heier said, “At wagamama we’re making choices big and small at a business level to tread more lightly on the planet. Now, it’s time we use our platform to ask guests to join that journey with us.
“We believe in the collective power of small choices for big change. Whether that’s taking part in meat-free Monday or committing to Veganuary next year, we want to offer the support to those guests who are wanting to make that change.”
Friends of the Earth supports wagamama’s Plant Pledge. Clare Oxborrow, Senior Sustainability Analyst at Friends of the Earth, said, “Broadening menus so that plant-based food is the first option, or a desirable one, is a great thing to do.
'The more people that realise that it isn’t a compromise, and that these dishes are tasty and flavour-packed, the more appetite there will be to widen menus even further.
“Eating less and better dairy and meat is really important as we confront the climate and nature crises. The Plant Pledge campaign is well placed to dispel the notion that food that’s kind to the planet isn’t appealing, so it’s a really welcome one.
“More establishments will see that this initiative from Wagamama is successful, and we encourage them to follow suit in making plant-based options both accessible and crucially, delicious.
Innovative Wagamama launched its first vegan menu on the high street in 2017 putting plant-based eating on a pedestal and driving accessibility to it’s mass audience.
Since then Wagamama has launched a vegan katsu curry, collaborated with vegan innovator Gaz Oakley to launch the vegan ‘egg’, brought a watermelon ‘tuna’ dish to Wagamama benches and most recently mushrooms for vegan Chilli ‘Squid’.
Steve Mangelshot said, “We are continuing to make the shift towards plants by consistently bringing irresistible vegan bowls to Wagamama benches.”