Klüh Catering, a subsidiary of the Klüh Group, is a founding member of the Allianz für Verantwortungsvolle Esskultur (Alliance for Responsible Food Culture, AVE), which is now officially starting its work. The AVE is dedicated to the sustainable transformation of communal catering and focuses on close cooperation, innovative strategies and scientific support in order to develop practical solutions for an ecologically, socially and economically responsible food culture.
Membership of the AVE provides Klüh Catering with access to a new form of cooperation where practical knowledge is pooled and shared, and common challenges such as sustainable, regional procurement or further training concepts are tackled in the context of larger projects. In addition, best practices can be made more visible and accessible in practice-oriented formats for communal catering establishments.
To implement the common goal of a transparent and responsible food culture in communal catering and to make it measurable, the alliance works with a multidimensional system of indicators. This provides orientation for catering firms and stakeholders in politics, society, trade and agriculture, and combines ecological, social and economic aspects. The main objectives include increasing the share of organic produce to 40% of total purchases, a stronger commitment to plant-based foods at a share of 75%, the reduction of food waste, a clear focus on regional and seasonal products, fair trade practices and diner satisfaction.
Based on national and international recommendations and models, the indicator system is a prototype resulting from the collaboration of practitioners and scientific support in 2024. Rather than a rigid framework, it primarily serves as a flexible management tool.
“As one of the leading caterers in Germany, we see it as our task to develop innovative solutions for healthy and sustainable foods that benefit both people and the environment. The cooperation within the AVE is an important step for us in further strengthening our responsibility within communal catering and positively driving the necessary change processes”, says Thorsten Greth, Managing Director of Klüh Catering.
