The taste of COP15

14/12-2009 Marie Sauer-Johansen

“Go vegetarian and save the planet,” shouts a group of people outside the Bella Center. Inside, vegetarian food is just one of many options on a menu focused on protecting the environment by serving 65 pct. organic and seasonal food sourced in countries as close to Denmark as possible.

Brian Månsson is Deputy Manager at the catering department in the Bella Center and he is proud of the high percentage of organic food.

“It’s been quite a challenge to find enough organic food to meet the 65 pct. requirement set by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Especially, it has been hard to get enough organic meat which is scarce compared to organic vegetables, but because we stared ordering already a year ago, we’ve managed,” he says, standing in one of the four busy ‘Climate Kitchens’ that he runs.

There are two large permanent kitchens in the Bella Center, and another ten temporary kitchens have been built for the conference.

During the two-week conference delegates will chew their way through 10,000 organic chickens, 50 tons of potatoes, 2 tons of cous cous and five ton of fish, prepared by 100 chefs and served by 400 waitressing staff.

The menus are put together with an eye to the diverse cultural and religious needs of the guests and with an emphasis on dishes which can be prepared with seasonal Danish produce such as root crops, minimising CO2-emissions from food transports.

“We have tried to come up with something that everyone can eat, and have been inspired by cuisines from all over the world. We have at least one vegetarian dish every day and serve a lot of fish and lamb, instead of pork, which is traditionally used quite a lot in Danish cooking” says Mr. Månsson.

When it comes to drinks, there is a selection of organic soft drinks and Fair Trade teas and coffees. Bottled water is prohibited in order to minimise waste, and delegates can instead clench their thirst with clean tap-water from water coolers.