Menu for the Future

In the Food Forum, we don’t just talk about the food of the future, we show that delicious, sustainable food really is possible.

Menu for the Future: sustainable, local and seasonal

It will only be possible to make sure that everyone has enough to eat in the future and that food is healthy, delicious and grown with respect for the planet if we change what we eat. Besides shifting to a more vegetable-based diet, it will be important for us to eat food that’s produced locally too – cutting the food footprint dramatically. But what does this involve and will supply be able to keep up with demand? The province of Flevoland asked head chef Sharon de Miranda to help it answer this question. She spent a number of months developing the Menu for the Future, which features honest, healthy dishes made from seasonal products, sourced locally, grown sustainably and produced for a reasonable price. It’s clear where all the ingredients used come from and the dishes are delicious and flavoursome.

The first in the Netherlands

The Menu for the Future is based on the 2050 food vision of the EAT-Lancet Commission. It wants everyone to have enough to eat and for this food to be safe, healthy and modern without exhausting the planet. Bureau Greendish has translated its vision into guidelines for a sustainable and healthy menu, with Dutch eating culture in mind. Food Forum is the first Dutch recipient of the Greendish 2050 Guidelines certificate – which it was awarded for its Menu for the Future.

Products grown and produced in Flevoland

Besides the composition of the menu itself, it’s also important to see how and where the ingredients used are grown and produced. Our head chef, Sharon de Miranda, set out to find suppliers with the Greendish guidelines in mind. It was a difficult but rewarding journey, culminating in a number of dishes made from seasonal products supplied by a whole host of suppliers based in Flevoland. As Sharon herself says: I think Food Forum is the best part of the Floriade park. We have put together a menu that the province of Flevoland can be really proud of”.

Vegetables in the starring role

The challenge of making sure that everyone has enough healthy food in the future and that it’s produced with respect for the planet means that we’ll need to make some changes to the food we eat. Fruit, vegetables, nuts and pulses will all need to take more of a starring role. We’ll still be able to eat meat, poultry, fish and dairy but less of it. In Food Forum, guests will get a taste of the delicious, flavoursome dishes you can make from ingredients like this.