Sustainable dining: Meeting consumer demand today
Sustainable dining: Meeting consumer demand today
The right GPO (group purchasing organization) acts as an extension of an operator’s procurement team — delivering competitive pricing and reliable quality.
From day-to-day operations to more complex CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) mandates, a GPO like Entegra provides advisory services and client support to help you achieve your sustainability goals.
Foodservice plays a critical role in CSR, especially as consumer demand continues to grow for more sustainable, healthier dining options.
Before we dive into part two of our conversation with Entegra’s CSR lead, Jeanie Johnson (you can catch part one here), let’s level set with a quick definition from a recent report from BITE and Datassential:
Why does sustainable dining matter?
The data shows:
- 88% of eaters say they feel knowledgeable about at least one way of eating sustainably (+5% from the year prior)
- 75% of consumers say they’re already eating sustainable foods (+7% from the year prior)
- 84% of Gen Z eat sustainable foods at least once a week (+6% from the year prior)
- 79% of Millennials eat sustainable foods regularly (+7% from the year prior)
Meanwhile, the shift to more sustainable dining poses challenges for operators. Higher costs, concerns about flavor and lower guest satisfaction are the main roadblocks operators say they face.1
Let’s dive deeper with Entegra’s CSR lead, Jeanie Johnson.
Read more: Achieve profit and sustainability goals
Q. How can operators feel confident in providing more sustainable dining options, like plant-forward dishes, to their guests?
Jeanie: Well-executed plant-forward dishes — like any dish — should be centered on great taste, first and foremost.
Research shows that personal priorities such as health, financial well-being and convenience are stronger motivators than environmental concerns.2 Entegra Culinary Consulting keeps this in mind when talking with clients about responsible ingredient sourcing.
In addition to support from our client services team, Entegra Culinary Consulting regularly helps clients bring craveable, sustainable-forward menu items that align with what today’s clients want.
Watch: How Entegra Culinary Consulting works
Q. Is offering sustainable dining options always more expensive for operators?
Jeanie: One of the many advantages of working with a GPO like Entegra is being able to create dishes that may have previously been perceived as less profitable.
Our clients leverage Entegra’s $50B in annual purchasing power to source wellness-minded ingredients and dishes, from low-cost bean and legume-based high-protein bowls to classic high-protein dishes like responsibly raised beef.
Q. How does food waste factor into sustainable dining?
Jeanie: Tackling food waste is not only ethical and climate-smart, but also a strategic business move.
Food waste accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.3 But the price we pay doesn't stop there. Food waste is a silent killer of profit margins. So, tackling food waste drives cost efficiency.
At Entegra, we support reducing food waste throughout the entire life cycle, from sourcing to operations to end use. For example, Leanpath, a valued Entegra supplier partner, helps operators reduce food waste, cut costs and improve efficiency. Denali, another Entegra supplier partner, helps clients close the loop with recycling and composting solutions tailored to their operations.
Using data to drive smarter decisions and real cost savings, supplier partners like these support Entegra clients in innovative, real-world ways that make sustainability easier to act on.
Q: Please share one example of how Entegra ensures responsible sourcing.
Jeanie: Responsible sourcing starts with giving our clients access to vetted, sustainability- third-partyrd suppliers and services. We use several third party tools to help with that — EcoVadis is just one example.
It evaluates suppliers across important CSR areas like environmental impact, sustainable procurement, ethics and human rights, so operators have more confidence in who they’re working with.
Ready to set — or reset — your sustainability strategy? Contact us.
Sources
1. Closing the gap: Eater & operator perspectives on sustainable living. BITE: Building Impact Through Eaters in collaboration with Datassential, 2025.
2. Healthy & Sustainable Living Report 2025. GlobeScan, 2025.