How were the recipes developed?

Recipes published in 2019

The recipes on our website are the result of a persistent, long-term development effort during the “Climate Sustainability in the Kitchen – Every­day Food Cul­tures in Trans­ition” project at the University of Helsinki in 2018 and 2019. The work of recipe developer Lilli Munck was supported by a working group. In addition to Lilli and project co-ordinator Pirjo Apell, the working group also included registered dietitian Lotta Pelkonen who ensured the nutritional balance of the recipes as well as environmental scientist Miia Komulainen who calculated the carbon footprint of each recipe.

In Spring 2019 the recipes were developed further in cooperation with food services. Working with public catering services as well as workplace and student cafeterias around Finland helped address challenges in the development process and ensure the suitability of the recipes for food service outlets of different types and sizes.

The per-portion carbon footprint has been calculated for each recipe. The calculations are based on a literature review and include the climate effects of the main course. The recipes are nutritionally balanced and in line with Finnish nutritional recommendations.

The “Climate Sustainability in the Kitchen” project was carried out at the University of Helsinki from 2018 to 2022 and was funded by the Kone Foundation.

Recipes published in 2024

The campaign’s second recipe project was carried out in 2023 and 2024. The recipes were developed by a team which included recipe developer and chef Aino Sihtola, coordinator Katri Loikkanen, nutritional expert Charlotta Hyttinen who specialises in plant-based collective dining, as well as environmental experts Miia Herzon and Pirjo Apell.

As in the previous project, the recipes were tested in collaboration with food services during the spring of 2024 to ensure their taste and functionality. The recipes were then further developed based on feedback. The carbon footprints were calculated using the same methods as in the previous project. The recipes are in line with the new official Finnish nutritional recommendation which will be pubilished in the autumn on 2024.