As we celebrate International Chefs Day with the theme ‘Healthy food for the future’, here’s a question--are we ready to embrace veganism?

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Mona

Desperate times call for desperate measures…the pandemic that brought human life to its knees has changed the world view about how we live. In a drastic measure the three-Michelin star restaurant Eleven Madison Park in New York chose to go all vegan. Its chef Daniel Humm has made a call not only towards a sustainable future but also taking steps towards curbing food insecurity.

The pre-summit of the United Nations Food Systems called for “healthier, more sustainable and equitable food system” by 2030, making a push for more plant-based food consumption to combat climate change.

Catch them young

Are our eating habits set to alter keeping in mind those sustainability goals? This year’s theme for International Chefs Day is ‘Healthy food for the future’, which focuses on ensuring a healthy planet for future generations, while aiming to teach children about food production and its effect on the environment. “As a part of the workshops, a toolkit has been prepared to encourage children to turn everyday recipes into appetising food that is enjoyable and nutritious,” says Chandigarh-based chef Krishan Hari.

“Plant-based diet is on the rise and now is the time to encourage children to go for it. Their immune systems are still developing and getting the right nutrients and vitamins through a proper diet will help them in the future which in turn will help the planet,” he adds, listing plant-based meat, algae, edible food packaging, lab-grown meat, fungi and mushrooms to be the future of food.”

Return to the roots

Celebrity Chef Sweety Singh announces it to be the return of the good-old Indian cuisine. “Having had enough of pastas and pizzas, Indian cuisine restaurants are fast picking up. Indian food is healthy and satisfying; being plant-based it is full of nutrition, and is immunity booster as well.”

Vocal for local

Chef Vikas Chawla vouches for local produce. “The craze for imported food has been replaced by local produce that offers health benefits and also sustainability.”

As the world gears towards meat-free, dairy-free meals, what happens to the Punjabi butter chicken and meat fad? “Punjabi food was vegetarian to begin with – saag, shalgam ka saag, dals, makki, bajra – it’s been simple food. Meat came with the Mughals,” he points out. “Millets like jawar and bajra are again coming back replacing rice and wheat,” he says.

Chef Richa Johri is working towards the changes admitting it’s been rather challenging to make the vegan shift as more and more people are ordering vegan meals. “The international forum at UN aims to have restaurants meat-free by 2030 as Earth doesn’t have enough water to continue to provide for meat-based diets. If Eleven Madison Park that has three Michelin stars can make the change, it probably is doable.”

Is meat the only culprit?

Celebrity Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi sees the trend in a different light. While he feels that the meat industry and its carbon footprint have been on the radar, other areas are being grossly overlooked. “Space travel has way more carbon footprint and batteries used in battery-operated cars would only go in the landfill. But since people want it, they are looking away.”

However, he admits that people have made a considerable shift from meat. “There’s been a shift toward vegetarianism but that doesn’t mean that’s the end of meat eaters,” says the Namak Shamak fame chef. He stresses on Indian cuisine and super foods that have long been a part of our daily diet. “Unfortunately, we notice super foods only when they show up on the shelves in fancy stores,” he says making a case for abundant natural produce and our food heritage to gain prominence in times to come.