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Environmental sustainability

Digital Menus in Food Services Show Promise for Sustainability

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research conducted by Hasan Kalyoncu University's Faculty of Health Sciences, Dept. of Nutrition and Dietetics has demonstrated the potential of digital menus in food services for achieving sustainability. The study, published in Food Science & Nutrition, used a menu planning program to calculate the sustainability criteria of digital menus and compared them with the Turkish National Menu Planning Guide (TNMPG) and internet-accessible menus (IAM). The findings indicate that digital menus can be prepared quickly and easily achieve sustainability criteria, making them a viable option for food services.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study aimed to evaluate the sustainability of digital program menus (DPMs) and compare them with the Turkish National Menu Planning Guide (TNMPG) and internet-accessible menus (IAM).
  • A menu planning program was developed in Microsoft Excel to calculate the sustainability criteria (carbon footprint, water footprint, NRF 9.3, SAIN-LIM, and cost) of the menus with the recommendations of the TNMPG.
  • The digital menus were compared with the sustainability criteria of the TNMPG sample menus and menus accessed from the internet, with significant findings on carbon and water footprints.
  • The study concluded that digitalization could provide great benefits in service, as digital menus in food services can be prepared in a very short time, and sustainability criteria can be easily achieved.
  • The research team, led by Nida Nur Adiyan, comprised Yasemin Beyhan and Taygun Dayi from Hasan Kalyoncu University.

Statistics:

  • The study found that digital menus had a carbon footprint similar to the sample menus of the TNMPG (p = 0.05).
  • The II-type meals of the kindergarten menu of DPM and the IV-type meals of the hospital menu of IAM were found to have greater water footprints (p < 0.05).
  • The study released its findings in Food Science & Nutrition, 2025;13(9).

Sources:

  • Evaluation of the Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint, Nutrient Profiles and Cost of Sustainable Menus Planned With Digital Modeling. Food Science & Nutrition, 2025;13(9).
  • NewsRx. New Sustainability Research Findings Has Been Reported by Investigators at Hasan Kalyoncu University (Evaluation of the Carbon Footprint, Water Footprint, Nutrient Profiles and Cost of Sustainable Menus Planned With Digital Modeling). Ecology, Environment & Conservation. October 31, 2025; p 388.

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