So good! How to eat sustainably on the mountain

December 25, 2019

When it comes to eating, sustainability means less food waste, more seasonal and regional products, and avoidance of unnecessary plastic packaging. The Mountain Food operations at the SkiArena are committed to these principles. 

Why are there no PET bottles at the mountain restaurants?

As a catering label, Mountain Food aims to leave behind as little plastic as possible and keep nature uncluttered by waste. This is because when plastic decomposes into microparticles, it can make its way into the water cycle and from there, by the act of eating, into humans. This is, why there are no beverages in PET bottles at the mountain restaurants.

How else is plastic waste being reduced?

By relying on plastic-free alternatives at the mountain restaurants: coffee cream containers, takeaway cartons, sugar packets, stirring sticks, bottles – plastic has been done away with wherever possible. Even ketchup and mayonnaise come in small glass dishes. Plastic-free alternatives are also rigorously used for the packaging of takeaway items and for single-use tableware. 

What does “KM Zero” mean? 

On the menus of the Mountain Food catering operations, items made with products from Andermatt and Sedrun are denoted with the label “KM Zero”. This means that they come from local producers, have travelled as short a distance as possible, and in that way have a small environmental footprint. Many ingredients and foodstuffs are manufactured in the restaurants and are therefore house-made. For instance, Mountain Food operates a local pasta-making facility, a confectionery, and its own bakery. The guiding principle: Where possible, Mountain Food uses ingredients from the region and produces as much as possible in-house.

Do the mountain restaurants also have vegetarian options?

Yes, every set lunch menu at the Mountain Food restaurants also has vegetarian choices. Several mountain restaurants are now also offering veggie burgers. If a dish contains meat, it usually comes from the village butcher shop. 

What are the restaurants doing to prevent food waste? 

Food is reused and recycled as far as possible. For example, old bread is brought to the production facility and processed into new products, such as breadcrumbs for cutlets, croutons, or bread dumplings. In addition, the restaurants place their orders with suppliers in a way that minimises the amount of perishable products that might have to be thrown away. This means that fewer products are ordered at a time. Finally, there are methods in place to exchange goods between the Mountain Food operations.

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