The Roskilde Festival has set an ambitious goal to reduce the CO2 emissions from food to less than 0.75 kilograms per meal by 2025. The festival’s Head of Commerce and Gastronomy, Lene-Maria Toksværd, explains that the average last year was 1.1 kilograms of CO2 per meal, so the goal is within reach. To achieve this goal, the festival has intensified its efforts this year by using more plant-based ingredients and plant proteins. “If a dish contains lamb, beef, or veal, there can be a maximum of 80 grams of meat,” Toksværd explains.
Since 2018, the Roskilde Festival has mapped out the carbon footprint of its food, and they aim for all food at the festival to be 100 percent organic in the future. Last year, over 95 percent of the food was organic. Although the festival is moving towards a greener profile, they have no plans to become completely meat-free, as has been the case with the Northside Festival since 2022. “In order to maintain the conversation about meat and the issues that come with production, it is important for us to keep meat,” says Toksværd.
Food experiences play a significant role at the festival, and under the theme “Food is now,” this year’s program focuses on the earth. Festival-goers can participate in workshops, panel discussions, talks, performances, and pop-up dinners where they can experience sensory taste sensations. One of the highlights is a very long potato sandwich created by the Copenhagen restaurant Baka d’Busk.
With these initiatives, the Roskilde Festival hopes to inspire a more sustainable future in food production and consumption.