Healthy and sustainable at the company canteen – Wintershall Dea admitted to the “100 climate canteens” network

• Wintershall Dea canteen to become a sustainable commercial kitchen
• Regional and seasonal produce on the menu
• Sustainability “beyond the rim of your plate”: with offerings for better health and climate-neutral mobility 

Whether it is a bowl of fresh salad, chana masala or spelt pasta, the “Casino”, Wintershall Dea’s company canteen, not only serves up food that is varied and healthy but is also committed to sustainability and using regional produce. The “Casino” has now won the accolade of being included in the “100 Climate Canteens” network by the Hessian State Ministry for the Environment. The network is part of the Hessian Nutrition Strategy, which is geared towards the Sustainable Development Goals under the United Nations’ Agenda 2030. To promote sustainability and a healthy diet, the Ministry for the Environment offers individual consulting for canteens and commercial kitchens represented in the network.

One of several measures the “Casino” has already implemented is to reduce the meat content in its daily specials and to offer a line of vegetarian set menus. The company canteen is also committed to greater use of regionally sourced and seasonal produce and fresh, organically grown ingredients.

“Greater environmental and climate protection, as well as compliance with animal welfare and quality standards play a key part in what our canteen offers. Apart from the regionalisation of supply chains and the use of organic produce, we ensure that we minimise packaging waste by serving food and drinks in reusable containers via a deposit system for consumption on the go,” says Claudia Schmidt, Head of the Catering Unit at Wintershall Dea at the company’s Kassel location. “We’re delighted to be part of the ‘100 Climate Canteens’ network as it enables us to share information and experience with other commercial kitchens and make use of the educational and consulting services of the Hessian State Ministry for the Environment so that our ‘Casino’ can make its offering even more sustainable.”

As the 2021 Nutrition Report by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture shows, it is not just how the good taste of food that matters to German consumers. There is also a growing demand for a healthy, climate-friendly diet. 91 per cent of those surveyed as part of the report state that food must be healthy, while the regional origin is important for 82 per cent of respondents when it comes to choosing their food. More and more employees also want their company canteens to cater to these wishes – after all, the meal at work is the most important one of the day for many of them. The “Casino” at Wintershall Dea in Kassel serves around 300 guests a day.

“One of our corporate values reads: we care. That means we are also increasingly committed to healthy and climate-conscious nutrition at our canteen,” says Petra Angstmann, Senior Vice President Human Resources at Wintershall Dea. “We believe it is important to enhance the employees’ awareness of the issue and provide an offering that delivers greater sustainability. That is why we show the ingredients used transparently on the menu and indicate which dishes contain regional produce.”

Head Chef Uwe Honauer offers his guests four daily changing meals, along with vegetarian and vegan side dishes, desserts and a fresh salad bar. “Apart from rustic and vegetarian meals, we always offer a dish that is more unusual. And we make sure that the main ingredient is fresh, seasonal vegetables,” says Honauer.

Before admitting a new member to the “100 Climate Canteen” network, the Ministry not only demands that the canteen serve healthy, climate-friendly food, but also looks “beyond the rim of the plate” at what the company does further afield – such as measures to promote climate-neutral mobility. At Wintershall Dea, such measures include subsidising job tickets and providing parking spaces for bicycles. In addition, employees are made more aware of sustainable consumption and lifestyle choices by means of continuous corporate health management campaigns.

_{About Wintershall Dea}

_{Wintershall Dea is Europe’s leading independent natural gas and oil company with more than 120 years of experience as an operator and project partner along the entire E&P value chain. The company with German roots and headquarters in Kassel and Hamburg explores for and produces gas and oil in 13 countries worldwide in an efficient and responsible manner. With activities in Europe, Russia, Latin America and the MENA region (Middle East & North Africa), Wintershall Dea has a global upstream portfolio and, with its participation in natural gas transport, is also active in midstream business. More in our Annual Report.}

_{As a European gas and oil company, we support the goal of the EU to be climate-neutral by 2050. To this end, we have set ourselves ambitious targets. Our target is to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in all self-operated and partner-operated exploration and production activities in line with our share to net zero. In addition, Wintershall Dea aims to reduce it methane intensity to below 0.1% by 2025 and to continue to maintain zero routine flaring of associated gas. The climate targets should be achieved through optimising the portfolio, reducing emissions, increasing energy efficiency, investing in nature-based mitigation solutions and forward-looking technologies such as hydrogen and CCS. More on this can be found in our Sustainability Report.}

_{Wintershall Dea was formed from the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG, in 2019. Today, the company employs around 2,500 people from over 60 nations.}