Environmental impacts associated with rural restaurants in Northern Spain: Traditional VS modern cuisine

In the present work, an evaluation of the environmental impacts derived from the restaurant sector in Northern Spain has been carried out. For this purpose, the LCA methodology was used to analyse two different restaurants located in a rural area of the Principality of Asturias, one with a traditional cuisine approach (Case Study 1) and the other with a modern cuisine perspective (Case Study 2). The LCA adopted a “cradle-to-grave” approach, i.e., from the production of raw materials to the management of the wastes generated, and the functional unit was defined as “one menu served at the establishment”. The SimaPro V.9 software was employed, applying the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint (H) V1.01. method, while the GreenHouse Gas Protocol V.1.02. method was used to calculate the Carbon Footprint (CF). The results showed that the production of raw materials used to prepare the menu was the most impactful subsystem in both cases, with values ranging from 41 to 99%, depending on the category considered, mainly due to the use of meat products as ingredients. Additionally, in Case Study 2, electricity was identified as a notable contributor (>25%) in six of the eighteen categories evaluated. The CF values were 7.43 and 6.54 kgCO 2 per menu served at the establishments for Case Studies 1 and 2, respectively. These values were of the same order of magnitude but slightly higher than those found in the literature. However, it is important to note that most of the published works did not include certain inputs/outputs, such as beverages, electricity, or waste management in their analyses. The production of raw materials was also the main contributor to the CF values (accounting for 85% and 59% in Case Studies 1 and 2, respectively). Electricity contributed 25% to the CF in the modern cuisine-based restaurant. Therefore, a possible strategy to lessen the environmental impacts of this sector would be to reformulate menus by reducing/substituting meat with other products. • Gastronomy is becoming a key aspect of the Spanish economy. • The environmental impacts associated with the restaurant sector have been scarcely studied. • Two types of restaurants (traditional cuisine vs. modern cuisine) were analysed by LCA. • The production of ingredients (especially meat) to elaborate the menu was the most impactful subsystem. • There is no clear indication that either case outperforms the other in terms of overall environmental performance.