How to Measure and Reduce Event Catering Emissions
Updated: Oct 8
Food and drink are a visible part of almost every event, but working out their carbon impact can become complicated surprisingly quickly.
You may know how many people attended and what was served while still being unsure what catering emissions data you need from your suppliers or how that information becomes an emissions figure.
Measuring event catering emissions starts with understanding what food and drink was provided, how many people were catered for and what information is available to support the calculation.
Depending on the event, you might have detailed supplier data, final meal numbers and food quantities, or you may need to work with estimates because more specific information was not collected.
Understanding your catering carbon footprint does not require every piece of data to be perfect from the beginning.
What matters is knowing what information sits behind the calculation, being clear about estimates and assumptions, and identifying where better data could improve future event measurement.
Once you can calculate event catering emissions consistently, the results can also help you investigate practical ways to reduce them rather than relying on general assumptions about what makes catering lower carbon.
What Are Event Catering Emissions?
Event catering emissions are the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food, drink and related catering activities included within an event's carbon measurement boundary.
Depending on how your event footprint is being calculated, relevant activities could include the food and drink provided, the number and types of meals served, catering waste and other associated activities included within your methodology.
For organisations accounting for their wider value-chain emissions, purchased catering services may also be relevant to Scope 3 emissions. The correct classification depends on the organisation, reporting boundary and activity being measured, so it is important not to assume that every catering-related activity should automatically be treated in exactly the same way.
This is why it is more useful to think about a catering carbon footprint as a calculation built from underlying activities and data rather than looking for one universal figure for the carbon footprint of a meal. Two events catering for the same number of people can have different menus, service styles, quantities and levels of waste, so the information behind the calculation matters.
What Catering Emissions Data Do You Need?
The catering emissions data you need will depend on how you are calculating the footprint, but useful information can include meal types, quantities, covers, drinks, service style, serveware, food waste and supplier data.
You may not need every item below for every event. The objective is to collect the most useful information that is reasonably available for the calculation method you are using.
Catering data | What to collect |
Guest numbers | The final number of guests catered for where available |
Staff and supplier catering | Numbers of staff, crew or suppliers catered for where relevant |
Meal or course | Breakfast, lunch, dinner, starter, main course or other food service |
Service style | For example, plated, buffet, boxed, street food or reception-style |
Meal types | Numbers or proportions of red meat, white meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan servings where available |
Food quantities | Actual quantities or weights where these have been recorded |
Drinks | Relevant beverage quantities, volumes and packaging information |
Serveware | Relevant disposable or reusable serveware information |
Food waste | The quantity of surplus or wasted food where it is being measured |
Supplier information | Relevant supplier-specific emissions information and supporting methodology where available |
Collecting this catering emissions data before and during an event can make the final calculation much easier than trying to reconstruct everything afterwards.
You may not have every item in the table, and that does not automatically mean you cannot start measuring. A better approach is to establish what information genuinely exists and record gaps or assumptions rather than creating a level of precision that the underlying data cannot support.
This is the same principle we recommend when estimating carbon emissions elsewhere in an event footprint.
What Catering Data Should You Ask Your Supplier For?
Ask your catering supplier for the most specific information they can reasonably provide about what was actually supplied to the event, rather than relying only on the total catering cost.
Catering data is much easier to collect when everyone knows what will be needed before the event. Asking a caterer for final meal numbers, food quantities or waste information several weeks afterwards can mean records are harder to retrieve or were never captured in the first place.
Before the event, consider asking for:
final covers rather than only the original booked number;
the number or proportion of different meal types served;
food quantities or weights where these are recorded;
information about drinks and their packaging;
catering for staff, crew or suppliers as well as guests;
food waste records where available; and
any supplier-specific emissions information that can be supported by a clear methodology.
Your caterer may not have every piece of information on this list, and that does not mean you cannot start measuring. Find out what they can provide, understand what the data covers and record where you have had to use a broader method or assumption.
If a supplier provides its own emissions figure, it is also worth understanding what the figure represents and which emission factors or methodology sit behind it. A supplier's organisation-wide carbon footprint, for example, is not automatically the same as the emissions associated with the catering provided for your particular event.
How Do You Calculate Event Catering Emissions?
To calculate event catering emissions, you need to match suitable catering activity data with an appropriate emission factor or calculation method, with the approach depending on the type and quality of information available.
At its simplest, many carbon calculations follow the principle:
Activity data × emission factor = greenhouse gas emissions
The activity data could be a physical quantity, number of servings, weight, volume, expenditure or another appropriate measure depending on the calculation being performed.
For purchased goods and services, the GHG Protocol describes supplier-specific, hybrid, average-data and spend-based calculation approaches in its Technical Guidance for Calculating Scope 3 Emissions.
In practical terms, this means there is not one universal set of catering data available at every event. One organiser may have detailed information from the caterer, while another may initially have only a supplier invoice, menu and final headcount. The calculation method needs to reflect the information actually available.
The UK Government also publishes annual greenhouse gas reporting conversion factors for organisations calculating emissions from applicable types of activity data. These should not be interpreted as providing a detailed emissions factor for every individual food, meal or catering activity, so the factor and methodology still need to be appropriate for what you are calculating.
If you are new to this process, our guide to emission factors explains in more detail how activity data is converted into a greenhouse gas emissions figure.
Can You Estimate Event Catering Emissions?
Event catering emissions can be estimated when detailed activity data is unavailable, provided the calculation method, assumptions and limitations of the estimate are understood and recorded.
For example, you might know that 400 people were catered for and have information about the menu split, but not have ingredient weights for every dish. That gives you a different level of information from an event where you have nothing more than the total amount spent with the caterer.
Imperfect data does not mean the entire exercise has failed. The important distinction is understanding which figures are based on more specific activity data and which rely on estimates or proxies.
At Scope, we think that distinction is worth preserving. A highly precise-looking number is not necessarily more useful if nobody knows what information sits behind it.
As you measure more events, you can identify the gaps that matter and introduce clearer data requests for caterers and other suppliers next time. Our guide to improving carbon data looks at this process in more detail.
Should You Record Meals Ordered or Meals Actually Served?
Where your calculation uses meal or cover numbers, final quantities can provide a better picture of what happened at the event than relying only on the number originally booked, provided the final figure is available and appropriate to the calculation.
Imagine catering was initially booked for 500 people, but the final attendance was lower. Keeping only the original booking number could give you a different picture from retaining the final catering information as well.
This does not mean the original order should disappear from your records. Planned quantities, final quantities and food waste can tell you different things.
Keeping them separate helps you understand what was ordered, what happened at the event and where there may be opportunities to improve planning next time.
Should You Measure Food Waste Separately?
Food waste should be recorded separately where it falls within your event measurement boundary because it provides different information from the food originally purchased or served.
For an event organiser, useful information could include the amount of food waste collected and information from the venue, caterer or waste contractor about how that waste was treated.
WRAP provides guidance on measuring and reporting food waste in hospitality and food service, including approaches to understanding the amount of food waste being generated.
Keeping food waste information can also make your catering data more useful operationally. If similar events repeatedly produce substantial amounts of surplus food, that gives the organiser and caterer something specific to investigate when planning future quantities.
The original catering data and the waste record should still be treated as different activities. Measuring food waste does not replace the need to understand what food was originally provided.
How Can You Reduce Catering Emissions?
You can reduce catering emissions by using your catering data to identify where emissions arise and then investigating practical changes to menu composition, quantities, service style and food waste.
Measurement is important because it helps move the conversation away from assumptions. Rather than deciding that one particular catering choice must always be the answer, you can look at what contributed to the catering carbon footprint of your event and decide which areas are worth investigating.
Review the balance of the menu
Different foods can have different greenhouse gas footprints, so the balance of the menu can influence the catering calculation.
This does not mean every event has to adopt the same menu. Instead, use the information you have to understand the current mix and discuss appropriate alternatives with your caterer where particular choices make a meaningful contribution to the result.
Match quantities more closely to attendance
Catering numbers can change between the original order and the event itself.
Keeping caterers updated with confirmed numbers gives them better information for planning quantities. Retaining both planned and final numbers in your own records can also help you understand whether repeated over-ordering is contributing to surplus food.
Include everyone being catered for
Guests may not be the only people eating at an event. Staff, crew and suppliers can also represent a significant number of meals depending on the event.
When establishing your event boundary, decide who is included and collect the data consistently rather than unintentionally leaving groups out.
Record the service style
A plated meal, buffet, boxed meal and street-food service can involve different quantities, serveware and waste.
Recording the service style alongside your other catering emissions data gives the result more context and makes future comparisons more useful without assuming that one format is automatically lower carbon.
Measure food waste where possible
If food waste is relevant to your event measurement, an actual weight or supplier record gives you more useful information than trying to reconstruct the quantity afterwards.
Over time, those records can help you identify whether particular meal periods, formats or ordering approaches repeatedly create surplus.
What Does Low-Carbon Event Catering Look Like?
Low-carbon event catering means looking for practical ways to lower the greenhouse gas emissions associated with catering while considering the needs and circumstances of the event, rather than relying on a single universal solution.
Menu composition can be one part of that discussion, but it is not the only information worth considering. Quantities, service styles, food waste and other activities included within the measurement boundary can also affect the final result.
If your catering carbon footprint shows that particular choices make a meaningful contribution, you can discuss those findings with the caterer and investigate appropriate alternatives.
This evidence-led approach also helps avoid making broad environmental claims about a menu or event. Changing one element of the catering does not automatically make the event “sustainable”, but measuring the result can help you understand whether the change has affected the emissions being calculated.
Using Scope as an Event Catering Emissions Calculator
Scope's Event Carbon Calculator includes catering measurement, allowing event teams to calculate event catering emissions alongside the other activities that make up their wider event carbon footprint.
Within Scope's Event Catering module, you can enter food and drink data yourself or invite a catering supplier to submit information. This means you can use Scope as an event catering emissions calculator while keeping catering alongside the other event activities you are measuring.
For food, Scope provides Estimate and Actual tracking options, allowing the approach to reflect the information available for the event.
When using the estimated approach, you can record the course and service style alongside numbers for red meat, white meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan options. Scope also allows you to record total covers, serveware and whether the catering is for guests, staff or suppliers.
For multi-day events, you can use the same menu across all days or record separate menus where the catering changes on different days.
Where more detailed information is available, Scope's Actual option supports actual meals and custom emission factors. Drinks are tracked separately using information about beverage volume and packaging.
The supplier workflow can also help with collecting catering emissions data. When setting up your event, you can assign a supplier to the Catering module, add instructions and set a submission due date, allowing the people who hold the catering information to submit it rather than leaving the event organiser to reconstruct everything afterwards.
The distinction between estimated and more specific data still matters when using an event catering emissions calculator. An estimate remains an estimate, and understanding what sits behind the result gives you a better basis for improving your data at future events.
Use Scope's free Event Carbon Calculator to calculate your event catering emissions and start bringing your catering data into your wider event carbon footprint.
How Can Better Catering Emissions Data Help Future Events?
Better catering emissions data can give event teams a clearer baseline for comparing future events, identifying data gaps and investigating where catering emissions could potentially be reduced.
Your first catering carbon footprint does not need to be the end of the process. In many cases, one of the most useful things it can show you is where information is missing.
Perhaps your first calculation relies heavily on estimates because detailed information was not requested from the caterer beforehand. For the next event, those requirements can become part of the supplier brief. Over time, you can build a more consistent approach to recording menus, covers, meal types, service styles, waste and other relevant information.
That gradual improvement is often more useful than waiting for a theoretically perfect dataset before measuring anything at all.
Measure Catering as Part of Your Event Carbon Footprint
Catering is one part of an event carbon footprint, so its emissions should be considered alongside the other activities included within your event measurement boundary.
Depending on the event, that could include attendee and staff travel, accommodation, energy, temporary power, freight, production, waste and other purchased goods and services.
Looking at these activities together provides context. A catering figure is useful, but understanding how it sits within the wider event footprint can help teams decide where further investigation is most worthwhile.
If you are starting that process, Scope's free Event Carbon Calculator can help you calculate catering alongside other areas of your event. For teams managing event carbon data on an ongoing basis, you can also explore Scope's Event Carbon Tracking platform.
The objective is not to make imperfect data look perfect. It is to understand what your footprint is based on, improve the information you collect and use that evidence to make better-informed decisions at future events.
Event Catering Emissions FAQs
What are event catering emissions?
Event catering emissions are greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food, drink and relevant catering activities included within an event's carbon measurement boundary. The calculation can draw on information such as meal types, quantities, covers, drinks, supplier data and food waste depending on the methodology being used.
How do I calculate event catering emissions?
To calculate event catering emissions, collect suitable activity data about the catering provided and apply an appropriate emission factor or calculation method to that information. The method you use will depend on the data available, which could range from more detailed physical or supplier information to estimates where specific data has not been collected.
What catering emissions data should I collect?
Useful catering emissions data can include final covers, meal or course types, service style, food quantities, numbers of different meal types, drinks, serveware, food waste and relevant supplier information. You do not necessarily need every data point for every event, but the information collected should support the calculation method being used.
Is there an event catering emissions calculator?
Yes. Scope's Event Carbon Calculator includes catering measurement alongside other event emission sources, with options for entering food and drink data yourself or inviting catering suppliers to submit information. Food can be tracked using estimated or actual approaches depending on the information available for the event.
Can I calculate a catering carbon footprint without ingredient-level data?
A catering carbon footprint can be estimated without ingredient-level data where an appropriate calculation method and suitable supporting information are available. The result should reflect the quality of the data used, with estimates and assumptions recorded rather than presented as exact measurements.
How can event organisers reduce catering emissions?
Event organisers can reduce catering emissions by first understanding what contributes to their calculated footprint and then investigating practical changes to areas such as menu composition, quantities, service styles and food waste. Measuring the starting point also provides a baseline against which future changes can be assessed.
What is low-carbon event catering?
Low-carbon event catering involves identifying practical opportunities to lower the greenhouse gas emissions associated with catering while still considering the requirements of the event. Rather than relying on a single rule for every event, measurement can help organisers understand which menu, quantity, service or waste decisions are most relevant to investigate.
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