By replacing half of the meat in their meatballs with yellow pea mince, Stena Line aims to reduce meat consumption by 35,000 kilos next year.
“Taste and quality-wise, it is exactly as good a product as before. But it makes a difference from a sustainability perspective,” says Jakob Lells, Group Executive Chef at Stena Line.
A huge change that will hopefully go unnoticed. That’s one way of describing Stena Line’s initiative on 50/50 meatballs, where half of the meat in the popular dish meatballs with mashed potatoes will be replaced next year with a plant-based mince made from yellow peas.
“We want to show our passengers that this is nothing to be afraid of. It is still a delicious and classic home-cooked dish with creamy mashed potatoes, lingonberries, and gravy. All the flavours are there, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to notice any difference in a blind test,” says Jakob Lells.
Stena Line’s Food & Beverage team has made several sustainability efforts in recent years. After standardising the menu on all ships, data could be collected to create a calculation tool that allowed food to be cooked fresh on order. An initiative that has led to a significant reduction in food waste.
The company is now taking the next step towards a sustainable future by replacing half of the meat in the meatballs on board with vegan yellow pea mince. In numbers, this means that the 2.5 million meatballs served on board each year will contain 35 tons less animal protein, or 35,000 kilos less meat. In terms of climate impact, the new recipe means a reduction from 4.9 kilos of carbon dioxide equivalents to 1.3 per portion.
“Stena Line’s strategy is to be a leader in sustainability, and this is our way of showing that we are fully committed. We want to be the first with this fine product and thus make it easier for other major operators to make the same decision,” explains Jakob Lells
The new meatballs will be on the menu on all ships from 13 February 2025.
