IKEA on Track to Make 50% of Restaurant Meals Plant-Based by 2025

IKEA continues to work towards becoming a more sustainable company that offers healthy and affordable plant-based options for shoppers. The furniture retail company pledged its restaurant menus will be 50 percent plant-based by 2025, along with the brand's packaged food, which will be 80 percent plant-based.

IKEA announced its new sustainability commitments during the pre-event for UN Food Systems Summit 2021, which focuses on "taking action to transform the way the world produces and consumes food," according to its website.

“We want to make healthy and sustainable choices the most desirable option. Research confirms the importance of making sustainable products affordable and desirable. IKEA can really make a positive difference here,” said Chief Sustainability Officer at Inter IKEA Group, Lena Pripp-Kovac. In Pripp-Kovac's opinion, sustainable choice "should be part of people's everyday life" and shouldn't be "a luxury for the few."

Peter van der Poel, Managing Director at IKEA of Sweden Range and Supply Manager added, “A truly sustainable food system must be based on delicious, nutritious and responsibly produced food. IKEA is taking a full value chain approach to contribute to sustainable food systems. From responsible sourcing of materials and reducing food waste along the value chain.”

These new initiatives will enable healthy, sustainable food to be accessible and affordable for all IKEA customers. The retailer launched a vegan version of its famous meatball earlier this year in the U.K. and other countries and also offers a veggie dog on the menu. The vegan meatball is made from plant-based ingredients like pea protein, oats, apples, and potatoes, and has a 96 percent lower climate footprint than the meat option.

IKEA is popular for its affordable, stylish furniture and interior decor items, but it is making strides to make a name for itself in sustainability, by creating plant-based food options and initiatives to buy back used furniture to reduce waste. We can hope that the brand will continue to expand these options in their locations across the globe and inspire other large companies to follow suit.