Major restaurant chain ditches steak from its menu in a bid to save the world

It comes after the chain began displaying the carbon footprints of its dishes last year

Wahaca, the popular Mexican eatery owned by Masterchef champion Thomasina Miers, continued its bid to put sustainability at the heart of its business by removing the dish.

Last year it began displaying the carbon footprints of all its menu items to help customers make more ethical choices.

It found the chargrilled steak burritos to be the worst offender, meaning the item, along with the bestselling steak and cheese tacos, will now no longer be served.

Two of Wahaca's beef dishes will remain, however, including the slow-cooked beef tacos.

Commenting on removing steak from Wahaca's menu, Miers told the Telegraph: "We wanted to look at a way of reducing the amount of meat dishes… while still offering truly tasty options for those that still enjoy eating it.

"Being conscious that meat and dairy products are among the biggest culprits from an emissions perspective has led to us expanding our vegetarian and vegan offerings in recent years."

The company was founded in 2007 with a single location in Covent Garden, before expanding to an impressive 20 sites.

However it was forced to sell off seven of its restaurants after being hit hard by the Covid pandemic in 2020, and Wahaca's lenders wrote off millions in debts to keep the brand going.

Miers is an outspoken environmentalist and recently called on people to eat "significantly less meat" to help the environment.

Writing in the Guardian, Miers wrote that she is in favour of more regenerative farming practices.

She said: "I am much more for small-scale, community-driven farming because I believe in the potential of food to be a force for good, for human and environmental health."

Cows are a big contributor to climate change, with farm animals producing around 14 per cent of carbon emissions from human activity worldwide.

In January, a report found that restaurants are dropping meat from their menus in an effort to cut costs as well as appeal to the growing number of diners interested in plant-based food.

Numbers from Lumina Intelligence, a food and drink market research company, showed a 'notable decline' in the number of dishes containing meat served at restaurant chains in the last year.

Last summer, only 20 per cent of dishes served at such eateries contained meat according to the data, down from 24 per cent from last spring.

Katherine Prowse, senior insight manager at Lumina, said the reduction came about in an effort by restaurants to reduce their costs amid inflation, as well as meet customer needs.

Related links:

McDonald’s customers spark fury after letting dog sit on table in restaurant

Heinz and Absolut team up for vodka pasta sauce inspired by social media craze

Wetherspoons forced to overhaul breakfast menu