Heroes of Responsible Dining Foundation
Since 2012 the objective of the Heroes of Responsible Dining Foundation / Felelős Gasztrohős Alapítvány / is to promote environmentally conscious and responsible eating practices, as well as to support the environmental initiatives of domestic hospitality industry. We believe that by adopting eco-friendly gastronomic solutions, we can make our diets greener and healthier, thereby benefiting both ourselves and our environment.
We encourage our stakeholders to choose local and seasonal products, eat less meat and dairy, and reduce their food waste. Through engaging and appealing public campaigns, easily applicable tips, and delicious recipes, we demonstrate how simple it can be to pay attention to what we put on our plates.
We have also developed a certification system that recognizes green restaurants and encourages the participants in the foodservice industry to invest in environmentally friendly solutions. More than 30 restaurants are currently using our Sustainable Restaurant certification in Hungary. You can find their list here. We certify and support responsible-minded hospitality venues in implementing environmentally friendly measures and effectively communicating their sustainability efforts to their guests. Discover sustainable dining options in Hungary by following our dedicated Instagram page: @sustainablerestaurants_hungary.
We believe that knowledge transfer is more enduring for both children and adults when connectedto a spectacular and playful gamified experience. We strive to communicate our messages in a positive manner, offering practical tips and incorporating our experiences to communicate more effectively and achieve meaningful change.
Our organization operates with five permanent staff members and nearly 20 volunteers. Our work is supported by a wide range of experts, including environmental and food engineers, nutritionists, and legal professionals.
What we are proud of
- In 2024 we are selected to participate in the Climate Pact Community by DG Climate.
- Over the past 11 years, more than 100 hospitality establishments across the country, including a Michelin-starred restaurant, have earned our Sustainable Restaurant and Café certification.
- Through our campaigns, we have reached millions of people directly in recent years, encouraging them to take environmentally conscious actions.
- Our activities generate over 300 press mentions annually; in the past year, we were featured in publications such as Forbes, HVG, National Geographic, and Marie Claire
Awards
- CivilDíj/NGO Award 2023 nominee in the "Best Service/Product" category
- Edison 100 Sustainability Award 2022 for our children education program
- Highlights of Hungary KPMG Sustainability - Special Award for the RAKUN Box Community 2021
- Bridge Budapest Entrepreneurial Community Award 2019
- Invitech Innomax Award 2019
- CivilDíj/NGO Award 2019 finalist in the "Best Communication Campaign" category
- HungaryON 2018 second place in the "Tourism Service Providers" category
- CivilDíj/NGO Award 2016 nominee in the "Best Collaboration" category
- Sustainability Day Exhibitor Award 2013, 2014, 2015
- ARC Civil Award 2014
- Greenspiration Special Award 2013
- Goldenblog Special Award 2013
- Ozone Network Green Award 2012 for "The most innovative climate-friendly and environmentally conscious food consumption educational concept"
Feedback from our followers
"Thank you for being there! Every piece of information you have shared has been a tremendous help, especially when I started managing my own household... You have played a huge role in my journey toward building a much more local and sustainable kitchen and recipe collection, and I am very grateful for your work! I hope you can continue for a long time and help many others in my generation start off with this mindset! :)"
"Your work is incredibly important! I hope others take notice of you too"
LEHEL ZSUZSANNA
director
+36 70 3866019
zsuzsanna@ gasztrohos. hu
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GastroTrial - our gamified educational methodology for young adults and adults
The "PróbatÉtel" (or "GastroTrial") by the Heroes of Responsible Dining Foundation is a sustainability-focused educational program aimed at both high school students and adults. It introduces participants to the principles of responsible dining through interactive activities, including games and challenges. The core of the program is an engaging "trial" in which participants take part in hands-on tasks such as eco-friendly meal planning, following local seasonality, and implementing sustainable waste reduction practices. These activities not only encourage critical thinking but also provide participants with a practical understanding of eco-conscious eating.
The games are developed by the Foundation and designed by our graphic designer to be visually appealing, easy to set up, and durable. Each session lasts between 50 and 90 minutes, depending on the number of participants (ranging from 9 to 42 people). The program is facilitated by three instructors. After a brief ice-breaking game, participants are divided into smaller groups of 2 to 6 individuals, and the instructors guide them through each stage of the game. The session concludes with a joint feedback and Q&A segment. At the end of the program, participants are encouraged to draw challenge cards to sustain their interest and engagement.
The program features several interactive games, including:
1. Year Circle: A game for testing participants' knowledge of seasonal Hungarian crops. Twelve months and twelve magnets of produces are paired (flipchart game).
2. Magnetic Labyrinth: A game that teaches proper waste segregation, using office waste as an example. Teams must determine where to dispose of different types of waste (flipchart game).
3. The "Superfood" Game: This game provides ideas for building sustainable and healthy diets without relying on imported produce. It focuses on local food knowledge (molino game).
4. "Let's Find the Solution Together": In three test rounds, players familiarize themselves with local and seasonal meals and ingredients in Hungary.
5. Food Certification Recognition Game: A spectacular game that helps participants recognize food-related certifications commonly found in supermarkets.
6. "Menu for Saving the World": In this game, teams design a sustainable lunch menu based on sustainability criteria for a given month.
7. Pig Puzzle: A game focusing on the "nose-to-tail" approach, teaching players about using every part of the animal (flipchart game).
8. Magnetic Fishing: Players fish for both local and foreign fish species, with the foreign fish typically representing overfished species.
9. Composting: A magnetic game that educates players on which materials are compostable.
International Partnerships
The Chefs’ Manifesto is a chef-led project that brings together 700+ chefs from around the world to explore how they can help deliver a sustainable food system. As chefs bridge the gap between farm and fork, the Chefs’ Manifesto empowers chefs with a framework tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Feed the Planet is an initiative to inspire sustainable food consumption among communities and culinary professionals, and to support people in need through emergency relief, food poverty alleviation, and education. Founded by WORLDCHEFS, it is run in partnership with Electrolux and AIESEC.
Food Made Good is a successful, ready to deploy program for cities, states and countries that want to engage and support their food service sector around the sustainability challenge and who recognise that chefs and restaurants have a leadership role to play in changing consumer behaviour.