Q: How does Aramark plan to use this research to develop its own food offering for military sites?
DF: The research gives us a clear picture of how Gen Z (13-28) service personnel think about food, what motivates them nutritionally, environmentally, and culturally.
We’ll be using these insights to refine our menus across military sites in three ways:
- More personalisation and choice: Offering greater flexibility so personnel can tailor meals to their training load, health goals, or personal preferences.
- Balanced, higher protein options: Expanding lean protein choices and ensuring they’re incorporated across all dayparts, not only main meals.
- Sustainability at the core of menu engineering: Using the findings to prioritise ingredients and dishes that meet both performance needs and sustainability expectations.
The research ultimately helps us shape a food ecosystem that meets the demands of a younger generation while supporting operational readiness.
The report has helped us build on approaches we have already begun to make across the public sector. It was prioritised so we can remain ahead of the curve for clients and customers, demonstrating our leadership, forward thinking, and intentional approach to enhancing the customer experience.
Q: Can catering deliver sustainability wins without extra costs?
DF: Contract caterers and hospitality providers should keep ESG and technology at the core when considering Generation Z. There are definitely sustainability improvements that don’t increase cost and many that can actually reduce it.
Other approaches Aramark can investigate include blending meats with plant proteins to maintain flavour and performance while reducing carbon and cost. Choosing produce when it’s abundant reduces cost and emissions, and you can cut through better menu planning.
Smaller batch cooking, for example, with improved forecasting, and repurposing surplus ingredients all have major sustainability benefits without added expense. Other ideas include using ovens instead of fryers, or designing menus that require fewer energy-intensive processes. Finally, there is the idea of ‘nudging’ customers towards sustainable meals by making them the default.
Q: Your survey emphasised demand for more protein. Isn’t there a risk this is a fad that could pass quickly?
DF: Protein may be trending but the underlying driver, performance nutrition to support marginal gains, is not a fad. In military environments, protein remains fundamental for recovery, muscle repair, and sustained physical readiness. We’re careful not to design menus around trends alone. Instead, we focus on balancing macro-nutrients appropriate for active lifestyles.
This can mean offering high-protein meals alongside other nutritionally balanced choices, but also involves using plant, dairy, and lean animal proteins so we can adapt if preferences shift. If trends evolve, we can pivot quickly because our approach is based on nutritional principles, not short-lived food fashions. Trends help us understand engagement and communication, but they don’t dictate the fundamentals of our catering strategy.
Q: What ideas does Aramark have for meeting Gen Z’s desire for food education/training?
DF: The research showed that Gen Z wants not just good food, but knowledge - how it supports health, training, budget, and sustainability. Aramark UK is exploring several ways to meet that need. For example, ‘Be Well Do Well’, our Environmental Social Governance (ESG) programmes demonstrate nutrition in action signage. These are quick, easy explanations and nudges of what a dish’s benefits are, such as ‘great for recovery’, or ‘sustained energy’.
We also have short-form digital content. These are bite-sized videos, reels, or QR codes that give tips on protein, hydration, energy balance, or sustainable eating. There are interactive pop-up sessions with our chefs and dietitians on meal prep, smart snacking, and fuelling for physical activity. And there are hands-on cooking workshops that teach basic cooking and budgeting skills, particularly for personnel transitioning to single living. And finally, there is ‘gamified learning’, which means challenges, stamps, or rewards for making balanced choices or trying sustainable dishes.
Q: What are the lessons from this research for the wider public sector schools, hospitals, care settings, universities, prisons?
DF: The themes that came through in the research are highly transferable across the public sector. Flexibility, whether in portion size, protein type, or dietary preference helps engage younger people and supports diverse nutritional needs. And a small amount of clear, well-designed information - not long leaflets or lectures - helps people make better choices across all age groups.
The shifts that Gen Z want - hybrid dishes, reduced waste, seasonal produce - are relevant in any public setting, while protein demand is part of a broader health orientation. People increasingly associate food with wellbeing, recovery, immunity, and performance not just satiety. This applies in schools, hospitals, and custodial environments alike.
And food experience matters. Presentation, speed of service, and modern dish formats can make public-sector food more appealing without increasing cost. Overall, the research underscores a generational shift toward purposeful eating food that is nutritious, sustainable, personalised, and well-explained. That’s a lesson every part of the public sector can act on.