Sustainable Nutrition Boosted at Åre World Cup with “Food for White Winters,” Supported by FIS

How can food help skiers perform at their best while also taking better care of the planet? FIS is partnering with athletes, scientists, chefs, and other stakeholder groups to develop “Food for White Winters”, a pilot program hitting the slopes of the FIS Alpine World Cup in Åre, from March 13 to 15, 2026.

"Food for White Winters is a pilot, but it also has the potential to become a scalable model across the entire FIS ecosystem and beyond. By testing solutions directly with athletes, teams, and fans, we demonstrate that sustainable nutrition is not a niche experiment but a practical pathway for sports organizations worldwide. As we redefine what sports federations like FIS stand for, we must approach sustainability with the same seriousness we apply to performance. Food is a powerful entry point: it fuels athletes, shapes culture, and inspires communities. What excites me most is that a single event can showcase this integration and spark change across the system, demonstrating how sport can lead the way toward healthier, more resilient futures.” - Susanna Sieff, FIS Sustainability Director.

The project builds on the EAT-Lancet 2025 report, turning scientific guidelines into practical, delicious meals that promote both human and planetary health. This is a collaborative effort between FIS, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the FIS Alpine World Cup in Åre, and the Stockholm Resilience Centre, PLATE, SLU, Eldrimner, and local culinary innovators.

As part of the Nordic Sustainability Arena, an annual event designed to accelerate sustainability within the winter sports community, the Food for White Winters project aims to transform the Alpine World Cup in Sweden into a living laboratory for sustainable nutrition. It will test how food can power peak athletic performance while also reducing environmental impact.

The outcome from Åre is set to inform future FIS sustainability guidelines and inspire adoption across sports, municipalities, schools, and the wider food ecosystem.

“It’s exciting to see Åre and Sweden take the lead in testing this concept. As a national team, we need to feel confident that the food supports performance and at the same time, we all want to protect the white winters our sport depends on.”– Per Jonsson, Alpine Team Manager, Swedish Ski Association

​The diet is designed to stay within “planetary boundaries,” meaning meals are produced and consumed without surpassing Earth’s safe ecological limits - the thresholds that ensure a stable and healthy planet. Currently, food systems are the primary driver of these limits being exceeded.

​In addition to its environmental benefits, the diet also enhances personal health, supporting athletic performance. By carefully balancing food groups and replacing some animal proteins with plant-based options, the EAT-Lancet 2025 report indicates that diets following this approach can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colorectal cancer, and age-related frailty.

The menu is carefully developed by expert nutritionists and reviewed by Linda Bakkman of the Swedish Olympic Committee, ensuring that a diverse range of foods is provided to meet the unique nutritional needs of elite athletes.

During the World Cup in Åre, the performance and environmental footprint of the diet will be tracked and compared with conventional meal options. The goal is to show how nutrition can benefit both people and the planet, fueling peak performance while protecting winter landscapes, and how these lessons can be applied to a wide range of stakeholder groups beyond the athletes themselves.

“Food for White Winters shows how knowledge can become influence, and influence can become impact. By turning the science of the EAT-Lancet Commission into meals that fuel athletes and delight fans, the project demonstrates that food can do more than improve performance. It can shape culture, shift systems, and help protect the winters we love. When evidence is made visible, tasty, and shared on a global stage, it creates ripples far beyond sport, driving conversations, building partnerships, and setting new standards for what winning on and off the slopes can mean." - Gunhild Stordalen, founder and executive chair of EAT