CLASP Cooks Up Change at Brussels Event
Events
As the European Union revises its cooking appliance regulations, an event highlighted the multiple benefits of electric cooking.
In early November, CLASP joined global experts in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the path toward electrifying cooking in Europe—a crucial but often overlooked step in building decarbonization. The daylong meeting brought together representatives from CLASP, E3G, ECOS, European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), Global Cooksafe Coalition, PSE Healthy Energy, Respire, and Universitat Jaume I.
The event took place as the European Union revises its ecodesign product regulations for cooking appliances. Today, less than half of Europeans use electricity to cook food, although clean cooking is more efficient, healthier, safer, and affordable than cooking with gas. The revision is an important opportunity to bring these benefits to people across the European market, while also making it easier for consumers to compare different hob models.
In panel discussions, speakers emphasized that cooking electrification is an important piece of the building decarbonization puzzle and noted that full household decarbonization may not happen without targeted support for cooking electrification. They also stressed the importance of an equitable, universal transition to clean cooking and discussed the critical role of consumer education in facilitating this transition.
The event featured a live induction cooking demo and food tasting with MasterChef UK winner Ping Coombes. Coombes demonstrated the versatility of electric cooking by creating a smoky flavor—often associated with open-flame cooking—in a wok heated by an inexpensive portable induction hob.
Learn more about CLASP’s work on electrifying cooking in Europe.
