Teaching professional ethics in culinary studies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue for the incorporation of ethics into the coursework of culinary schools, utilizing the value chain analysis as a theoretical framework to explore and confront food ethics concerns. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a review of the pertinent literature, this conceptual paper offers a theoretical framework whereby ethical issues relevant to the food industry can be tackled and then incorporated into the training of culinary professionals. Findings – To illustrate the usefulness of the suggested framework, the paper provides a systematic analysis of ethical concerns related to the production, distribution and consumption of food. Practical implications – Food ethics education is likely to have a positive impact on the credibility of the culinary arts' profession, at a time when there is a shift toward sustainability and ethical awareness; it is also likely to impact favorably on the opportunity of recruiting culinary professionals as agents of change regarding pressing moral challenges. Social implications – Including ethics in the curricula of culinary schools has various positive social implications, including the development of future professionals with acknowledged ethical responsibilities toward society. Originality/value – Despite the upsurge of ethical concerns and the controversies associated with the food industry, hitherto culinary schools have paid little attention to ethics within their curricula. In view of that, the article introduced a value‐chain perspective for integrating food ethics into culinary arts curricula.