The Good Food on the Public Plate project is coordinated by Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming and provides a wide range of free of charge assistance to public-sector bodies in London, helping them to buy and use more sustainable food.
We aim to increase the use of:
- local and seasonal produce
- food from farming systems that minimise harm to the environment
- less but better quality animal products raised to higher welfare standards
- fish from sustainable sources,
- fairtrade-certified products
- avoiding bottled water
- healthy, nutritious food
We are delighted to report that this year alone the changes this project has supported add £144,700 of measurable change to purchasing sustainable products, with another £570,000 of measurable change anticipated before the end of 2009. A report on the Good Food on the Public Plate project, entitled What we have learned [1.2Mb PDF], gives further details. Previously, this public money was spent on food with no or poor sustainability credentials but is now going towards items such as:
- free range eggs
- water served in reusable bottles
- sustainably sourced fish
- British raised bacon
- seasonal British fruit and vegetables
In addition to these financial achievements, several major London public-sector organisations are now implementing policies and catering practices that are:
- reducing packaging waste,
- diverting food waste to compost, and
- building relationships with sustainable farmers and distributors.
We are also working with a pan London Cluster of large public-sector institutions to harness their significant collaborative buying power and work together to put in place contracts that will ensure long term supply of sustainable food into the public-sector in London.
