London Food Link (LFL) has been running since 2001, and has run a number of different projects to achieve its aims. To read about London’s current food system see the London Food Strategy.
To join London Food Link, download an application form on the membership page.
LFL’s work broadly falls into the following categories:
- London Food Link Network
-
Supply Chains
- Public Sector
- Private Sector
- Food Policy
- Food Access
- Food Culture
London Food Link Network
We run a network with over 250 organisations and individuals ranging from farmers to food writers, caterers to co-op managers, who all share our aims. We run a quarterly magazine, the Jellied Eel, which reports on the activities of this network and other goings-on in the capital’s sustainable food scene.
Supply Chains
Public Sector: After an initial pilot project with four hospitals in 2003, our work with public sector procurement has been expanded to schools and care homes through the Good Food on the Public Plate. project. We have also been working with Camden Council on making their food purchasing more sustainable. Our report, including excerpts from Camden’s contract and information on schools across London, published by the London Development Agency is available here. A shorter version with more detailed model specifications is available here.
Private Sector: Although we are interested in any private sector food business who is trying to make their supply chain more sustainable, we have focused our efforts on multicultural food businesses and restaurants. We are also working with London Sustainability Exchange on a project called Greening the Food & Drink Sector which started at the end of 2006, helping high-street outlets (restaurants and retailers) to purchase more sustainable food. We are also working with the other end of the supply chain and are keen to hear more from food producers. As such we run a free newsletter for the Greater London farming community, a community which has not been recognised by any other organisation.
Did you know?
40% of all freight is related to food
Healthy and Sustainable Food for London’ The Mayor’s Food Strategy. May 2006
Food Policy
One of our main achievements to date is getting food on the political agenda at a Mayoral level. Since 2004 we have seen the establishment of the London Food [www.lda.gov.uk/londonfood] board and Food Strategy Unit at the London Development Agency, and a Mayoral food strategy launched in May 2006. We also ran the consultation on this strategy. As a consequence of helping many of the London boroughs to develop their own food strategies, we are in the process of ‘translating’ the London food strategy to make it more relevant at a borough level. London Food Link is also involved with several food strategy implementation projects.
Did you know?
Food accounts for around a quarter of London’s ecological footprint.
Towards a Sustainable London: Reducing the Capital’s Ecological Footprint. 2004. London Remade and London First
Food Access
Equal access to healthy food is a major issue across many parts of London. To read more about the issues around food access, see the food poverty project or those issues specific to London, see the London food strategy [www.lda.gov.uk/londonfood]. In order to tackle these issues, we have set up the London Food Access Forum.
Did you know?
40 per cent of London households do not own a car.
www.london.gov.uk/mayor/transport/facts-and-figures.jsp
Food Culture
In order to promote and protect London’s diverse food culture, In 2004 we launched our Bread Street project, which uses bread as an emblem to reflect London’s cultural diversity. This project has both a photo exhibition and report which looks at the problems of Britain’s baking industry and features interviews with London bakers from a range of different backgrounds.
Registered charity (no.