The large and growing catering sector could benefit from taking steps to provide more sustainable food, says a report from the Food Ethics Council
The catering sector -- the section of the food industry that provides the food eaten outside the home, whether in cafes, restaurants or office canteens -- is the Cinderella sister in the food world. Attention tends to focus on the food retailers.
But the catering sector is big, and growing. In the UK, it accounts for 44% of all expenditure on food and drink, which in 2015 equated to £87.6 billion. As well as feeding between a fifth and a quarter of people in the UK at least once a week, the foodservice industry employs over 1.6 million workers across almost 450,000 sites.
Consequently, any efforts to shift the British public, and the industries that feed it, in the direction of more sustainable diets will have to include this sector. Catering for Sustainability, a new report from Sustain member the Food Ethics Council, commissioned by environmental campaign group WWF-UK and the catering company Sodexo, explores the 'business case' for such a shift. It looks at how providing more sustainable food in the catering sector could be good for business, as well as good for human health and the environment.
Reviewing the barriers and opportunities for business, the report finds that by promoting and providing sustainable diets, foodservice companies can gain short-term reputational benefits. More fundamentally, though, they can 'future-proof' their businesses, ensuring that their products, supply chains and employees are ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
Read about Sustain's policies for a greener, fairer food supply here.
Published Friday 10 June 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
