Food for the Planet campaigns for national and local government policies that support climate and nature-friendly farming and the incentivisation of healthy and sustainable diets.
We support local authorities to shape how food is grown and which food we have access to via local planning policies, and champion the communities across the UK who are fighting against the rise of factory farms which threaten legally binding climate commitments and rural livelihoods.
The power of local policy
Local governments have the power to shape how food is grown and which food we have access to.
We are:
- Supporting local authorities to make sure the millions of meals served in schools create healthier communities, fight climate change and restore nature, while backing sustainable local produce. Through the London Food Purchasing Commitment, London councils are aligning their meals with climate targets by serving healthy, sustainable food.
- Surveying councils to understand whether good food and farming policy is included in climate plans. Our Every Mouthful Counts Reports have fantastic examples of councils leading the way on climate and food but reveal that more needs to be done. Good Food Local assesses councils in London and the north-east of England on their policies across a range of food issues – combining health, climate change and addressing the causes of food poverty.
- Helping councils use their planning powers to stop the rapid spread of factory farming and to support sustainable farming instead. We’ve published resources and run a network of councillors called Planning for the Planet.
Community action
Communities are fighting back against the rise of corporate factory farms, which destroy local rivers and wildlife, and cost the UK thousands of jobs.
This type of food production threatens access to healthy, sustainably-produced food which is rooted in local communities and protects people, animals and planet.
- We’ve mapped where pollution from factory farming is coming from and where it ends up, so communities can now see how much waste is being produced in their area.
- Ten agribusinesses produce twice as much waste as the UK’s ten largest cities. We've mapped their areas of operation and identified the supermarkets they sell to.
- We’re supporting communities up and down the UK to stop intensive livestock units and biogas plants from getting planning permission. Communities can use the planning system to support agroecological farming, localised supply chains and small producers instead. Agtivist Agency’s general guide for fighting factory farms is a great place to start.
Change at a national level
Food is responsible for 30 percent of emissions here in the UK, but according to the Climate Change Committee, the UK has insufficient plans to reduce emissions from the food sector.
We are working to change this by:
- Establishing food served in the public sector as the standard for what great, nutritious food looks like, so the public’s money is spent supporting good food. Clear, legally-binding standards are needed, as well as targets for serving more organic, local, and more fruit, veg and pulses.
- Improve the representation of minoritised voices and those affected by current harms. Food policies should be made in the interest of people and our planet. Through Back the Future, a network of young food and farming representatives, we are aiming to do just that.
- Ensure advertising is incentivising healthy and sustainable diets.
- Ensure national planning policy supports agroecological farming, rather than facilitating the further industrialisation of farming.
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