Good Food Local: platform FAQs

• What if I find a mistake in the survey or it’s not working?
• How do I see the survey questions, so I can decide whether to take part?
• What is the deadline for taking part?
• Which local authority officer should lead on the survey?
• How do I access the case studies?
• How long does the survey take?
• Can I report on the work of partners organisations in my area?
• Can I submit the survey as a word document?
• Can I include embedded hyperlinks like this?
• How do I share questions with colleagues?
• Can I upload a PDF document as part of my evidence?
• How do I keep the results private?
• How is the survey scored?
• What about two-tier English authorities? How do District and Boroughs take part?
• My authority is in  London – do I need to do this survey?
• My authority is in Wales or Scotland – do I need to do this survey?
• What if I’m from a voluntary or community group, housing association or food partnership?

What if I find a mistake in the survey or it’s not working?

Please email goodfoodlocal@sustainweb.org including any error messages.

How do I see the survey questions, so I can decide whether to take part?

Create an account (or log into) the Good Food Local platform and ‘generate a survey’. You can then browse the sections or generate a Word version for offline use. You don't have to complete the survey now - log back in at any time to build your submission with your colleagues.

What is the deadline for taking part?

The 2025 platform will close on 31 December 2025. The 2026 platform will open early summer.

Which local authority officer should lead on the survey?

This will depend on your authority and could be a public health, sustainability, or environmental health lead. A few councils have a designated food policy officer. Whoever is the starting point, the process is designed to generate collaboration within and between councils and their partners.

How do I access the case studies?

Case studies will be available via the Good Food Local map and we'll also share them in our newsletter.

How long does the survey take?

We suggest you allow two hours for filling in and submitting the actual survey, but the bigger part is speaking to colleagues and partners to get the information you will need. We recommend 1-2 hours per section on this, depending on whether you already have contacts and conversations under way or if this will be the starting point.

Can I report on the work of partners organisations in my area?

We recognise that sometimes the best work is done when authorities fund or enable your community partners. We ask about your council activity and also your contribution to wider partnership and place-based work, in which case please state your council support e.g. staff time, resources and/or funding.

Can I submit the survey as a word document?

No, you need to use the online platform for submission, but if you prefer to fill it in off-line you can download a word version then cut and paste the answers.

To download the survey in word format first login and create your survey, then look for the ‘Export as Word document’ button on your platform homescreen.

Can I include embedded hyperlinks like this?

No, please make sure links are include in full. E.g. https://www.sustainweb.org/ not Sustain website.

For very long links, consider using a link shortener such as bit.ly  

How do I share questions with colleagues?

You can give up to two fellow colleagues access to your survey. They will have the ability to add and edit responses and submit the completed survey.

• Add them when creating your survey.
• Or look for the blue ‘people with cog icon’ on your platform homepage and follow the prompts.

You can also email text from individual questions and the ‘Help answering this question’ to yourself by clicking on the envelope icon next to each question.

Additionalty download a word export of the whole survey if you find that easier to share. To download the survey in word format first login and create your survey, then look for the ‘Export as Word document’ button on your platform homescreen.

Can I upload a PDF document as part of my evidence?

For security reasons this is not possible - we recommend you upload the PDF to your own website and include a link.

How do I keep the results private?

You can choose to ‘publish’ the survey or not when you submit it. However we’d strongly encourage you to make your answers public by joining our Good Food Local results map to give you – and Sustain - the chance to celebrate areas you are doing well. You are in control of publishing and unpublishing at anytime

How is the survey scored? 

Based on your own self-assessment, your area will show up lighter or darker on the Good Food Local map in each of the 5 sections.

Whilst the public focus is on what you are doing (not what you aren’t) authorities may like more detail on scoring to help prioritise their activity, and when you download your report, you will have this information to use internally.

What about two-tier English authorities? How do District and Boroughs take part?

The survey is suitable for all upper tier English Authorities i.e. unitary, metropolitan, and County Councils. The survey encourages collaborative working, and we expect County Councils to engage their District & Boroughs.

Potentially a county-wide process could be led by District/ Borough council(s). Please get in touch if you’d like to pilot this approach in case we can support.

My authority is in  London – do I need to do this survey?

This is a shorter, streamlined national version of the London-specific survey which has run for a number of years. If you are from London you don’t need to do this survey. Sign up to the newsletter to hear the latest developments.

My authority is in Wales or Scotland – do I need to do this survey?

Authorities in Wales or Scotland should hold off for now pending further conversation with food leads in your nations.  Sign up to the newsletter to hear the latest developments.

What if I’m from a voluntary or community group, housing association or food partnership?

This platform is specifically for local authorities but please encourage them to participate. The sections each link to the Sustainable Food Places themes so as to complement and encourage whole-place approaches.