30 out of 33 London councils doing more to improve food

This year’s highlights include:

• Many councils are serving sustainable fish; higher welfare meat, eggs and dairy and organic and freshly prepared food in schools and nurseries. 
• Fewer are promoting whole-school approaches to changing food culture in schools showing there is still more that could be done in schools.
• Many are tackling food poverty by encouraging breastfeeding to ensure the best start in life for infants, and also paying the Living Wage to council staff and contractors and promoting the Living Wage locally.
• Increased support is being shown for food growing in the community and in schools.
• Many are including access to good food in planning policy (e.g. restricting new hot food takeaways) and working with local businesses to improve the food they serve through healthier catering accreditation schemes.

The Good Food for London league table 2016 is topped by the London Borough of Islington, followed by Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham and Merton. Three boroughs were commended for being ‘most improved’, demonstrating change is possible even in a short period of time, these being Barking & Dagenham, Kingston upon Thames and Sutton.

Despite these efforts, London continues to have higher rates of obesity compared to the rest of England, in part reflecting the proliferation of unhealthy food offers on our streets. Consumption of unhealthy food is also actively promoted through advertising, sponsorship deals and price promotions. To encourage London councils to continue to tackle sugar and unhealthy food Sustain has launched the ‘Local Government Declaration on Sugar Reduction and Healthier Food’, which will feature as a measure in the 2017 report. The declaration aims to get a public commitment from councils  to improve the availability of healthier food and drinks and reduce the availability and promotion of unhealthy options. It should be endorsed by the elected leaders of London boroughs and relevant senior officers such as directors of public health.

View our online interactive Good Food for London league table 2016 and download the full report