Friends of the Earth's response to London 2012 Food Vision

Olympics Food Vision breaks low-carbon Games promise

Responding to London 2012's food vision today, Sandra Bell, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: "London's Olympic bid was built on the promise of a low-carbon games that has quickly been broken.

"Food production is responsible for a fifth of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions and we urgently need to switch to planet-friendly food and farming to prevent catastrophic climate change - but the massive Olympic food budget is being spent rewarding the status quo.

"While some of the food supplied will be British, there has been no real commitment to reduce the use of meat reared on imported animal feed - the production of which is destroying rainforests in South America.

 "Three big multinational brands will profit from a large proportion of food sold, creaming off profits that should be supporting local businesses and British farmers that are already going beyond these standards to produce
food without trashing the planet."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1.   Friends of the Earth's Food Chain Campaign is calling on the Government to reduce the environmental and social impacts of meat and dairy production: http://www.fixthefoodchain.co.uk/

2.   Friends of the Earth believes the environment is for everyone. We want a healthy planet and a good quality of life for all those who live on it. We inspire people to act together for a thriving environment. Over 90 per cent of
our income comes from individuals so we rely on donations to continue our vital work. For further information visit http://www.foe.co.uk/.