Sustainable food in care catering - a briefing paper

In 2005, the National Association of Care Catering (NACC) and Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming, embarked on a project to explore the opportunities for healthy and sustainable food procurement in care catering.

This briefing paper set out the case and scope for work to improve the healthiness and sustainability of food in care catering, with an initial focus on improving the food standards for meals served to older people in care homes. It provides a brief explanation of what we mean by healthy and sustainable food and why there is a need for a practical project to implement change. It also outlines the key obstacles and opportunities and points readers to sources of more information and useful case studies.

A sustainable food procurement working group was set up and plans for a pilot project were made. While care catering also encompasses meals on wheels, young people in care and people with physical and mental health needs and learning difficulties, the resulting pilot project focused on residential care homes for older people as a manageable starting point.

In 2012, Sustain launched the Campaign for Better Hospital Food. Please get involved to help win compulsory health and sustainability standards for food served in hospitals!

Report contents

What the National Association for Care Catering is doing

Why we should promote sustainable food in care catering

The NACC sustainable food procurement policy

What we mean by sustainable food

• Healthy food
• Local food
• Food produced using minimal amounts of pesticides and fertilisers
• Marine Stewardship Council certified fish
• Fairly traded food
• Food produced with higher animal welfare standards
• Traditional, regional foods
• Food with reduced packaging and waste
• Food from social enterprises
• Mains water
• Food cooked with energy efficient equipment

What about ready meals and frozen food?

Obstacles and opportunities to introducing more sustainable food into care catering

• EU legislation
• Cost
• Skills
• Attitudes of consumers

Useful publications and websites

People who might be able to help

References