The Food for Life Catering Mark is a way for restaurants and caterers to gain recognition for good work serving food that is freshly prepared, free from undesirable additives, better for the environment, and better for animal welfare. In spring 2011, over 300,000 Food for Life award-winning meals are now served weekly in the UK.
The Catering Mark is open to all types of caterer and offers three awards to recognise good practice: bronze, silver and gold. The different awards offer a step-by-step approach towards using more fresh, seasonal, local and organic ingredients, with award criteria shown below.
Of special relevance to Sustainable Fish City (of which the Food for Life Catering Mark is an associate member):
- to receive a silver award, caterers must exclude use of fish from the Marine Conservation Society 'fish to avoid' list
- to receive a gold award, 30% of food spend must be on Marine Stewardship Council certified fish or organic ingredients
- 450 schools in London are now enrolled in Food for Life, with some already achieving silver award standard, such as Atwood Primary School, Mapledown School, St Stephen's School, and Wandle Valley School
- some London Boroughs have achieved silver award status for their school meals service, including Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond, Croydon and Camden
When a caterer or restaurant has gained its Catering Mark award, it receives a communications pack to help tell their customers about the organisation's successes. The Food for Life Catering team give the company the Catering Mark bronze, silver or gold logo to use on menus and marketing materials. The award is also publicised to over 50,000 people by featuring on the Food for Life Catering website and in its supporter newsletters highlighting pioneers of the scheme.
When a company applies for the Catering Mark, they are provided with advice and guidance to help them gain an award. The Food for Life Catering team will also support a company's progress towards the prestigious gold Catering Mark award.
Food for Life Catering Mark award criteria
Food for Life Catering Mark menu criteria include:
Bronze
- Meals contain no undesirable food additives or hydrogenated fats
- 75% of dishes are freshly prepared
- Meat is from farms which satisfy UK welfare standards
- Eggs are from cage-free hens
- Menus are seasonal
- Training is provided for all catering staff
- No GM ingredients are used
Silver
in addition to bronze criteria:
- A range of local, organic and fair trade produce is served
- Chicken, eggs and pork products are from sources which meet high welfare standards or 10% of food is organic
- No fish is served from the Marine Conservation Society 'fish to avoid' list
- Information about where the food has come from is on display
Gold
in addition to bronze and silver criteria:
- At least 30% of ingredients are organic (or Marine Stewardship Council certified fish)
- At least 50% of ingredients are locally produced
- Organic meat, dairy products or eggs are served, which achieve the highest welfare standards
- A variety of non-meat dishes are being promoted as part of a balanced, climate-friendly diet
Find out more about the Food for Life Catering Mark.
Find out more about the Food for Life Partnership, which works with schools to transform school food culture.
Sustainable Fish: A campaign to protect precious marine environments and fishing livelihoods, and call for fish to be bought from sustainable sources. We want to show what can be done if people and organisations make a concerted effort to change their buying habits.
