EAUC Webinar 3 rd April 2013

1. EAUC Webinar3rd April 2013 Food sustainability and the Soil Association

8. Why food matters to universities? • Attracting new students and reassuring parents • Making a tangible contribution to carbon-reduction targets • Increasing sales of on-campus food • Improving health • Contributing to the local economy by buying local food • People & Planet Green League

9. The evidence • “Current knowledge suggests that a healthy diet will very often also be a sustainable diet.”Department of Health, Oct 2011 • Priority steps, from SDC review for Defra: ‘Setting the table’ • reducing meat and dairy • cutting food and drink of low nutritional value • reducing food waste • consuming only fish from sustainable stocks • eating more seasonal food • consuming more wildlife-friendly, organic foods

10. Nutrition guidelines + 25% GHG reduction

11. The Jamie Generation

12. Perceived barriers • “UK procurement managers have convinced themselves that EU regulations prohibit specifying the use of local food in public contracts. While it is indeed illegal to specify local products that can only be supplied by local producers (a stance that contravenes the EU principle of non-discrimination), it is possible to specify for produce such qualities as fresh, seasonal, organic and certified – qualities that are used to secure local produce in all but name in countries like Italy, for instance.” Sonnino, R and Morgan, K, 2010

13. Social Return on Investment • NEF: for every £1 invested in Food for Life menus, there is a return of over £3 in value to the local economy and society. • Most of this value lies in local economic opportunities around supplying local, seasonal food, and resulting employment.

14. Business benefits – why businesses sign up • Grow meal uptake • e.g. London Borough of Richmond +39% • Meal price reduced 18p • Public recognition for good work • A Catering Mark is a respected and recognised indication of sustainability and quality. • Enhances CSR programmes • Catering Mark accreditations are testament to commitment to addressing environmental concerns • Win new contracts • Catering Mark written in to tenders • Public health and local authority training

15. The Soil Association

16. Food accounts for 30% of our carbon footprint organic awareness Less meat Sustainable food local Less plate waste seasonal

17. Bringing together all of the issues people care about • Freshly prepared • Local • Seasonal • Free from trans fats • Better for animal welfare

18. Bronze Standards • No undesirable additives, GM or trans fats • 75% freshly prepared • All meat meets British welfare standards • Eggs from cage-free hens • Seasonal menus • No fish from the ‘fish to avoid’ list • Free drinking water prominently available

19. Silver and Gold Standards • Recognising continuous improvement • Ethical and environmentally friendly food • Championing local producers • Making healthy eating easy

20. Catering Mark success so far • 743,000 Catering Mark meals served per day • 5,000+ schools Food for Life • 70% of London Boroughs • Half of all universities in Wales are Catering Mark accredited • Working with the biggest caterers in the country across all major sectors • Increasing numbers of hospitals acrossthe country are working with us to deliver Catering Mark meals

21. The Catering Mark in universities

22. “We have seen a rise in customer numbers and repeat visitors. Students demand freshly prepared meals and are keen to know the origin of ingredients and that they tick boxes environmentally, the perception that students ‘just want pizza and chips’ is both outdated and from our experience incorrect.” “We have received very positive feedback from both students and staff. We were actually surprised at how interested students are in the origin of food products, animal welfare and the make- up of dishes that they consume.” “We found that displaying information about our local suppliers and products encouraged customers to engage further by asking catering staff about the award” “It is vital to us that we ‘spread the word’ and encourage other universities in the UK to embrace the Food for life mark, meaning that young people in higher education are benefiting from a better quality of freshly prepared food and are aware of the important issues that the mark represents.”

23. “The fact that our Catering Mark award improves our People and Planet rating was not the driving factor in getting the Catering Mark, but is a good thing that the work is recognised in this way.” “This year’s TUCO conference theme is sustainability and knowing other institutions who have already achieved the award I thought now was the time to explore it further.” “The biggest challenge was engaging chefs and serving staff, as there are price increases to some products. The big plus point here for us was re focusing on our menu descriptors and shouting about the good things we were already doing.” “The audit was very thorough but at no time did I get the impression of being challenged, the auditors want to help you achieve the award whilst ensuring the standards are met and maintained in the future.”

25. Questions? www.soilassociation.org/marketreport www.sacert.org/catering