Mainstreaming Sustainable Food - Enterprise & Innovation

Mainstreaming Sustainable Food: Enterprise and Innovation - A mini world tour: my Nuffield scholarship - Work of Soil Association Scotland - Fife Diet Manifesto

Laura Stewart Director, Soil Association Scotland lstewart@soilassociation.org

Big picture • We have big problems locally and globally…

– Climate change – Hunger / diet-related ill health – Community resilience, food security – Soil, water, biodiversity concerns – Animal welfare – Food quality

• Different viewpoints and solutions on sustainability

Mainstreaming Sustainable Food • Nuffield Farming Scholarship • Wonderful opportunity to see for myself – Effective food policies – Certification to build markets and consumer trust – Increasing access to, education around and affordability of sustainable and healthy food

Black marks for my carbon footprint…

• • • • • • •

New Zealand The Netherlands Canada America China Denmark Sweden

1) Supporting enterprise and innovation: effective food policy making Soil Association’s Sustainable Food Cities

Food Policy Councils • Bring a wide range of experts from all walks of life to the table to discuss key issues • Consult widely to define a vision for food in the city/region/town • Create and manage an action plan in consultation with key stakeholders • Generate profile and engagement with effective communications • Are catalysts for change which evolve over time to reflect the changing needs of an area.

FARESHARE Affordability: Good Food Box to 4000 low income households / week

BRICKWORKS Convenience: an out of town, covered Farmer’s Market

UNI OF TORONTO Access: Farmers’ Markets on campus Education: comms programme

Supporting enterprise and innovation: certification – Local Food Plus, Toronto, Canada – Organic Cuisine, certification for menus, Denmark – Food for Life Catering Mark, UK

Certified, local, sustainable: Light touch certification‌checks for: no / low inputs, no GM, safe and fair working conditions, healthy and humane care for livestock, wildlife habitat and biodiversity, reduce on-farm energy use.

Organic Denmark – Govt set targets of 60% of all public sector procurement to be on organic food – Funded a certification and marketing scheme ‘Organic Cuisine’ – Growing marketplace

Copenhagen House of Food – 75% of all public sector food served is organic – 60,000 meals daily – Sourcing and marketing – Fantastic cooks training

Food for Life Catering Mark The Food for Life Catering Mark is an independent endorsement from the Soil Association.

It guarantees what's on the menu is freshly prepared, free from undesirable additives and better for animal welfare Bronze, silver and gold tiers encourage caterers to make step-wise progress towards using more local, seasonal, healthy and organic ingredients

Food for Life Scotland

Highland Council – Bronze aiming for Silver, 9000 primary meals/day

Stirling Council – Bronze aiming for Silver, 2000 primary meals/day East Ayrshire Council – Gold 5000 primary meals/day 5% of school meals in Scotland are certified Other school meal providers, universities, hospitals & contract caterers interested

Supporting enterprise and innovation: creating access to sustainable food - Common Ground Food Co-op, Illinois, USA - Greenmarkets, NYC - The Field, Dunkeld and Birnam

On to the Midwest, Illinois

• Access: to consistent and growing market for 20 local farmers and producers, and access to fresh, local food for local people

Scaling up • Affordability: co-op ‘buying group’ for cheaper organic dry goods, better rates for those on food stamps • Education: cooking • Scaling up: clear policy and marketing materials

Next stop: NYC

Education – All part of the job

Increasing access and market development, NYC Greenmarkets

Wholesale Farmers’ Market, 5am, The Bronx, NYC

Soil Association Land Trust

The Field, Dunkeld and Birnam • • • •

Soil Association Land Trust 10 trustees of SCIO 25 regular growers First year of operation – managing 3 acres • Several events • Stall twice a week over the summer – great feedback on taste of veggies…sold out each weekend • Lovely place to be – people just enjoy being there! https://www.facebook.com/pages/ -the-field/357191637668930

www.soilassociation.org • Founded in 1946 • Membership charity: healthy, humane and sustainable food, farming and land use • Soil Association Certification Ltd – social enterprise • Soil Association Scotland set up in 2002: programmes, policy, producer support • lstewart@soilassociation.org

www.soilassociation.org/scotland

• Lots to learn from other places • Many things we’re doing pretty well!

• Ambition is critical, and passion • Paper available soon…

More information on Nuffield Farming Scholarships: www.nuffieldscholar.org