City centre businesses are being urged to do their bit to help Cardiff become one of the UK’s most sustainable food places by 2024.
Last year, Cardiff was awarded Silver Sustainable Food Places status – becoming the first place in Wales (and one of only six places in the UK) to achieve the prestigious accolade; the scheme is based on bronze, silver and gold achievements across six key sustainable food issues.
Now, independent businesses, third-sector organisations, and major institutions in the city centre are being urged to join in, and help Cardiff achieve Gold Sustainable Food Places status by the year 2024.
About the campaign
The campaign is being coordinated by Food Cardiff, the city’s rapidly growing food partnership which has evolved into a dynamic and inclusive city-wide network.
A new toolkit demonstrating how city centre businesses of all sizes and from all sectors can get involved has been created with the help of funding from For Cardiff’s City Ambition Fund. Using the toolkit, businesses will be encouraged to pledge actions that contribute towards a thriving local food economy, defined as one in which everyone has access to food that is both healthy, and environmentally sustainable.
Pledges which hospitality businesses are specifically encouraged to take include:
· Include two portions of fruit and veg in every meal
· Ditch single use packaging and #choosetoreuse
· Assess and reduce your food waste
Meanwhile, businesses from any sector can pledge to do some or all of the following:
· Buy from – and invest in – organisations working towards a sustainable future
· Become a certified Living Wage employer
· Source locally, and shorten supply chains
· Read the Good Food Cardiff Strategy and become an ambassador for change
Example: Sustainability at Waterloo Tea
Throughout the campaign, case studies on Food Cardiff channels will highlight how some businesses are already paving the way; the first looks at how local entrepreneur and hospitality business owner Kasim Ali has embedded sustainability into his businesses.
You can read the full case study here, or watch the clip below for a quick overview.
Kas is also a volunteer member of the Food Cardiff strategy board; earlier this year I also joined the board, which focuses on the partnership’s strategic direction, and offers guidance on how to further develop and enhance its success.
To view the business toolkit in full click here. To find out more, visit https://foodcardiff.com.
