Eating Better

For our final case study, we spotlight Nourish Scotland and examine how embracing dignity and justice, through co-creation and amplifying marginalised voices in decision-making, can transform food systems.

For years, the Landworkers Alliance has been organising identity-based groups to embed inclusivity and intersectionality in farming and landwork. The case study below highlights the impact these groups have had on members and how they have shaped the organisation's broader efforts in diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

In our commitment to fostering justice within the sustainable food sector, we’re turning to the inspiring work of our alliance members who are pioneering initiatives to create systemic change. Among these efforts, the REDI for Change Toolkit stands out as a groundbreaking resource, supporting organisations across the UK in dismantling oppression within food systems. In this blog, Ben Messer walks us through the purpose and transformative impact of integrating REDI for Change into the Sustainable Food Places programme, paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable food future.

The way we farm is key to building and maintaining healthy and sustainable food systems in the UK. We spoke to Huw Foulkes of Pentrefelin about his farm in North Wales about how he is supplying pasture-fed meat and dairy to his local community.

The menus at the Mexican inspired chain Wahaca, which has 13 sites across the UK, is now around 50% plant-based, while its sourcing policy focuses on “better” meat and local produce from the best of British farms

Certified by Pasture for Life, award winning, Organic dairy farm Mossgiel in Ayrshire is “working with nature, not against it.”

The Plating Up Progress report from the Food Foundation tracks the progress of food retail and food service on setting and reporting on targets towards a healthy and sustainable food system. The dashboards can be used by policy makers, food businesses and investors.  

The FAIRR Initiative is a collaborative investor network of 250+ institutional investors with around $15tn in combined assets that has been engaging global food companies across the supply chain on a range of ESG issues since 2015.

Inspired by customer demand for healthier, more sustainable food, Food Equilibrium (Food EQ) was born out of the BaxterStorey’s Chef Academy programme, and aims to empower and inspire chefs to make plants and grains the stars of the plate. For Food EQ “fresh ingredients + well trained chefs = great food.”

Certified by Eating Better members the Soil Association and Pasture for Life, award winning Eversfield Organic in Devon is an example of a business putting the focus on “less and better” meat. 

Award winning Hodmedods is a small but growing, independent UK business founded in 2021, which has harnessed the opportunity to produce and sell more beans and pulses.

The EU’s trade policy is currently the best example of successfully enforcing standards of environmental protection, animal welfare and climate resilience in trade. 

Rose Vouchers are a local, charity led project that helps families on low incomes to buy a good variety of fresh fruit and vegetables at local markets.

Sheffield has declared a nature emergency and is working to ensure that local planning decisions help nature to recover.   

Mandeville Primary school in Hackney weaves food education into the curriculum, teaching children how to grow, cook and eat fresh food that’s healthy and sustainable. Lessons take place on site at Hackney School of Food, bringing together chefs, gardners and educators to support children and their families to learn to cook from scratch.

Leeds City Council is normalising sustainable diets through public procurement and helping schools lower the carbon footprint of the meals they serve through a range of measures.

Waitrose’s farming commitments demonstrate its leadership in farm animal welfare and deliver “better.” It holds 14 Retailer Awards from Compassion in World Farming, including five Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards. Waitrose is ranked as tier one leaders by Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare.

Sainsbury’s has taken the first steps toward embedding a sustainable diets strategy across the business. The food retailer’s ‘Helping Everyone Eat Better’ brand commitment is focused on supporting healthier and more sustainable diets through a number of strategies.

Initially developed with Tesco, WWF is now working with five UK supermarkets to halve the environmental impact of UK baskets by 2030, using the WWF Basket metric to track progress.   

The Co-op is encouraging its customers to reduce meat consumption and eat more plants by pricing plant-based foods competitively against meat products. The retailer is doing this as part of its Climate Plan and Count Us In programme.

Eating Better’s public attitudes survey found almost three-quarters of the UK public would like to do more to support farmers that have high animal welfare and environmental standards.

With restaurants across the UK, Wagamama is helping people eat more plants by broadening its menu to make plant-rich dishes as tasty and accessible as possible. 

By making plant-based dishes sound just as appealing as meat ones, food service can nudge diners towards more sustainable choices when eating out.   

Denmark is one of only a few countries to have introduced dietar y guidelines ​​that focus on both population health and that of the planet. Recognising that citizens were eating too much meat, the Danish Government drew up a new food policy