‘Good stuff happens after a great meal’ is the motto of our newest member to the Eating Better alliance, eat:Festivals, a not-for-profit social enterprise, which operates predominantly in the South West of England.
The multi-award winning festivals aim to inspire visitors and raise awareness of environmental and sustainability matters through what and how we eat. The events promote local food and drink producers, usually within 30 miles of the festival locations, in order to avoid food miles, reduce waste, strengthen communities, support the local economy, help small and rural enterprises develop and to protect and preserve the land and the livestock it supports. To this end eat: Festivals support fellow alliance members, Pasture for Life and LEAF.
Sarah Milner Simonds, Head of Sparkle at eat: Festivals said:
“We’re delighted to be joining Eating Better at this critical time, to ensure that the food we produce and consume treads lightly on the environment and delivers good incomes for local producers, as well as offering the best produce to our visitors.
Choosing food that is not packaged and transported across the world means that we are not transferring the cost of our consumption, the water and carbon footprints, to distant countries or unnecessarily adding to our own. By eating better, we can influence the impact we have on the world, which is the aim of our festivals.”
Simon Billing, Executive Director at Eating Better said:
“eat: Festivals are building a movement for change, which is both positive and pleasurable, showcasing the best of local producers and emphasising the importance of where our food comes from and how it’s produced. We're excited that Eat-festivals are joining us: they’re on the frontline of creating a less and better food culture, demonstrating what is possible when people have great ideas and collaborate, which is key to fixing our food system.”
You can see more of eat: Festivals work, including an interview with Sarah in our next film “Buying Better” to be released soon. We look forward to working with eat: Festivals on some exciting ventures in the months ahead. Find out more about eat: Festivals here.