Foodservice

What’s driving our work in foodservice?

The foodservice sector has a huge influence on the way we produce and consume food. 67 percent of us eat out at least once a week (AHDB Eating Out report Nov 2018), so it makes sense that foodservice drives many elements of our work at the Soil Association.

We believe that everyone should have access to good food. Our schemes and business support tools help foodservice providers and businesses to grow responsibly, creating healthy, tasty and sustainably sourced meals.

What’s driving consumer demand?

People want to see more sustainable options on menus - we’re increasingly becoming food ‘citizens’, making mindful decisions about what and where we eat based on what impact the food will have on us, our local economies and the planet.

Globally, agriculture is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Within the EU, the food we eat represents nearly a third of our climate footprint as consumers.

What’s fuelling this change?

• Recent food scandals have fuelled mistrust around what’s in our food and where it’s from
• IPCC Climate Change report: shows that the world is not on track to avoiding devastating climate impacts to every aspect of human society. It underlines the fact that urgent and radical action is needed to cut emissions from agriculture. Eating less but better meat is a measure in reducing the current detrimental rate of global warming
• EAT Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems: This ground-breaking scientific report makes game changing recommendations defining the direction of travel towards a sustainable food and farming system to achieve healthy diets for all by 2050. It's concerned with how we produce, distribute and consume food in order to feed a growing population, calling for a more sustainable approach to farming, and a plant-led diet with less but better meat

Supply chains

We work with players all along the supply chain to improve sourcing practices. Improving these practices can have a big impact on reducing climate impact, protecting our soil fertility, health and wildlife for generations to come.

Food for Life Served Here and Supplier Scheme

Every year £2.4 billion is spend on public sector food procurement. We work with the people responsible for sourcing and use the Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) standards to guide their decisions.

2 million FFLSH meals are served every day in schools, universities, hospitals and tourist attractions. These meals use ingredients traceable to farm, which are sourced locally and produced more sustainably as well. To find out more please visit the Food For Life Served Here website.

We work with over 180 suppliers from producers to distributors and connect them with FFLSH award holders. Our FFL Supplier Scheme helps business to improve sales, customer experience and win tenders. 

• Food For Life Supplier Scheme

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Organic Served Here

The UK's only organic scheme for restaurants and cafes. 50 percent of people we surveyed agreed that they would be more likely to choose a restaurant that highlights ethical or sustainable credentials. Organic Served Here offers clarity and assurance for today’s more ethically-minded diners.

With our stamp of trust and credibility, Organic Served Here is a high-profile, affordable way to:

• Raise the profile of eateries that source sustainable organic food and drink
• Help ethically-minded diners to find organic restaurants and cafes near them
• Reassure your customers that the organic menu options are certified organic. This signals that your business sources fully traceable and high-quality organic ingredients that are produced to the highest standards of care and animal welfare, with minimum impact on the environment.

• Organic Served Here Award

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