Soil Association publishes refreshed Bronze standards
The Soil Association Scotland team is excited to publish refreshed standards for the Food for Life Served Here (FFLSH) Bronze certification. This follows a robust review process, including a period of consultation in late 2023/early 2024. The Soil Association Board of Trustees has signed off on the refreshed standards. In this blog, our Co-Director and Head of Food Sarah Duley talks about why we’ve refreshed the standards, what’s changed and how caterers can find out more.
We firmly believe in the Food for Life Served Here certification as a framework through which Scotland’s caterers can make a difference, by providing food that’s better for climate, nature and health, while also supporting the local economy. So, we’re pleased to have concluded this first full review of the FFLSH Bronze standards since they were originally launched more than 15 years ago, ensuring the standards remain relevant and useful, and continue to recognise and celebrate great practice in sustainable catering. The changes have been developed with caterers, to reflect the environment in which you work, so as a sector we can contribute to making Scotland a Good Food Nation.
I, along with the Food for Life Scotland team, would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who shared your thoughts through the consultation process. We continue to be inspired by your work providing nourishing, healthy and sustainable meals in Scotland’s schools and the wider public sector, and by your commitment to achieving the Food for Life Served Here certification year on year. That’s why we’ve valued your input into this consultation – and why we’re eager to collaborate on embedding the refreshed standards across all Food for Life Served Here certified sites in Scotland.
The publication of the standards is the start of a conversation, and they are not being immediately implemented. In the coming weeks, we hope award holders join us at our Award Holder Network meeting on 30 April, and our series of webinars that will delve into the new standards in more detail. And, as always, please be assured that the Food for Life Scotland team will be there to offer help and support as caterers transition in time, as menu cycles allow, to the refreshed standards. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with any questions you may have.
What are the refreshed Food for Life Served Here Bronze certification standards?
The following standards have been updated:
- We are removing the requirement for caterers in Scottish schools and early years settings to demonstrate compliance with national food and drink standards to avoid duplication with legal requirements.
- To better reflect caterers’ role, they now need to demonstrate that they are monitoring suppliers’ compliance with food safety standards, rather than demonstrating that their suppliers are compliant with the standards themselves.
- We’ve introduced categorisation for permitted foods within the ‘At least 75% of dishes are cooked from scratch’ standard to reduce ultra-processed foods on menus. The categories are ‘unprocessed or minimally processed food’ – e.g. frozen peas, ‘permitted convenience products’ – e.g. stock cubes and ‘highly processed products’ – e.g. pre-breaded fish.
- The list of additives to avoid has been expanded to include Titanium Dioxide E171 and artificial sweeteners.
The following standards have been introduced:
- 1.3 – Prioritise serving more vegetables, pulses and vegetarian meals
- 1.11 – Food waste reduction strategies are in place
The following standards have been removed:
- 1.7 – Drinking water
- 1.10 – Dietary and Cultural Needs
We have also made amendments to two areas of the Silver and Gold certification:
- 2.1.2. – permitting RSPCA Assured pork and poultry as well as free range in standard.
- 2.1.9 – updating the points awarded to caterers using organic or certified sustainable palm oil, or who are avoiding it altogether in standard.
Join our webinar series to learn more about the refreshed standards
We will be running a series of briefing and Q&A sessions for all caterers and partners who would like to find out more about the standards and discuss in depth with the Food for Life Served Here team. Please sign up to one of the following sessions.
Caterers:
- Wednesday 16th April: 14:00 – 15:30
- Wednesday 14th May: 14:00 – 15:30
- Thursday 19th June: 14:00 – 15:30
Partners and interested parties:
Food for Life Scotland Award Holder Network meeting:
- Wednesday 30 April, 10:45 – 12:00
