H&F Food Plan - 2025 to 2030,Key challenges, outcome and priorities: Priority d) Sustainable Food Systems – Objective: people can eat without damaging the environment

What we know in H&F

H&F supports a shift towards a sustainable food system which addresses the climate emergency, declining biodiversity and the impacts of food and packaging waste. With our commitment to become a net zero borough we need to reduce waste and increasingly move to more sustainable diets.³¹
Londoners consume an estimated 4,794,000 tonnes of food each year, either through food service (665,000 tonnes) or through consumption at home (4,129,000 tonnes). Most of the food consumed in London is eaten at home (86%), which is equal to about 460 kg per person per year. Food eaten out in places like cafés and restaurants makes up the remaining amount (14%).³²
A third of the average person's carbon emissions come from the things we buy and use, including food. The largest source of carbon emissions within the things we use; is from food ³³ In H&F, food generated 0.91 tCO2e per capita.
Around a third of all the waste in H&F residents' general waste is food waste. A lack of public understanding of food labelling and how to prevent food waste when preparing meals results in significant amounts of usable food being wasted.
Approximately 122,000 tonnes of London's food loss and waste are sent to landfill (representing 8% of the total waste generated in London). This is the least desirable option in the waste hierarchy. Sending waste to landfill not only eliminates the potential capture of value from these resources but also generates a significant quantity of greenhouse gas emissions through decomposition. This is responsible for 65% (256 kt CO2eq) of the emissions of London's food waste management, with an emission intensity of 2.11 kt CO2eq per tonne of waste.³⁴
Addressing the climate emergency will require us to make changes to the way food is produced, our dietary choices and the ways we manage food waste.³⁵
Sustainable diets have low environmental impacts and contribute to healthy lives for present and future generations. A diet following 5 or more of the 9 Public Health England (PHE) Eatwell Guide recommendations were associated with 1.6kg less CO2 emissions per day³⁶, in particular through eating more foods that lower a residents diet's carbon footprint.
There is too much waste in the food system, whether it is surplus food or unnecessary packaging. With our commitment to become a net zero borough we need to continue to reduce waste and increasingly move to more sustainable diets.³⁷

Key outcomes

Better food use and less food waste.
Better understanding of food labelling which can lead to food being thrown away and wasted.
Increased knowledge of environmental impact of food decisions (what we eat, how it is packaged, how far it has travelled).
Catering and food procurement are more sustainable.
Increase food growing/opportunities for residents to grow food.

Areas of focus

Identify where procurement contracts are related to food and explore if targets are or can be set in relation to sustainable diets, sourcing and food waste.
Explore effectiveness of place-based buy-local campaigns with the potential to replicate.
Work with organisers of high-profile events in H&F to encourage best practice in serving sustainable and nutritious choices and reduce food waste and packaging.
Promote with partners to utilise the 'Out of Home' toolkit by Public Health England which provides strategies for encouraging healthier food Provision with local retailers, private nurseries, bakers, leisure centres, market stall holders, corner shops etc.
Produce and promote guidance to retailers about how to donate surplus food to support community projects.
To work with partners on a joined-up approach to Food Waste Action week and engage business and residents to pledge for reducing food waste.
Work with the allotment management organisations to develop a community allotment model and to engage with current allotment holders' opportunities to share any surplus produce with food banks and other shared food settings.
Explore the development of dormant community growing spaces.
Encourage community led food growing activities and more food growing in schools (through the Healthy Schools programme, sharing best practice and support to access grant opportunities).
Encourage providers of grants to include food projects in their grant criteria.
Explore the development of an official process for residents to request use of land for community food growing on publicly owned land, including housing estates.
Share regular messaging with residents; promoting the benefits of consuming foods that lower their diet's carbon footprint. Also include information about organic, sustainable and higher welfare food production and food waste.
Locally this could mean reducing foods with a high carbon footprint in schools, working with the NHS to reduce it in hospitals, and providing financial incentives to market holders and restaurants, creating a local food pyramid.³⁸