Speciality-Food-Magazine-March-2025

@specialityfood 48 WHAT IS THE VALUE OF SUSTAINABLE FOOD IN 2025? It’s clear that more and more people are concerned about where their food comes from, how it’s going to impact their health, and what the cost to the planet is of the way it is produced. That’s a good thing. But we do need better information and better labelling to help us make better choices. FROM YOUR VIEWPOINT, HOWDO CONSUMERS VIEW SUSTAINABLE FOOD - DO THEY RECOGNISE ITS IMPORTANCE AND VALUE (INCLUDINGMONETARY) OR IS THERE MORE EDUCATION TO BE DONE? There’s always more to be done! One thing I like too emphasise when I’m teaching at River Cottage, or giving a talk - or any opportunity I get really! - is that the story of food is integral to the pleasure, and even the goodness, we get from it. I believe we have an appetite for good stories about food that goes right back to the hundreds of thousands of years we spent as hunter gatherers. We were experts at finding food in the natural world around us, and it was pretty much a full time job. And when we were successful, and took time to sit down together with our group and share HUGH FEARNLEY- WHITTINGSTALL Education is key to the future health of our planet, says the sustainability star the good things we had gathered or hunted, then there was time to relax and tell stories. and what were those stories about? The food we had gathered of course! The thrill of the hunt, the passing on of knowledge, the celebration of a bounty of fruit, or roots, or shellfish that our understanding of the forest, or shore had given up to us. These feelings about food and where it comes from actually run very deep. WHAT ROLE DO RETAILERS - PARTICULARLY INDEPENDENT FINE FOOD RETAILERS - HAVE TO PLAY? IN TERMS OF HOW THEY RUN THEIR BUSINESS AS WELL AS HOW THEY UTILISE THEIR POSITION IN THE SECTOR I think independent retailers of fine foods are in a great position to tell better stories about better food, and feed the appetite we have to find something that’s authentic, local, well-made, and clearly represents the passion and skill of the growers and artisans who bring it into being. HOWABOUT PRODUCERS AND DISTRIBUTORS? Producers and distributors need to have a good understanding of these stories too. They need to support retailers by making sure they have all the background about what makes each product special. That’s quite a job of work if your represent hundreds of different producers, but it’s important that sense of value and integrity has to be communicated right through the chain. From farm to fork, as we like to say these days. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE CHANGED/DEVELOPED IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY BY THE END OF 2025? Ultimately across the whole industry I think we need labelling that has something meaningful to say about sustainability, animal welfare, and nutrition. it’s complex of course, but it can be done. At the moment there is too much meaningless bluster and misleading distraction on our food labels that needs to be legislated out. But we still need to leave room for true artisan producers to tell the real story of their amazing products. WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? I think over the coming years, as it becomes clearer and clearer that the food choices we make are absolutely fundamental to our well- being, and the health of our planet, people will be rightly demanding better and more useful information about their food. And if we can give them that, we can genuinely help them stay well, feel connected to their local food community and make a contribution to a more sustainable future. And if they are doing that, they will quite simple enjoy their food more. There’s no doubt in my mind that feeling good about the food you eat, even if that’s sometimes quite unconscious, actually makes it more delicious. processes a variety of British flours, using grains from farmers working within 50miles of the mill. Each bag is proudly stamped with the grain variety used, and the name of the farm it’s grown on. Doves Farm also operates on around 70% renewable energy sources (including its own solar panels), and 99% of its packaging materials by weight are recyclable. The Doves Farm range is constantly evolving, withmore than 20 products available, appealing to a huge range of tastes and dietary requirements, fromplain and strong white flours for home baking, to speciality varieties such as Wholemeal Buckwheat and White Spelt, Chickpea Flour, Brown Rice Flour, Coconut Flour, and the bestselling Oat Flour, alongside a range of organic cereals and biscuits. The team say their goal is to “make organic an everyday choice, educating consumers about the benefits of organic to the planet and personal health”. GOJUTE “We welcome visitors to our production facility” T he tax on plastic bags in the UK has been a success. According to government data, sales of single-use plastic bags have dropped by a huge 98%. Instead, customers are choosing to reuse bags for life, or to invest in sturdier options such as cotton or jute. If you’re looking for a sustainable UK-based partner to print your branded jute, cotton or juco bags, GoJute could offer the best solution, with all its products being recyclable, compostable, or both. Founder Gary Warren grew up in Cornwall, and always had a love for the environment. This led him to seek alternatives to the plastic problem, setting up GoJute’s factory andmill in Kolkata, employingmore than 350 people. The business supports sustainable jute farmers in India, and GoJute ensures workers on its farms and in its factory have good conditions and a decent living wage, with the factory being accredited by SEDEX – the international standard for sustainability, environmental and social responsibility. As part of its transparent approach, GoJute welcomes client visits to the production facility, where they can see every stage of the process in the hands of highly trained, skilled local staff. Sustainability extends beyond the bag making process. All paper within the business is FSC certified from sustainable sources, GoJute’s recycling facilities process 99% of refuse waste, and on a micro level, staff are encouraged to drink from reusable cups and water bottles, and to use the company fleet of electric cars for business travel. EMMI GROUP “We aim to achieve Net Zero by 2050” C onsumers who love cheese are increasingly seeking out artisanal, speciality products in a bid to make more sustainable choices. And this is something cheesemakers and producers are taking very seriously indeed. At the Emmi Group – renowned for delicious-tasting Swiss cheeses, including the Kaltbach range, which has stolen British hearts at the deli counter – a range of initiatives have been put in place, with a commitment to huge change by 2027, and achieving Net Zero by 2050. These include the creation of an AOP ‘eco-cheese network’ (bringing solar power to farms and dairies producing AOP cheeses in a bid to reduce CO2 emissions by 60% within the next two years), targets to reduce water waste and water use, a move to reduce food waste by 50%, and for all packaging to be 100% recyclable. These measures build on a business model that already seeks to be as sustainable as possible. Despite Emmi’s size and growth, it remains committed to working with small, generational family businesses – around 200 farms and village dairies – typically caring for just 20 to 60 animals. Each of these, in turn, puts great emphasis on high animal welfare and making the finest cheeses, from the best, freshmilk. These close relationships are in many ways the secret to the success of Emmi. A typical example is Bodenacherhof. Arnold’s 25-hectare farm looks after Fleckvieh and Red Holstein cows, all named (Panda is the family favourite), and grazed on Alpine pastures during the warmer months, or locally grown hay in winter. Sileage and GMO feed are strictly forbidden. Around 60% of Arnold’s operation is powered by solar energy, and by sustainably grown wood from his own 12-hectare forest. Emmi sees its moves as an investment in the future of food and farming, and in cheeses that bring the very essence of the land to the table. T he Doves Farmname is associated with goodness, from the ground up. Doves Farm is proud to have been a leader in the organic, free-from and artisan foods market for nearly 50 years. It was founded in the late 70s by Michael and Claire Marriage, who felt incredibly strongly that better soil health, and farming without pesticides and insecticides, could contribute to better health for people. They were some of the first farmers in the UK to convert their land to an organic system, and the fourth business licenced by the Soil Association. To this day, Doves Farm continues to hold itself to the highest organic standards, while adopting regenerative practices such as crop rotation on its own farm, to break pest and disease cycles, while keeping the soil in tip top condition. The brand also works with a network of trusted and traceable organic farmers across the UK and beyond – all of whom share their vision and passion for working towards creating a better planet. Additionally, Doves Farm is proud to further support the sustainability of local communities as the owner of the WessexMill brand, which DOVES FARM “We hold ourselves to the highest organic standards” We want to make organic an everyday choice, educating coneumers about the benefits of organic to the planet and personal health