Speciality-Food-Magazine-March-2025

@specialityfood 50 ASSURANCE SCHEMES THAT BENEFIT THE UK “When it comes to securing a sustainable, economically viable future for the food and farming sector, frustratingly, too many assurance schemes are controlled from overseas. I strongly believe UK licensees’ fees should fundamentally benefit the domestic market in supporting more sustainable farming practices. “The recent Farm Assurance Review on UK schemes omitted the issues created by foreign certification bodies. It also entirely missed the opportunity to discuss how UK schemes and standards could facilitate higher exports. Organic governance in the UK consistently evidences the delivery of environmental ambitions at the highest level, whilst being a productive system of food production. It’s a position that aligns closely with EU policy.” “Having spent over half my life working in quality assurance, leading Organic Farmers & Growers has huge appeal as it is British owned and governed by a board, primarily made up of British farmers. Backing UK assurance schemes is a surefire way to reinvest in the industry.” BILL YOUNG OF&G’S NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE, HIGHLIGHTS WHAT’S REQUIRED FOR MEANINGFUL CHANGE IN 2025 “Shiftingmindsets” IMPROVING FOOD SECURITY “In just 30 years, the UK’s food self- sufficiency has fallen from 78% and is rapidly spiralling towards 50%. It is disastrous. Food security is for me, one of the biggest issues the nation faces. “If we’re importing 84% of fruit and 47% of vegetables, there is an inherent vulnerability of our food systems. Increasing the level of self-sufficiency is key to achieving a more resilient supply chain. Independent retailers are well place to help drive demand by making up the shortfall in seasonal, British produce that is often evident in the multiples. “It is a concerning development that more agricultural land area is being taken out of production and being replaced by solar farms. There have been 15 applications in Lincolnshire alone. And while renewable energy is key to supporting environmental objectives, we cannot do so when this poses a threat to our food security. It’s very worrying. BALANCING FOOD PRODUCTION AND THE ENVIRONMENT “The disconnect that exists in terms of people thinking that you can’t protect the environment while increasing food production is concerning because it’s simply not true. There are schemes that have repeatedly shown that it is possible to do both simultaneously, organic being one of them. “The speciality food sector plays a crucial role in shifting mindsets by helping lead consumers towards more sustainable and ethical choices. With 64% of Britons having a favourable opinion of environmentalism and 70% concerned about the impact of climate change3 there is a growing demand for sustainable and ethical food production. “OF&G’s commitment to transparency and local control resonates deeply with producers, retailers and consumer who value authenticity and traceability. Fundamentally, all agricultural systems exist to produce food but organic delivers quantifiable, proven solutions that fulfil both dietary and environmental requirements. LOOKING AHEAD “It’s encouraging to see attitudes embracing sustainability throughout the supply chain. I believe it means there’s tremendous growth potential within the regenerative space. In the UK 75% of farmers feel regenerative techniques are important to the future and half have expressed a desire to adopt regen practices. Organic can be seen as ‘regen without the chem’ – it’s a natural next step for those committed to responsible farming. At the end of the day, organic stands as an undeniably robust solution to many of the challenges we face.” ISLAND BAKERY “We are what we say we are. We really care” COTSWOLD FAYRE “You can’t afford not to be sustainable, and doing so will increase profits” A t Cotswold Fayre’s recent conference and 25-year anniversary celebration, a defined thread wove its way through every part of the day – doing good. Whether through supporting projects such as City Harvest in London or the Bala Children’s Centre in Kenya, working as a B Corp to do its bit for the planet, or paying the LivingWage and supporting its employees and wider community, ‘doing good’ is something Cotswold Fayre holds close to its heart, thanks to staunch commitment from founder Paul Hargreaves. “People sometimes say that they can’t be sustainable andmake a decent profit,” he says. “I would argue you can’t afford not to be sustainable and doing so will increase your profits.” He continues, “Many businesses have brought environmental and social sustainability into their businesses over the past five years when it has becomemore popular to do so. However, I have heardmore recently fromseveral businesses who have toldme that in these difficult times they have put their sustainability agenda on hold and are focusing just on the ‘business’ side. I think this is amistake and assumes that driving a sustainability agenda is mutually exclusive to profits. It isn’t! Better sustainability and better profits go together.” Paul says his experience as a business leader is that themore we do for people and the planet, the better our businesses can be. “Think of it another way. It’s never been that difficult to work out that businesses that treat their people well aremore successful. Companies where their people look forward to coming to work rather than seeing it as a chore are far more likely to see better productivity, greater loyalty, and better financial results.” There is increasing demand from consumers, he adds, for companies to workmore holistically to support supply chains, employees, and the environment. “In a survey commissioned by B Lab UK in April 2023, it was found that 78% of people believe that businesses should have a legal responsibility to people and the planet alongsidemaximising profits. As timemoves on, businesses that can demonstrate they are good for planet will not only have better people working for them, but more suppliers collaborating with themandmore customers buying from them. It’s not difficult to work out that all that leads to greater revenue and better profits.” “I Cottage Delight has made multiple positive strides in the last few years to build upon its sustainability credentials. While the brand already sold its products in 100% infinitely recyclable glass jars, with recyclable lids and recycled plastic front labels, it last year introduced a digital brochure to further reduce its reliance on printed materials, and the decision was made to replace its mop top and rubber band (worn by jars for 30 years) with printed lids. Athough a change in look is a major shift for any brand, Cottage Delight felt it was a necessary step – one that in its first year prevented 4.8 tonnes of rubber bands fromgoing to landfill in a 12-month period. Additionally 22 tonnes of paper and packaging has been removed from processes annually, and there’s been a 30% decrease in virgin plastic usage. “I think there’s an onus on every brand and business to ensure they have sustainability plans,” says marketing director, SarahWilliams. Like so many others in the artisan sphere, Sarah says Cottage Delight is seeing growing interest from consumers around the environment. It really is impacting buying decisions – especially in food halls D awn and Joe Reade, founders of Island Bakery, never take their location, on the beautiful Isle of Mull, for granted. In fact, the island’s wild natural environment and close-knit community are just two of the reasons they’re so staunchly committed to being organic, and operating as sustainably as possible. Using only pure, natural, GMO-free, traceable ingredients (which you might find in your larder or cupboards at home) from organic farms and producers, is at the core of the biscuit- baking business. Every product is palm oil-free, with the team instead plumping to use real butter, and they insist on never using artificial flavourings or preservatives. That “honest” flavour and use of ingredients has resulted in a clutch of prestigious accolades, including wins at the Great British Food Awards. Besides using organic produce and baking in the traditional, time- honoured way, Dawn and Joe are proud to use local and renewable energy sources to bake their sweet and savoury biscuits. “Our electricity is generated from local wind and hydro turbines, and we are probably the only biscuit and farm shops. “These are the types of consumer who are probably more knowledgeable about food, and want to knowmore about what they’re buying, who produced it and how they produced it. They expect more from artisan brands. Being sustainable is an expectation.” As last year was the 50th anniversary of the brand, there are plans to build even further on its sustainable practices. “We want to celebrate what we’ve done, and where we’ve got to, but really, for us, it’s about looking forward to the next 50 years,” says Sarah. “We’ve really taken the opportunity to make big changes.” manufacturer in the world to bake all our produce in wood-fired ovens,” they say. “Our sustainably sourced, Mull-grown wood fuel is part of a near-neutral carbon cycle - quite unlike mass-produced commodity biscuits, churned out fromgas and oil-fired ovens.” They’re also leading on artisan biscuit packaging. Each box is shipped to customers with the products tucked into little paper ‘boats’, replacing the typically used plastic trays. “We’re a small family-owned bakery from the Hebrides. We are what we say we are,” they add, saying they’re small enough to pay attention to every detail, and to really care.” COTTAGE DELIGHT “We’re taking the opportunity to make big changes” Our farming roadmapwill be themost forward-looking plan for farming inour country’s history; the blueprint that willmake farming and foodproduction sustainable andprofitable for the decades to come – [one] that recognises restoring nature is not in competitionwith sustainable food productionbut is essential to it STEVE REED, SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS AT THE 2025 OXFORD FARMING CONFERENCE