Edinburgh’s sustainable food producers and suppliers are being called upon to apply to have their details registered in a new directory.
The Sustainable Food Directory is designed to help people find out where they can source sustainable food locally and to support the promotion of the capital as a leading food destination in Scotland.
Managed by Edible Edinburgh, and supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, the directory will aim to showcase the best places to find local, sustainable food in Edinburgh, for residents and visitors.
Local food growing projects, community food organisations, shops, markets, cafes and restaurants are all being asked to apply to become part of the directory – with the aim of gaining recognition as the most sustainable food places in the city.
Applicants are being asked to complete a short form, detailing why they should be included in the directory, along with a sustainability statement outlining how they’re actively working towards sustainability in their services; supply chain, packaging and recycling.
Councillor George Gordon, Chair of Edible Edinburgh, said: As a food partnership, we want to promote the breadth of sustainable, healthy, local food choices on offer to residents and visitors to Scotland’s capital city. Food that’s grown locally has less distance to travel to get to our plate, meaning less carbon emissions from things like transportation and storage.
“We know that Edinburgh’s amazing local food and drink producers work hard to bring high quality, sustainably produced food to people’s plates. So, we’re calling on sustainable food businesses, growers, suppliers and producers in the city to apply to be listed on our new directory, highlighting their business action and ambition, to make it easier for people to support local food producers, shops and communities in Edinburgh.”
The project to create a Sustainable Food Directory was announced as part of Edible Edinburgh’s Inspiring Food event at Edinburgh College Granton Campus on Friday.
The college event promoted some of Edinburgh’s leading food businesses, charities, growing projects and pantries.
Business can find out more about the directory and how to register by emailing Edible Edinburgh on hello@edible-edinburgh.org.
The directory is scheduled to go live to the public in early summer.
Declaration recognises Capital’s ambition of net zero emissions by 2030
Edinburgh has committed to putting food at the centre of its response to the climate emergency, after becoming a signatory to the International Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration.
Launched by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems and Nourish Scotland, the Declaration highlights the vital role food plays in meeting cities’ net zero targets, as well as helping to reduce poverty, inequality and poor health.
And by becoming a signatory to the Declaration, the City of Edinburgh Council renews its commitment to sustainable food policies and joined up action, raising awareness of how people’s livelihoods, health and local biodiversity are all interconnected with production, manufacture, supply, consumption and disposal of food.
The Declaration aligns with Edinburgh’s existing net zero commitments, which include:
Developing and implementing integrated food policies and strategies as key tools in the fight against climate change, captured in the Edinburgh’s first food growing strategy, ‘Growing Locally’ published in April 2021
Working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from urban and regional food systems in accordance with the Paris Agreement, Edinburgh’s net zero by 2030 target, and work with regional partners
Calling on national governments to establish supportive and enabling policy frameworks to enable city partners to take action on climate change at the pace and scale needed to tackle the climate emergency
The move follows on from the Council committing £130,000 to invest in expanding the provision of local food growing opportunities in the city earlier this year, along with a further £0.500 million to enhance Edinburgh’s parks, playparks, food growing and urban forests, with £4m of related capital investment.
Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Adam McVey said: Food systems currently account for a third of total global greenhouse gas emissions and, with COP26 being hosted in Scotland later this year, we have a unique opportunity as Scotland’s capital city to bring food systems reform to the forefront of the climate debate.
“Edinburgh’s pioneering local integrated food policies and strategies are helping to reduce the city’s impact on the environment and encouraging biodiversity.
“Through Growing Locally, our first ever food growing strategy, and our partnership with Edible Edinburgh, we’re already taking strides in increasing local food production and public awareness of the importance of sustainable food to our environment.
“This reflects our wider commitment to securing a more sustainable future for our citizens through tackling the climate emergency and working with partners towards ensuring the city of Edinburgh becomes net zero by 2030.
“We hope that signing the Declaration will help to highlight the importance of sustainable food to our environment, economy and communities across the city.”
Deputy leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Cammy Day added: “The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the importance of community growing initiatives in reducing social isolation, and creating stronger, more connected communities as well as providing people with access to fresh, locally produced, low carbon food.
“Growing and eating local food helps to reduce emissions from food miles, helps to encourage plants and wildlife to flourish, and can support a thriving local circular economy as part of the city’s efforts to tackle poverty.
“Becoming a signatory to the Declaration on Food and Climate recognises that food systems have an important role to play in regenerating local ecosystems and ensuring everyone has access to healthy and sustainable food.”
Chair of Edible Edinburgh, Councillor George Gordon said: “Edinburgh is home to a large and vibrant food economy which employs more than 32,000 people across almost 200 city businesses.
“Our thriving local food growing projects bring people and communities together, improve biodiversity and mitigate against the effects of climate change.
“Through our partnership with Edible Edinburgh, Edinburgh has already achieved the Bronze award for being a sustainable food city and is now working towards its Silver accreditation. As part of this we’re increasing local food growing activity and the supply of locally produced food and raising public awareness of the importance of sustainable food to our environment, economy and communities.”
Edinburgh is also a Fairtrade City and, as a lead member of the Edible Edinburgh partnership, the City of Edinburgh Council is working towards developing Edinburgh as a sustainable food city.
Growing Locally, the city’s first food growing strategy, is encouraging organisations, communities and citizens to work together to increase opportunities for growing, support local food suppliers and ensure the health, wellbeing and biodiversity benefits of local food systems are shared across the city.
In the lead up to COP26, IPES-Food and Nourish Scotland along with Declaration partners will provide a platform for signatories to share best practice and insights on developing and monitoring sustainable integrated food policies.
This will be followed by a series events during COP26 on the role of local and regional governments in building sustainable food systems.
Councillor George Gordon, Chair of the Edible Edinburgh Partnership, writes about work to reduce food poverty and promote local growing:
Writing in my role as the Chair of Edible Edinburgh Partnership, I wanted to highlight the superb food hamper distribution programme recently launched by UNICEF in association with the Partnership and Edinburgh Community Foods.
As you would hope and expect, UNICEF recognises the devastating effect the pandemic is having on individuals and families in the lower income bracket who are now experiencing food poverty and insecurity.
This is the first time the charity has directly invested in the UK as they, like we do, recognise that this has created a situation that will take a considerable length of time to fix* (see below – Ed.). Yes, we can see light at the end of the tunnel as we roll out a UK-wide vaccination programme, but this will take time to achieve.
Edible Edinburgh is working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and other partners to try and tackle poverty right here in Scotland’s capital city – a very real and unacceptable situation.
Thanks to the work of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission, published earlier this year, there can be no doubt that this support is desperately needed – and I’m delighted that the Council has committed to ending poverty in our city by 2030.
This specific programme will supply 450 individual families with the necessary food they require to survive through this Christmas period. I hasten to point out these are all newly identified families who have not been part of any previous existing programmes put in place by the Scottish Government or the Council. The vast majority are delivered through the third sector, who are predominantly charitable organisations.
I could fill this whole column with praise for the organisations involved and with the statistics and individual testimonies from those hardest hit – the many people I’ve spoken to in my various positions as a Councillor about the real hardship many of our fellow citizens are faced with.
I also want to take this opportunity to highlight another key piece of work that Edible Edinburgh are doing in association with the Council – that is the provision of areas of land for food growing as part of the Community Empowerment Act.
Our aim is to identify areas of food growing through allotments, community growing space and at least four areas for market gardens which will be run and maintained by community groups and organisations. A fine example of this is what is being currently built at Lauriston Farm and I look forward to seeing progress over the next couple of years.
My request to you is simple: get involved! Please take the time to give your views (before the closing date on 18 January) and remember there are no stupid ideas. This is hugely relevant and important as we move toward providing more locally produced sustainable food sources for our city and our country.
By doing so we can live better while helping to reduce food insecurity, carbon emissions – and, of course, poverty.
In response to comments made in the House of Commons about Unicef UK’s funding of UK food programmes last week, Anna Kettley, Unicef UK’s Director of Programmes and Advocacy, said:
“Unicef UK is responding to this unprecedented crisis and building on our 25 years’ experience of working on children’s rights in the UK with a one-off domestic response, launched in August, to provide support to vulnerable children and families around the country during this crisis period.
“In partnership with Sustain, the food and farming alliance, over £700k of Unicef UK funds is being granted to community groups around the country to support their vital work helping children and families at risk of food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Unicef will continue to spend our international funding helping the world’s poorest children. We believe that every child is important and deserves to survive and thrive no matter where they are born.”
“Fresh thinking is turning Edinburgh into a Sustainable Food City”
Bustling, vibrant market gardens in all four corners of the Capital are helping fuel and nourish our population – especially our children and older people – with perfectly fresh, locally grown seasonal produce (writes the city council’s Sustainability Champion, Forth Cllr George Gordon).Continue reading Food for Thought from Edinburgh’s Sustainabilty Champion
Edible Edinburgh launched their new Charter for good food for all at Milton Road Community Garden as part of the Power of Food Festival on Saturday. The Charter and new Edible Edinburgh website aim to engage the city’s residents, visitors and businesses much more in shaping our city’s food systems.
Edible Edinburgh (EE) is an initiative which seeks to transform Edinburgh into a sustainable food city.’ EE is a network of organisations and businesses, including Edinburgh City Council and Edinburgh is part of the UK Sustainable Food Cities network. EE is working towards the following vision to improve the city’s food:
“Edinburgh is a city where good food is available and accessible for all, making for healthy people, thriving communities and a sustainable environment.”
The Power of Food Festival was a fantastic celebration of Edinburgh communities and their relationships with food and growing, so was the perfect occasion to launch the EE Charter. EE engages closely with and supports the community growing sector in the city, and held launch of the Sustainable Food City charter at the Community Garden at Edinburgh College’s Milton Road Campus.
The Charter and website was launched by Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of Edible Edinburgh and Emma Witney (EE Project Officer) coordinated the signing of the Charter on the day. Alo in attendance were Garden Manager Severine Monvoisin and Power of Food Festival coordinator Marie-Amélie Viatte.
There are two Charters, one for residents and visitors, and one for organisations and businesses (click on link below). Both can also be viewed by clicking the links on the homepage new EE website: http://www.edible-edinburgh.org
Local growers, food groups, community gardeners and volunteers fashioned up a feast to celebrate the unveiling of the Edible Edinburgh Sustainable Food City Plan at Muirhouse Community Shop on Pennywell Road yesterday.
Developed in consultation with the public, the food plan aims to motivate Edinburgh to develop a healthy and sustainable approach to food, one which will bring social, economic and environmental benefits to the whole community – latest figures show that over two thirds of people across the Lothians eat less than the recommended five portions of fruit and veg a day.
The six-year plan is based on feedback from the public and outlines six distinct themes which need to be addressed in order to achieve its vision of Edinburgh as a sustainable food city. These are: Health and wellbeing, Land use, Environment, Buying food, Economy and Cultural change.
A series of actions have been set out within each theme in order to work towards key outcomes, including more fresh and healthy food eaten, fewer people living in food poverty, the protection of our natural environment and a thriving local food economy.
Efforts will be coordinated by Edible Edinburgh, a cross-sector steering group from the public, private and third sectors, including City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian.
City of Edinburgh Council’s Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, who chairs the Edible Edinburgh steering group, welcomed the launch of the plan.
She said: “We are proud to be launching this plan in collaboration with our partners, who have worked with the public to ensure our vision and targets are realistic and relevant for achieving a sustainable food city for all.
“Food is central for everyone in Edinburgh, and there are a great many groups who work tirelessly towards a greener, fairer and healthier city. By building on their efforts we are determined to expand this enthusiasm to residents across the capital.”
Dr Margaret Douglas, consultant in public health medicine with NHS Lothian, added: “Edible Edinburgh’s vision is of ‘a city where good food is available for all.’ Healthy affordable food is essential for good health but for too many this is not yet a reality. Projects like Pilton Community Gardeners are showing the way by involving local people in growing healthy food and improving the local environment.
“We need change at many levels if the causes of diet-related ill health are to be tackled. Partnerships like Edible Edinburgh can help coordinate public, private, voluntary and community sector action to push for a fairer food city.”
Iain Stewart, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Community Food, said: “Community food groups play a vital role in addressing inequalities by getting local people involved in making good food available locally. At Edinburgh Community Food we support this effort by providing food and health promotion sessions and supplying food projects throughout the city with a range of healthy affordable food products.”
