Public sector catering
Aims: to document existing experience and create an information and skills resource that can be used to support existing and future initiatives
To map the European and WTO legislative environment for Public Sector Collective Catering
To identify the barriers to locally, co-operatively and sustainably sourced Collective catering
To undertake a european-wide campaign on collective catering
Actions: AlimenTerra is creating long-term collaborative projects at European level that will enable public, private and third sector organisations to create an effective co-ordination to exchange and create best practice and develop collective methodologies and actions. Participating organisations have been responsible for some of the most important developments in this sector, including the Manger-Bio project in France and numerous local projects in the UK and the Veneto.
Our work are currently focused on an Interreg IIIC project; a conference in Venice in Nov 2004; exchange visits and the creation of a guide to sustainable public sector catering in the UK.
Sustainable Food Supply Systems
Over the past decade numerous local and regional initiatives have been taken to find practical actions which foster and promote a more sustainable food system and a better income for farmers, be it through (re-)developing local quality food products or converting to organic methods of farming. One of the major problems most of these initiatives are facing is the marketing of their products. Because of the small scale on which most of these initiatives have to operate, they lack the means and resources to set up an adequate marketing system. In fact, this usually confines the selling of the products to their own locality or region.
Attempts to deal with this through cooperation between regions, within the Leader or other programmes, offer useful knowledge on how to achieve certain economies of scale and to find new outlets for the products. However, these projects cost a lot of time and effort to develop and to maintain between these small scale initiatives.
Aims: A broader and more ambitious approach is necessary. For this AlimenTerra has begun to take steps towards the creation of so called sustainable food supply systems or networks on a European level. These networks can provide a more efficient and more effective infrastructure for all mostly small scale initiatives throughout Europe dealing with the marketing and distribution of locally and sustainably produced food products. The networks can achieve economies of scale. Producer groups can benefit from each others marketing and distribution channels, knowledge and skills and thus obtain access to a wider market.
AlimenTerra projects:
European level:
-
> Sustainable Trading Network
The objective is to in the end create a common infrastructure for the distribution and marketing of local, sustainably produced food products. A first meeting was held in October last year in Holland. At the meeting representatives from 12 producer groups and 4 Leader+ Local Action Groups discussed the possibilities of developing a transnational project to create a European Sustainable Trading Network. At the end of the two day meeting it was concluded to move ahead with two sub-projects, one on the trading network itself and one focussed on research, training and exchange. Subsequently an assessment has been made of the exact needs and wishes. On the basis of this a first project proposal will be written. A second meeting will probably be held in May. Contact person: Bart Soldaat,
> European Organic Producer Co-operative and Association
Through AlimenTerras existing and often long term contacts with various organic producer groups in Spain, Italy, France and England the idea was born to investigate potential co-operation on a European level. The overall aim is to exchange best practices and to encourage long term co-operation on trading. AlimenTerra will provide co-ordination, also with the sustainable trading network project. Contact person: Clive Peckham,
> European Conference on Sustainable Supply Systems and Networks
AlimenTerras role and responsibility is to bring initiatives together. It therefore plans to organise a European conference on Sustainable Supply Systems and Networks end of 2006 or early 2007. The conference will be a meeting place for producers, will offer a platform for debate and hopefully a breeding ground for new initiatives and collaboration between the various projects.
Territorial level:
-
> UK Network
As a spin off from the first meeting for the Sustainable Trading Network project last October in Holland the English participants from East Anglia, Somerset and East Sussex have decided to investigate collaboration on an intra-regional scale. A first meeting is planned to be held shortly.
> Spanish Network
The Spanish National Leader Network is supporting an initiative to create a national platform for local, traditional food products. A first meeting was held in November.
Contact person: Ángel de Prado Herrera,
> Dutch Network
SPN is a Dutch foundation established in 1999 by 7 regional/local organisations representing producers of sustainable local food products in their area. SPN is together with their regional associates involved in a number of projects to promote local food products. Contact person: René de Bruin,
Other actions planned:
a) To create a database of existing direct co-operative and local marketing systems
b) To create a database of skills present within the network to enable participants to readily access them
c) To create an image bank to support written materials
d) To undertake a research and exchange programme. In 2005 a first series of 2, maybe 3 exchange visits will be organised
Standards for sustainable food
Aims: To develop Europe-wide standards and charters that can be used to support the production and marketing of food produced to recognised and common standards of social, enviromental and economic sustainability.
Actions: AlimenTerra is examining current sustainable standards and certification systems used to identify common critieria. AlimenTerra is examining the charters, statements of principles and other relevant criteria already in operation in the Fair Trade system and in existing organised co-operative or ethical trading systems to devise an appropriate charter for a new european ethical trading system (for example those operated by BioCoop (France and Seikatsu (Japan) and CTM (Italy).
AlimenTerra is also supporting pilot initiatives between the UK and Italy which have led to the creation of a charter of principles (see www.eostreorganics.co.uk)
Food Policy
On the political level these projects offer a springboard for the European discussion on the reform of the CAP and on the issues concerning food safety and health. The CAP reform seems to become more favourable to smaller scale organic and local producers. But on the other hand will they, as well as the small scale processing industries, be most affected by the regulations on food safety that are discussed by the European Commission and European Parliament. It could well be that what is supported by the CAP will just as soon be inhibited by the regulations on food safety.
This calls in the first place for a thorough assessment of the way these regulations (some 80 different laws and regulations are in preparation or already effective) will effect organic and local producers and processors. Subsequently a lobbying strategy from within the network has to be developed to make politicians at all levels clear what the consequences of this policy will be.
Apart from food safety issues, the questions concerning the relationship between food and health should be the core of European food policy. Recent reports of the WHO confirm unambiguously that a growing proportion of the population in the Western world suffers from obesity, especially amongst children. Research has shown that adults who are obese at the age of 20 have a life expectancy 20 years below average! Also, more and more experiments show a distinct influence of food on behaviour.
This calls for a fundamental re-evaluation of the relationship between food and health and also of the way children are educated on this theme. At the Teruel conference it was agreed that the way the food system works, lies at heart of the problem. So a change in the food system must be connected to a change in diets and in the way we teach children, this must be reflected to a fundamental change in food policy towards the promotion of a healthy system.
|
