Food

The food we eat, grow, and buy has a big impact on how we reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.

12% of greenhouse emissions in the UK are from farming. Across the globe, how we grow, make and move around food leads to 50% of biodiversity loss and around 30% of carbon emissions. These impacts are mostly from the farming of animals and the use of machinery in farms.

How schools find, buy and manage school meals is a big opportunity to address climate change.

Making school food more sustainable is good for the environment. It can also save schools money, reduce food waste and support your students to eat healthier food. Key actions schools can take are set out below.

Cheshire West and Chester is accredited as a Sustainable Food Place, and there are a range of resources available, with some examples of the action you can take provided below.

Introducing sustainability standards in food procurement

Such as:

introducing a meat-free day every week, using ‘plant-powered’ meals

substituting some meat with other proteins like lentils. This also has financial and nutritional benefits

using more locally grown produce, seeking out local suppliers

minimising food packaging and choosing more sustainable options with less plastic

introducing higher welfare meat. For example ‘Red Tractor’ certified

offering seasonal menus

Reducing palm oil usage

Promote healthy and sustainable diets

Such as:

encouraging children to eat more vegetables and fruit. This should include two portions per meal

Provide greener energy sources for kitchens

Such as

moving to renewable energy sources for cooking and preparing food

Tailor school meals for students and staff

Such as:

remove or improve any meals which are not popular with staff and students

Connecting with others

Such as:

connecting with local community growing groups