Eating Better

Eating Better Trustee Duncan Williamson and founder at Nourishing Food Systems looks at the connections between nutrition and nature for our mental wellbeing.

Hodmedods leads the way on getting more home-grown pulses into British kitchens.

During my research into intensive chicken farming across Herefordshire and Shropshire I encountered many modern poultry units over the last few years. And as I have walked close to the massive metal clad ‘sheds’, each of which stretches over 100m, one question has kept nagging at me: is this actually farming?

As we emerge from the pandemic, it’s time to hit reset - we can’t go back to business-as-usual. We need to take action to fix the climate and nature emergency, but we can’t do this without tackling food.

School Food Matters is the newest member to Eating Better, bringing another major voice on school food advocacy to the alliance. The charity exists to teach children about food, where it comes from and how it’s grown and to improve children’s access to healthy, sustainable food.

Last year Unchecked UK carried out a  series of teleforums with swing voters in five “Red Wall’ constituencies that changed hands from Labour to Conservative in the December 2019 election. They explored how the constituents felt about regulation and standards in general, and specifically in relation to both food and climate change.

A new study interviews senior retail representatives to explore their perceptions of sustainable diets, the strategies they’re adopting to provide and promote ‘less and better’, and the challenges they face in doing so, providing insight as to the progress that’s been made on this agenda.

Alliance member, Alliance to Save our Antibiotics, recently published a new report that shows that organic livestock farms certified by the Soil Association use far fewer antibiotics than the UK average. The survey, covering over 200 farms, found that the organic farms used less than a quarter of the amount of antibiotics used on non-organic farms.

Food lovers across the UK have had a long time to contemplate their passion this last year. In one of the precious few positives to emerge from the pandemic, survey after survey shows our relationship with food has changed – for the better.

Rivers and streams are the blue arteries of our landscape. The freshwater that flows through them is the lifeblood that sustains our food and farming system, pumping the soils in our fields with nutrients to grow crops and feed grazing cattle.

The UN COP26 climate talks held in the city later this year ‘must tackle food systems’ to get the world eating better and on track for net-zero.

Eating Better launches an ambitious plan to help retailers and restaurants source climate and nature friendly meat.

Agriculture is the main threat to 86% of the 28,000 species known to be at risk of extinction, according to the new report from Chatham House,  supported by UNEP and Compassion in World Farming.

The Good Food Institute Europe is a welcome addition to the Eating Better alliance at this critical juncture, bringing its interest in alternatives such as plant-based protein and cell based meat. 

Anaerobic digestion plants promise to digest the huge volumes of manure and slurries produced by UK livestock farms, and produce biomethane for the gas grid as well as fertiliser for crops. However, they may actually drive more and worse meat production, says Martin Bowman of Feedback.

This year, food systems suffered a massive shock. Check out what we have been doing to drive progress, and our plans to build back better.

Our latest public attitudes survey shows many of us are eating less meat and willing to cut down further. Plus, most of us would like to support farmers that have high animal welfare and environmental standards.

BDA works with Aldi to help customers understand more about healthy, sustainable and affordable shopping habits.

We are working to explore a common set a common vision of 'better' meat and dairy and a set of measures that can be used with food businesses.

New FCRN report 'Where do NGOs and researchers want to see more research on livestock and protein?'

Findings from our latest and largest ever survey of 2404 ready meals shows that many supermarket’s plant-based options have come a long way. But, more than 4 out of 5 ready meals still include meat, fish or cheese.

Vicki is Head of Sustainable Farming at Eating Better alliance organisation – Sustain.

Eating Better Alliance organisations welcome National Food Strategy report but caution against the potential of a dual tariff system.

The analysis suggests that national guidelines could be both healthier and more sustainable.