UK: Launch of the Sustainable Food Cities Network

The Sustainable Food Cities Network has just been launched in Bristol, which will help cities develop and promote healthy and sustainable food programmes, the Soil Association reports. The network will be crucial as these cities work to tackle a growing epidemic of diet-related ill-health and the negative economic and environmental impacts of the UK’s current food system. It will be supported by the Soil Association alongside a number of other national NGOs including Co-operatives UK, FareShare, Food Matters, Garden Organic, Plunkett Foundation, and Sustain.
 

The event, which was organised by the Soil Association in partnership with Cardiff University and Bristol City Council, brought together representatives from 20 UK cities including Brighton and Hove, Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Leicester, Manchester, Plymouth and Sheffield. One of the key discussions was how to get policy-makers more committed to supporting healthy and sustainable food. It also looked at how best to measure the positive social, economic and environmental impacts these programmes are having, both locally and globally.
 

Soil Association