Issues

ENVIRONMENT Climate Change Energy Efficiency Organic Produce Soil Fertiliser Use Pesticide Use Fish Biodiversity Water

SOCIAL Fair Trade Social Audit Ethical Local Sourcing

ECONOMIC Internal Operations SAFETY BSE Lessons Hormones Antibiotics Additives

HEALTH Hygiene Health & Nutrition Animal Welfare GM

Companies use quality and environmental managment systems to improve their quality processes and to improve their environmental performance. The two main international standards for such systems are ISO 9000 (2000 series) for quality and ISO 14001 for environmental management. 'Quality' food means very little, as the use of the word "quality" does not require the use of quality management sytsems.

The International Standards Organisation has produced a standard for food companies to implement systems to improve food safety and hygiene. For more, click ISO 22000. The UK's Sustainable Development Education Panel developed a system for colleges to apply sustainable development. Click, A Step-by-Step Guide to establishing a Sustainablity Management System,(DEFRA have taken this off their site at present...)

"If you want sustainable food chains, you have to get consumers to buy more wisely, so producers and retailers must provide more information about what's behind their products and services" Richard Wakeford, SDC Commissioner. (We believe the bar code could be used in reverse. As well as informing the store, the bar code could also inform consumers about where the food is from, who made it, and what is in it)

There is no national or international standard nor 'kite mark' for "Sustainable" Food, although there is a Queen's Award for Sustainable Development which has been awarded to several food related companies.

This SFGuide adopts and adapts these 'quality' systems to help people work out their role in promoting more sustainable food at work.