'Food for Life'
Catering Mark

Company Level

Calculate company the water footprint of direct operations. Do a cost benefit analysis of retrofitting water efficiency measures. Require water efficiency measures in new build.

Map water efficiency actions being taken by supply chain. Share best practice among suppliers and farms. Work with farms wherever feasible to make agriculture more efficient eg drip methods of irrigation, repair of leaks, collection of rainwater where this does not cause problems further downstream.

Work with government and customers to reduce water wastage wherever possible.

Lobby government for standard methodology, clear messages and joined up thinking.

Commission product water footprints for water risky areas: The methodology exists (www.waterfootprint.org). Measure only the risky aspects of water footprint. Make sure your supply chain understands the risks. Where possible try to help them prepare for more variability and more intensity in weather patterns eg hurricanes, flooding or drought. Prepare a contingency plan for breakdown of supply.

Long Term

Government should review traditional global water risks by region eg demographics (growing population), richer population (more meat and dairy), development (urbanisation, pollution), lack of agreement on how to price of water and how to define ownership, and then overlay climate change predictions with regard to water eg too little water (lack of rainfall, long term end of glacier water supply), too much water (flooding, hurricanes), the wrong water (salinity due to sea level rises, overflowing sewers).

Prepare a strategy for permanent withdrawal from water stressed regions if local stakeholders are clearly pursuing an unsustainable path. The assumption should be that this amy eventually imply brand risk.

These suggestions are taken from FCRN interview with Alexis Rowell on Water Stress in Food Supply.