EDINBURGH has been awarded silver status by the Sustainable Food Places Network, in recognition of the city’s work to promote healthy and sustainable food.
The award bid was led by Edible Edinburgh – a city-wide partnership building new approaches to food in the capital – and saw the city judged on six themes: healthy and sustainable food, food poverty, the local food economy, community activity, public sector, food and waste.
Since 2019, when Edinburgh gained the bronze award, the city has undertaken activities to achieve this status including providing 65,000 free meals to those in need, signing the Glasgow food declaration to raise awareness of the role food plays in meeting net zero-targets and increasing food growing throughout the city.
Cammy Day, the leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Food has a pivotal role to play in helping to meet our key priorities to end poverty, become a net-zero city and promote wellbeing and equality for all our residents.”
The city has also worked on key projects to become a sustainable food city, promoting healthy eating in schools using campaigns such as Meat Free Monday, providing affordable, fresh food to communities through cafes and running cooking schools for vulnerable groups.
Fiona Richmond, head of regional food at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Across Scotland, we are lucky to have a fantastic array of produce with some of the finest natural resources, and protecting the sector for the long term is a fundamental priority across our industry.
“The food and drink sector has a key role to play in the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive world, and awards like this go a long way in recognising the work of individuals and groups that are leading the way for change.”
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