Between the 1st-15th June 2014 the British public will be prompted to think more about the food we eat: the start of June will mark the launch of Get food Smart (1st-15th June 2014), a fortnight long campaign, by the charity Business in the Community to encourage the British public to be more mindful of their food – what they eat, where it comes from and why they should be eating seasonably.
Hospitality businesses may find that their customers and guests are asking more questions about provenance and local sourcing than usual…
Get Food Smart will educate, inspire and encourage the public to think differently about food by taking 5 simple actions which benefit individuals, communities and the environment.
- Eat seasonably (eat British)
- Buy local (British)
- Eat less meat (and more fruit and vegetables)
- Grow your own fruit and vegetables
- Get to know where your food comes from
To support the campaign Get food Smart has been launched, to house everything needed to get involved, including tips, advice and a competition.
Encouraging businesses to speak to customers
Business in the Community is encouraging businesses to speak to their customers about being mindful of their food throughout the campaign. Participating organisations include household names such as B&Q, Dairy Crest, Waitrose and Tesco who will be joining forces for the campaign, and encouraging their own customers and employees to be more mindful of their food.
Events and activities
Alongside the tips, advice and offers, visitors to the website will also be able to find details of Get Food Smart events and activities taking place across the UK throughout the fortnight. The campaign activity highlights include the Eden Project’s Big Lunch on Sunday 1st of June, encouraging people to get to know their neighbours and share a sustainable meal, and Dairy Crest and Waitrose supporting Open Farm Sunday on 8th June to help bring to life the link to where their food comes from.
#getfoodsmart
The Get Food Smart campaign will also be promoted across social media, with the #getfoodsmart hashtag, which can be followed on Twitter for tips and advice. The hashtag will also link to the “Can you remember what you have eaten today?” competition, asking consumers to tweet a picture of what they’ve eaten during the fortnight and how it relates to the campaign. Entrants will be in with a chance to win a Veg Cookery Course at River Cottage for two, valued at £460, as well as other prizes including Waitrose vouchers and Secret Seed Society and Snact goody bags.
Business in the Community campaigning
Joey Tabone, Marketplace Sustainability Director, Business in the Community: “We all know we should be eating seasonably, buying locally and caring more about where our food comes from, but sometimes where we fail is knowing how and where to start.
“Get Food Smart has been launched with a number of business partners to shine a spotlight on how easy it is to do all these things, as well as all the personal, community and environmental benefits of getting food smart.”
Get Food Smart forms part of Business in the Community’s wider campaigning activity to consider the issue of the rising world population which is set to grow from seven billion to nine billion by 2050, and to spotlight the impact of current food production and consumption on resources. It will show how making simple and considered lifestyle changes, whether that be buying more local produce to reduce food miles, to eating more vegetables and grains to reduce the environmental impact of eating meat, can help contribute to a more sustainable future.
Organisations taking part in Get Food Smart
The Big Lunch/E den Project, B&Q, Friends of the Earth, Waitrose, Dairy Crest, Tesco, Anthesis Group, Give me Tap, Feeding the 5000, Secret Seed Society, Snact, Connected Roots, Project Dirt, Wrap, Eating Better, Prince’s Countryside Fund
For more information click here